ECC Celebrating International Education Week, Festival on Nov. 19

International Week (IEW) is Nov. 14-18 this year, and for East Central College, the celebration continues to Saturday, Nov. 19, with International Festival from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Café Central.

IEW began in 2000 under President Bill Clinton to celebrate the benefits of cultural and academic exchange programs around the world. IEW promotes how international education programs prepare Americans for a global environment and invite the world’s future leaders to exchange ideas.

Throughout the week, there will be activities, such as a virtual escape room or scavenger hunt, with an international theme. There will be drawings for winners for each of these activities.
Also, photo backdrops will be around campus where students and employees snap photos at locations “around the world.” Students and employees can send photos to Ellen Aramburu at Ellen.Aramburu@eastcentral.edu, and Gregg Jones at Gregg.Jones@eastcentral.edu, to be shared on social media.

Monday, Nov. 14

Flag walk —10:50 a.m., International students invited to display their home country’s flag during a parade. Location to be determined (weather permitting).

Tuesday, Nov. 15

Snack & Stories — 1 p.m. in Café Central. International students will share a little about their experience studying outside their country.

Guest Speaker, artist Ria Unson — She will present on “Filipinos at the 1904 World’s Fair: A Legacy of Race and Empire” at 3 p.m. In Hansen Hall 286 lecture hall. This presentation is open to the public.
*See more information below about speaker and topic.

Wednesday, Nov. 16

Snack & Stories — 1 p.m. in Café Central. International students will share a little about their experience studying outside their country.

Film & Lecture Series — 6 p.m., ECC Theatre showing of “¡Viva Maestro!”

Thursday, Nov. 17

International Candy Bar — 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., (or while supplies last) candy from around the world will be available in the Buescher Hall Lobby.

Saturday, Nov. 19

International Festival — 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Café Central. Performances by Grupo Atlántico and Chinese Dance Group. There will be country booths, origami, landmark backdrops, international dress display, map puzzles, international story time, and more.

*About the Speaker, Ria Unson

Ria Unson is a Filipino American artist in St. Louis. She was born in the Philippines and emigrated to the U.S. at age 13. Unbeknownst to her, Ria’s great grandfather was brought to the 1904 World’s Fair after the American colonization of the Philippines. By sheer coincidence (or destiny) she moved to the historic neighborhood that once housed the Philippine Exhibit at the fair. Her work explores the continuing legacies of imperialism on identity, migration, and culture. Unson’s art will be in the permanent collection of the History Museum for the 120th anniversary of the Fair.

“Filipinos at the 1904 World’s Fair: A Legacy of Race and Empire”

One of the most popular attractions at the 1904 World’s Fair was the Philippine Exhibit, a 47-acre site that for nine months became home to over 1,000 people on display.

Unson traces the legacy of the fair as a descendant of one of those people.

Learn about how the image of Filipinos constructed at the fair was a method used to gain support for American imperialism and to domesticate the immigrant workers of St. Louis.