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Members of the Unity walk make their way to Baker Center at Ohio University after walking through College Green. Tuesday, February 28, 2017 in Athens Ohio (McKinley Law/Post Photographer)

Second annual Bobcat Unity Walk celebrates diversity in trying times

Correction Appended 

About 70 people grabbed umbrellas and marched through the rain Tuesday afternoon in celebration of diversity at the International Student Union’s second annual Bobcat Unity Walk.

The event began with a gathering in Wolfe Park, between the fourth floor of Alden Library and Cutler Hall. The crowd was composed of domestic students, international students, faculty and staff and each participant wore a white button bearing the green ISU logo and the words “Peace and Unity In The Community.”

The marchers left the park shortly after 4 p.m. and made their way across College Green before turning around and heading to Baker Center Ballroom.

As they walked, one voice shouted, “Many nations.”

The crowd responded, “One family.”

After arriving at the ballroom, marchers were given time to grab refreshments and shake off the rain before ISU president Hashim Pashtun addressed the room. He thanked participants for coming and said he hopes the tradition continues for many years to come.

“The walk was to highlight the unity and diversity of our campus and a time to get together,” he said. “When it’s hard times, we support each other, and when it’s good times, we celebrate each other.”

He opened the floor for an “open conversation,” offering the microphone to anyone who wished to share thoughts or their experiences of diversity.

Several people took turns speaking, many of which spoke fondly of Athens and called it a welcoming environment where they felt at home. Others addressed challenges they face as international students, including fears of the executive orders on immigration, language barriers in the classroom and concerns of religious bias.

One student, who said he was a first-generation American citizen of Iranian heritage, spoke on his initial disbelief of President Trump’s travel ban against immigrants from several nations, including Iran.

“The fact that we are having this unity walk shows … we can rise against hate,” he said. “We can rise against everything that can divide us because we have more stuff that unifies us.”

Dean of Students Jenny Hall-Jones attended the event for the first time this year. She said although she was worried about the turnout because of the rain and the event’s cancellation •two weeks ago, she was happy to see a sizable group of people attend.

“I love that it’s an open dialogue for people to just talk,” she said. “I was so glad to see this great group of people that showed up, who went in the rain together to be here.”

Mohammad Hatami, a graduate student from Iran studying mechanical engineering, came to the United States six months ago. He joined the Iranian Students Society when he arrived at Ohio University, and the Unity Walk was his first experience with ISU. He said it’s important for domestic students to come to events promoting to better empathize with people of different cultures.

Mackenzie Roman, a graduate student studying social work, attended the event for the first time this year. She said she had not known about the walk last year, and when she heard about it this year she felt it was important to attend.

“I think it’s important to show students that I’m supportive of diversity,” she said. “It was nice to hear from students that I might not hear from otherwise.”

A previous version of this article contained a headline that incorrectly stated the title of the event. The article has been updated to show the correct information.

@adeichelberger

ae595714@ohio.edu

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