Growing up with a single mother in New York City, Lynzie Hamilton \u201826, said she never valued her Puerto Rican heritage and overlooked aspects like the food, language and even her curly hair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By painting the signature red and white stripes of the Puerto Rican flag, Hamilton felt a connection to her mother.<\/p>\n
Mu Sigma Upsilon, Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority and Phi Sigma Chi Multicultural Fraternity partnered to host the \u201cPaint Your Flag\u201d event on Thursday in the Clayton University Center.<\/p>\n
Sat around giant tables, students decorated their flags of choice on mini canvases while discussing each other\u2019s country colors and laughing over artistic skills.<\/p>\n
Vanessa Munoz-Hernandez, \u201827, a member of Mu Sigma Upsilon, said the sorority wanted to diversify their connections and reached out to other multicultural organizations.<\/p>\n
With help from Lehigh After Dark, the organizations were able to provide all of the supplies for the activity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Munoz-Hernandez said she painted the Mexican flag because it helps her connect with the traditions her parents brought when they immigrated to the U.S. even when she\u2019s far from home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said regardless of one\u2019s artistic abilities, the event was a fun way to spend time with people and learn about their culture.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe provide that space here to be able to learn about and surround yourself with different cultures to gain different perspectives and really meet new people who you may not meet on a regular basis,\u201d Munoz-Hernandez said.<\/p>\n
Created in 1981, Mu Sigma Upsilon is the first multicultural sorority in the nation. Lehigh\u2019s Yamaya chapter was established in 2012 on the 40th anniversary of Lehigh\u2019s admission of the first co-ed class. The sorority fosters unity among women with a variety of religious heritages, nationalities, sexual orientations and political ideologies, according to the organization\u2019s website<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hamilton said she has begun to appreciate Puerto Rican culture and has a desire to learn about Caribbean history to feel closer to her mother.\u00a0<\/p>\n She said moving from a low-income community with many Latinos and Black children to a predominantly white institution was a cultural shock, and she felt alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen events like this are held, I feel a lot closer to not only my culture, but to others around me that might be experiencing the same thing,\u201d Hamilton said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Briyanna Walker, \u201828, also attended and painted the Black American heritage flag, striped with black and red with a yellow wreath and sword in the middle.<\/p>\n She said it was a great event to give her the opportunity to connect herself to her heritage, which she feels she sometimes is unable to do at a predominantly white institution.<\/p>\n Walker said she feels comfortable at any event that celebrates any culture, even if it isn\u2019t her own.\u00a0<\/p>\n The tables were full of students with backgrounds from around the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIts important to all come together and recognise that we\u2019re very different and beautiful and diverse, but also very similar when it comes to that minority experience,\u201d Walker said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Punleau Sek, \u201827, painted the Cambodian flag in honor of his parents that immigrated to the U.S. in the 1980s and 1990s.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sek\u2019s painting featured a red and blue background with a silhouette of the three towers of Angkor Wat, which represent Cambodian national pride.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sek said it is key to represent where his family is from, especially coming from backgrounds of people who haven\u2019t had a lot of opportunities in the U.S.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cRegardless of your beliefs, it\u2019s always important to see that everybody has their own struggles and internal problems,\u201d Sek said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sek works as the president of the Thai Laos Cambodian Alliance and the vice president of Phi Sigma Chi.\u00a0<\/p>\n