It’s funny how history can repeat itself. When I was in high school and we had some type of Diversity Weekend-esque event it was never very well attended by students. And what I find most ironic about this situation is the fact that my school constantly talked about how it ‘embraced its diversity.’ Then, upon my arrival to Macalester, when I found out that last year’s Diversity Weekend wasn’t very well-attended, I can honestly say that I wasn’t very surprised, though I was disappointed.

My problem isn’t with the fact that many students decided not to attend Diversity Weekend events. What you want to do with your weekend is up to you. My qualm comes from the fact that the Macalester student body is always first to boast about how diverse we are, yet that same zeal for diversity isn’t shown on the faces of the crowds (or lack thereof) at Diversity Weekend events. So as soon as I heard about the dilemma that Macalester was facing with lack of audience, I suggested a remedy for the problem: bean dip.

Now, I know you might be thinking I’m weird for writing about bean dip, but it is what solved the dilemma at my school. And if it can work for my old school, I’m sure it can work here at Mac. Who knows…maybe history can repeat itself!

Last year at my school when we had our Diversity Week keynote speaker event, I made sure to include in the ad that we would have bean dip readily available. Some of the conversations that were going on during the week leading up to the event surprised me, for example:

Friend 1: Hey, are you going to the speech thing on diversity?

Friend 2: No, man. I have a huge test the next day that I have to study for.

Friend 1: But there is going to be bean dip!

Friend 2: Wow, how can I pass that up? Count me in!

What I found most funny about this situation at my high school was that most kids actually ended up enjoying the events. Though everyone had their preconceived notions about diversity and events surrounding the issue, they were still pleasantly surprised. It isn’t just an issue that should be dealt with by students who identify themselves as people of color. It should be everyone’s issue. Something that is deeper than the color of someone’s skin or what nationality they are. It should be about being who you are and appreciating others for who they are. I know this is a lot of information to take in, but if you remember anything, just remember the bean dip.

So when thinking about what you are going to do with your weekend, think about checking out one or two Diversity Weekend events. I guess it is no surprise what I’ll be doing this weekend. I plan on being at all the Diversity Weekend events. But I’m actually going to be there for the event, because, quite frankly, I can’t stand bean dip.

Author’s Note: Though there probably won’t be any bean dip at any of the events of Diversity Weekend, I would like to let you know that there will be food at the various events and speakers. And even though it won’t be exactly bean dip, it will be a tasty substitute.