The Student Life Center for Belonging and Social Change will host the Language of Food for United Black World Month in the Ohio Union. Credit: Katie Good | Asst. Photo Editor
Across the globe, people of any culture — or language — can often be united by one thing: food.
At Ohio State, the Student Life Center for Belonging and Social Change hopes to connect students through food to help educate and raise awareness during United Black World Month with its Language of Food event Feb. 21 from 6-8 p.m. in the Ohio Union.
The CBSC hosts Language of Food each month with different themes and titles to commemorate different heritage months, and this year’s United Black World Month’s theme is unity. According to the CBSC website, the event is free for all students who wish to attend, but those interested in cooking must sign up early, as the spots are limited and assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis.
University spokesperson Dave Isaacs said the programs during heritage and awareness months are designed to bring cultural awareness and understanding for everyone to come together as a community.
“What [heritage and awareness months] are designed to do is call attention to, highlight various groups of students on campus,” Isaacs said. “It is about celebrating the culture and achievement of those groups and bridging the campus together to encourage understanding in the community.”
Isaacs said food is a language and a gateway to culture, and this event is a way to create understanding, celebrate culture and expose it to others.
“Food is also a window into a culture,” Isaacs said. “If you experience the food of a culture, you are experiencing the essence of that culture. It is so much more than just putting calories in your mouth.”
Indra Leyva Cook, assistant director of CBSC and event organizer, said ingredients are available for students to prepare any meal of their choice, which they can specify when they sign up for the event. Cook said the space is friendly for students from diverse backgrounds to talk about the Language of Food as they cook, connect and learn together.
“The events offer spaces where students can be their best selves, provide lots of interaction and the opportunity for finding connections across communities,” Cook said. “A space where our students feel brave, about talking about their own experience and when the experiences are validated, which I think is important.”
Cook said that the theme of unity was chosen because it is something students must approach and try to create. The event’s aim is to discuss the commonalities students from different backgrounds have while part of the Ohio State community.
“We need to come together, and we need to listen to each other, learn from each other,” Cook said. “To create that unity, coalition, that sense of community that we need.”
Isaacs said while Language of Food is a celebration of Black people, it also strengthens the entire Ohio State community by fostering knowledge of Black experiences.
“This program talks about the Black experience as it relates to mental health and the cultural, societal and historical barriers,” Isaacs said. “This program is designed to bring us together to create cultural understanding and awareness, so we are one community.”
Isaacs said these celebrations also give a greater understanding of groups students may not be a part of.
“It makes us a stronger institution when we connect,” Isaacs said. “We are all a part of each other in understanding.”
