Photos by
Keira Wight
Glendale News-Press
Glendale’s cultural diversity was filled to the brim with respect and goodwill at the inaugural Celebrate YOUniqueness Festival 2023, which aimed to savor the community’s ethnic mosaic through conversations, food, music and dance performances at the local YMCA.
Dreamed up by YMCA of Glendale President and CEO George Saikali and board member Edith Fuentes, the concept came to life on Saturday, March 25, through a collaboration of the Ys of Glendale and the Foothills, the city of Glendale, Filipino-American Business Association of Glendale, Glendale Latino Association, Korean American Foundation of Glendale, Armenian Society of Los Angeles, Glendale Unified School District and Glendale Community College.
“Glendale is a unique community because more than 50% of its residents are born overseas, 66% of the students speak another language at home, and if that is not a good enough reason for you to celebrate, it is for me,” said Saikali, who co-chaired the event with Fuentes. “This is so important for us — to celebrate our differences — because there is wealth in differences and different cultures. If we exchange that, can you imagine how better off Glendale would be?
“I really believe that open dialogue and celebrating and respecting each other is essential to building a strong community,” he added.
Glendale Mayor Ardy Kassakhian struck a similar note, saying that connection with and education about cultures beyond one’s own can reveal similarities that otherwise may have been overlooked.
“Glendale has so many cultures and sometimes, as strange as it may sound, even though we all live in the same city, we don’t always interact with each other, and events like this create safe spaces where people can talk, ask questions and see how similar we are to one another,” he said.
“When we do that, we realize that we not only have a lot of things in common, but find shared interests in public safety, safe neighborhoods, good schools and a better future for our children and grandchildren.”
Festive booths belonging to the participating groups encouraged visitors to sample food that included lahmajoun (also known as “Armenian pizza”), hummus, kabobs, pancit, lumpia Shanghai, empanadas, sweet rice cakes, glass noodles, dumplings, sushi, cheese rolls and tacos.
“Anytime you have a multicultural festival, it always comes down to the food,” Kassakhian said. “Think about how many things we pass down from generation to generation through the kitchen. One thing that’s interesting is that when you start to explore other cultures and their food, you see how many similarities there are.
“You take al pastor, for example, a traditional Mexican type of carved meat used in tacos and burritos — that was actually brought to Mexico by immigrants from the Middle East,” he added. “It’s basically a Mexican shawarma. And then you look at the shawarma and how many cultures in the Middle East are connected to it — from Arabic to Armenian.”
Beyond the food, the vibrant display of cultural pride was evident in the colorful performances and traditional dress worn by the Holy Family Filipino Chorale, Ballet Folklorico Mexico Azteca, Anoush Dance Studio, Jung Im Lee Korean Dance Academy, Rondalla Club of L.A. and Malaya Filipino American Dance Arts.
City Councilwoman Elen Asatryan said embracing the diversity in Glendale makes her and other leaders better at fulfilling their roles as public servants.
“I think as you embrace different cultures, you also grow as a person,” Asatryan said. “Every time you share space with a different culture, enjoy their food, learn about their culture as a leader, it makes you a better leader in understanding how policies that you make impact the various diverse communities that make up Glendale.
“With every year, Glendale becomes more diverse and it’s up to each of us, especially the leadership, to make sure every community has access to services and City Hall. … As we work together on policies, celebrating the uniqueness of Glendale has to be reflected in the policies we make and the access you have no matter where you come from, your socioeconomic background, whether you speak English or not.”
Councilwoman Paula Devine said that since the start of her volunteerism, she has striven to be inclusive of every culture in Glendale. So, to witness the bonds being formed and the outpouring of friendly support for one another was a special moment for her, she said.
“We have rich cultures, and it’s so great to see them come together so they can meet each other and we can meet them — to form a partnership,” Devine said. “To me, this event is like a citywide friendship festival.”
Fuentes, a former Filipino-American Business Association of Glendale president, said she hopes Celebrate YOUniqueness will continue to grow each year to include more groups within Glendale and beyond.
“I know that bringing the community together will only lead to a much happier, safer, peaceful and loving city — that’s why we are doing this,” Fuentes said. “I love the diversity of Glendale, and I think we have so much to offer culturally and otherwise.”
First published in the April 1 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
