Youth Fair Celebrates Diversity

As an expression of her efforts to combat racial insensitivity, such as the emotional sting of being called the “N-word,” Hassani Turner joined more than 20 other teen organizers Saturday in promoting cultural awareness at Youth Fair ‘98, held in Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks Park.

Hassani, 13, said she has been singled out by the pejorative in heated arguments with her classmates because she is one of few African Americans in a predominantly Latino community.

But mostly it is due to ignorance, she said.

“I can be the bigger person and find ways to avoid it,” said Hassani, who is will enter the ninth grade at Van Nuys High School this fall. “I figure by doing this, one day we can all get along.”

Co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Commission for Youth and Their Families and the Van Nuys-based Halcyon Center for Child Studies-Educare, the event was coordinated by a youth committee of high school students from Van Nuys to celebrate the ethnic diversity of the San Fernando Valley.

Several hundred families and young people took part in the daylong festivities to watch Mexican folklorico dance groups and local drill teams perform.

Booths were set up where kids could get their faces painted, register for library cards and win free bottles of Pepsi as part of a giveaway from one of the event’s corporate supporters. A youth soccer tournament and skill demonstration were also part of the event.

Many in attendance said they were thankful that such an event had come to their community.

Wearing a paper replica of a Native American feather headdress, an eager Mariana Romero, 2, pulled mightily on her father Jose’s arm trying to get him to show her around more of the fiesta.

“This is [a] good sign to mix the cultures together, to make that connection,” said Jose Romero, 30, of Van Nuys.

“I hope everyone understands they can have fun with other people--yellow, white, black, whatever.”

And as Anabel Rios, 19, of Sun Valley held her 2-month-old son, Angel, in her arms, she said she came to the park to cheer on her niece--a young folklorico dancer who was dressed in a bright fuchsia, ankle-length gown.

“It’s necessary at a young age for kids to learn to get along, learn about different cultures and accept other people,” Rios said.

Perhaps the most obvious symbol of the day’s multicultural theme was Louise Bundy and her dance company. The quartet of women, outfitted in traditional garb from Taiwan, Switzerland and Mexico, pranced in a sprightly manner to a mix of vintage tunes from Greece, Turkey and Macedonia.

“It’s like I always say,” said Bundy, a black woman who speaks fluent Spanish. “There’s only one race on this planet and that’s the human race.”