Sacramento State examined the culture, history and ethnic influences along the American River, the greater Sacramento area and California on Wednesday with a symposium focusing on interaction between various ethnic cultures and racial communities.

The diversity symposium, “Race, Gender, and Power: People of Color Along the American River” was held in the University Union with local and national scholars representing nearly all ethnic backgrounds.

The symposium served as an interactive dialogue event to elicit more information about the communities and contributions to the building of California, as well as give instructors different ideas of incorporating diversity into their course curriculum.

The symposium was part of a campus-wide effort to reinforce the University?s commitment to fostering an environment of tolerance, understanding and appreciation of the Capitol region?s diverse society.

Local historian scholars for the symposium included Shirley Moore, Wayne Maeda, Joseph Pitti and Charles Roberts from Sac State.

Albert Broussard, from Texas A&M University, Maria Raquel Casas from University of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Douglas Daniels from UC Santa Barbara made up the national historian scholars.

Moore, a history professor at Sac State, headed the symposium, along with six of her colleagues from around the country.

“What I wanted most is dialogue with the audience,” Moore said. “There is very exciting work being done with people of color. People of color are not marginal.”

Discussion on “Everyday Life and Lore of People of Color in California” was presented by Sac State professors Tony Platt, Jorge Santana and Alfred Yee, and Sacramento area children?s fiction writer Patricia Canterbury.

“Infusing the Curriculum with Color: Teaching Multicultural History and People” was contributed by Dr. Loraine Brown of the Sacramento City Unified School District, as well as professors Dan Frye, Patrick Ettinger and Jessie Ruth Gaston from Sac State.

Sac State student, Jarijani Fourie, said the symposium helped her gain a better understanding of California?s history.

“It?s very interesting,” Fourie said. “I didn?t grow up here in California, so it?s done a lot for me.”

When discussing how the symposium could open communication between the races, Sac State student Tyler Martin said, “There is a lack of education among the races about each other?s culture.”

“Whose History is it Anyway: The Role of Archives” was paneled by Professor Terri Castaneda, State Office of Historic Preservation Clarence Ceasar, Leonard Valdes director of Sac State Multi-Cultural Center, and Georgiana White, University Archivist.

The interactive dialogue of the day elicited more information about the communities, cultures and contributions to the building of California.

Each lecture was filled with positive reinforcements and a collective awareness that all-ethnic history in Sacramento and California was and is important to all that live along the American River.