CCACC Once Again Invited to Participate in U.S. State Department's 2024 Global Diversity Arts Event

On October 15th, the Chinese Culture and Community Service Center (CCACC) participated in the U.S. Department of State's 2024 Global Diversity Arts Event in Arlington, Virginia. This was the second year CCACC was invited to the U.S. DOS annual event. Once again, CCACC's cultural booth, Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan folk music and dance performances were a blast.

In October 2023, the Bureau of Diplomatic Security within the U.S. Department of State held the inaugural "Global Diversity Heritage Month," and CCACC was invited to participate in the Global Diversity Arts Event as one of the nine nonprofit organizations in Greater Washington, DC area. The annual global diversity heritage event aims to help the State Department employees from its over 30 bureaus gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the diversity around the world, including different races, cultures, genders, ages, and religions. It was a privilege for CCACC to be invited. CCACC's booth together with the Guzheng and folk dance performances received positive acclaim.

In September 2024, Ms. Rita Lewi, CCACC Executive Director, received another invitation from Ms. Rodjahneque Williams, Diversity and Inclusion Program Analyst in the Bureau of Diplomatic Security to participate in the 2024 Global Diversity Arts Event.

The event took place during lunch break on Tuesday, October 15th on the top floor of the U.S. Department of State office building in Rosslyn, Arlington, Virginia, the same venue as in 2023. The east hall overlooking beautiful Potomac River was the booths area while the west hall, with chairs lined up, was for stage performances. The CCACC booth attracted a large number of State Department employees. While stopping by the booth, many started speaking Chinese Mandarin with CCACC representatives, enthusiastically sharing that, having served as U.S. diplomats at the U.S. Embassy and consulates in Beijing, Chengdu, and other cities in China, they retain a strong interest in Chinese culture. Among the various Chinese cultural exhibits on the booth table, the most popular item was a set of ceramic Shaolin Kung Fu young monks purchased directly from China. Visitors laughed heartily as they spotted them, some even imitating their Kung Fu poses.

Next to the booth, a tall pull-up banner displayed CCACC's core values, its seven operating divisions, and a QR code for the website. Several visitors immediately took out mobile phones to scan the code saying that they live in Montgomery County, Maryland, and would definitely bring their family to visit the CCACC Art Gallery in the future.

CCACC was the main stage performance group for the 2024 event. CCACC Community Services prepared eight programs showcasing rich elements of Chinese culture. Thanks to CCACC Evergreen Club members, they have presented six excellent performances: Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan performed by Evergreen Tai Chi Class; "Melodramatic Faces of Beijing Opera"and "China Tea" performed by East Breeze Dance Troupe; "Clear Jade Lake", a beautiful Dai ethnic dance and "Happy Bamboo Hat Dance" performed by the Happy Dance Troupe, and an elegant Hulusi music solo played by Mr. Xiu Fa Zhang. CCACC folk dance class also presented a Tibetan dance "The Shepard Girls". These seven performances, whether traditional Chinese dances or ethnic music, captivated the entire audience.  

The final program was a live demonstration of a Chinese folk fan dance, "Pink Memory," led by Ms. Chiao-chiao Liu, Director of CCACC Community Services. To encourage audiences to participate, Chiao-chiao announced that anyone who joined in would be allowed to keep the fan as a souvenir. The audience' enthusiastic participation brought the atmosphere to a climax. Thus the performance was completed smoothly and the mission of cultural exchange fulfilled.

CCACC representatives attending the arts event were Ms. May Zhou, Executive Secretary of CCACC; Ms. Chiao-chiao Liu, Director of CCACC Community Services; Dr. Immanuel Tung, Logistics Manager of CCACC; and Ms. Doris Zhao, Administrative Specialist. In addition to CCACC, the other nine community groups participating in the event included those representing Pakistani, Peruvian, Japanese, Ethiopian, Hawaiian (USA), Hispanic, and Asian Pacific Islander communities. Together, everyone played a part in making the event significant and impactful, creating happy memories.

(Article & Photos by CCACC)

CCACC staff and some performers posed with Ms. Rodjahneque Williams (fourth from right), Program Analyst at the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security Service.

Ms. Chiao-chiao Liu, Director of CCACC Community Services (front row, fourth from left), led a fan dance, joined by many U.S. State Department employees.

Some performers posed with U.S. State Department staff.

Performers happily taking a group photo in front of the CCACC booth.