Social justice clubs worked together to host a Social Justice Student Panel in the library and a Multicultural Festival in the cafeteria on March 19. Both events were open to all students, faculty and community members.

“The goal of these two events was to continue the positive discussions started by social justice week and to celebrate just a few of the wonderful cultures that are present at FHS,” Unity Club advisor Patrick Mulcahy said.

Eleven students who presented during Social Justice Week and are involved in BRAVE, Unity Club, Black Student Union, Multicultural Student Union, Gay Straight Alliance, Unicef, or the Social Justice Club were featured in the panel to speak about what they believe the school community needs in order to have a safer and more accepting environment, according to UNICEF advisor Amanda Roller. The panel was moderated by sophomore Sia Goel.

“I thought the ideas discussed were very important to the student body and school climate,” Goel said.

In the cafeteria, students had the opportunity to share their cultures through various forms. Senior Sushane Sharma played a song on his sitar, senior Jasmine Kabira performed an Indian dance, and senior Alejandro Carino Nieves played the Puerto Rican National Anthem on the flute. In the second part of the program, Goel, juniors Pei Yi Zhuo and Pei Chao Zhuo, and sophomores Luis Baez and Sebastian Rosales did presentations on India, China, and Latin America, respectively.

“I’ve always been a passionate advocate for the manifestation of diversity in our school. Specifically, I’m the president of Bollywood Dance Club and Spanish National Honor Society, so I really try to promote other cultures in an otherwise relatively homogeneous community,” Kabira said.

According to Roller, students led the development of the event with the desire to keep the spirit of Social Justice Week alive and promote a positive community building experience.

“What made the night as successful as it could possibly be was the motivation these students had to represent their own cultures, debunk stereotypes, and just evoke appreciation for other backgrounds,” Kabira said.