Music floated out of the EMU Ballroom Thursday night as guests filtered in to an annual event that celebrates diversity through song, dance and food.
The event, called Weaving New Beginnings, was originally started in 1994 by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and is now an annual event put on by the ASUO.
“On this night we get to see people who look like us; (people who) have had similar experiences,” said Vice President of Student Affairs Robin Holmes, who was the keynote speaker.
Kari Herinckx, the multicultural advocate for ASUO and the official coordinator of the event, said Weaving New Beginnings is not just a social event.
“That’s a strong part,” she said, “but now it has become more politically active. U of O has a lot of student mobilization, a lot of movement from the BSU and LGBTQ Alliance.”
The theme of this year’s event was “Embracing the Power.”
Herinckx said the purpose of the event was “exploring and debunking power structures, (the ways in which) they affect our communities, specifically within institutions that affect students of color and sexual diversity.”
Weaving New Beginnings is a networking event where faculty, staff and student groups join together to support each other and promote diversity and activism on campus.
Margot Charkow-Ross, a member of the Sexual Wellness Advocacy Team, said, “I’d never heard about the event before, but it seems really cool.”
At Weaving New Beginnings, leaders reviewed and encouraged various aspects of student activism.
During her speech, Holmes expressed pride in being the first woman to hold this position on the executive council at the University. She also said that as a lesbian and a woman of color, she has one of the most diverse backgrounds of anyone who has held the position.
“Having just one of something is not enough,” Holmes said. “You need a critical mass of people to make things happen… At the end of the day if we harness all of the power we have we can be that change.”
Other speakers included Lynn Fujiwara and Ernesto Martinez, both faculty members from the women and gender studies and sociology departments. Together they spoke on what it meant to be different and create change in a predominantly white society.

Martinez said sometimes when our lives are so full of everything else, it’s exhausting and frustrating to fight for our rights.
Fujiwara encouraged students of color and diversity to “Anticipate exhaustion. Overcome and work through it by keeping each other company, in a deeper political way as well.”
The students found the advice encouraging and helpful.
“It’s probably one of the best events that happen on campus” said Ty Schwoeffermann, a member of the Black Student Union.
“It’s a lot of fun and a great socializing event. You come and meet professors and a lot of advisers who you end up meeting again – in and out of class,” said Dominique Latimer, another member of the BSU.
Various staff members were present, including faculty members from the counseling center.
“The event is one of the best-kept secrets on campus, in spite of amazing outreach attempts,” said Brooks Morse, a staff psychologist from the Counseling and Testing Center.
Weaving New Beginnings is one of the biggest meetings of students, student unions, faculty and staff of diversity that the campus offers, but will certainly not be the last.
At the end of the night, attendees could hardly be kept quiet as they excitedly connected with each other. They danced along with the band, cheering in the support of change and embracing the power deep within.