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Celebrating Culture, Community, and Connection in Cedar Riverside

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Author: Steve Peacock, Augsburg Director of Community Relations

Tables outside the Brian Coyle Community Center for the Annual Cedar Riverside Multicultural DinnerI look forward to the Cedar Riverside Multicultural Dinner that is held annually at the Brian Coyle Center. It is an amazing gathering of people from all corners of the neighborhood who come together to share a meal, enjoy cultural performances, and build community. The Multicultural Dinner combines so many things that I love about the Cedar Riverside neighborhood – hospitality, kindness, generosity and diversity all combined together with a dose of controlled chaos!

This year’s event, held on September 18th , was no exception. Despite intermittent rain that disrupted plans to hold the dinner outside in Currie Park, over 400 people attended. They were greeted in the gym of the Brian Coyle Center by a long line of tables filled with food provided by local restaurants. Wonderful aromas and voices in many different languages filled the air. Volunteers, including Augsburg staff and students, stood ready to greet guests and dish out generous portions. People shuttled inside and out as the weather changed. As the rain came, volunteers hurriedly set up chairs in the gym and then dried off tables and chairs outside when the rain stopped. Folks mixed together as they ate and talked. They enjoyed performances including Oromo, Somali, and Native American dance troupes. My favorite performance of the evening was the choir of Korean elders (average age of 87!). The evening ended with a traditional Somali line dance, led by youth from the Coyle Center, with lots of others joining in. What an evening in Cedar Riverside!

 

 

 

Korean Elders Choir performing at the Multicultural Dinner

Korean Elders Choir performs in front of the Brian Coycle Center at the Annual Cedar Riverside Multicultural Dinner

 

Volunteers serving the Multicultural Dinner (including Augsburg staff and students!)
Volunteers serving dinner for the Annual Cedar Riverside Multicultural Dinner

Sisterhood Boutique to Hold Fashion Show at Augsburg

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Sisterhood Boutique is a small thrift store with a big heart.Sisterhood Boutique storefront

Located across the street from the Augsburg University campus, the Sisterhood Boutique stands as a symbol of empowerment for women. Started by young women who lived in Cedar-Riverside, the Sisterhood is described by shoppers as the “hidden gem” of the West Bank neighborhood. Donated clothing and jewelry is sold in a polished retail space, with all sales go towards a leadership program designed to help young women prepare for a career. The program includes various paid internships at the boutique where interns learn the skill sets necessary to run a business and become an entrepreneur. Augsburg students in the Sabo Center’s LEAD Fellows program have also worked at the Sisterhood.

One of the main events at the Sisterhood Boutique is their annual pop up fashion show. It is a collaborative, student-run event. Augsburg students, along with students from the U of M and St. Kate’s come together to coordinate the venue, models, and decorations, and to design the outfits. In the past, all items at the show were donated or altered by a fashion class at St. Kate’s. This year’s fashion show is coming up soon on Tuesday, March 5th, 2019, at the Augsburg University Hoversten Chapel, located in Foss Center. Doors open at 6, and the show begins at 7. Everyone is welcome, and the event is free of charge. Attendees are encouraged to bring along gently used clothing items to donate to the Sisterhood!

Learn more about the event by visiting the Sisterhood’s Facebook event page: Sisterhood Fashion Show