Presentation by a non-Japanese guest (July 10,2022)

This event had been cancelled since March 6 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and took place on July 10. We welcomed Mr. Kristian Sloan as a guest speaker. He comes from Santa Barber, California and is working as an ALT at Akifuchu High School. The title of his presentation was “Multiculturalism in the United States”.
The presenter said the topic was a very big subject and that he was going to show some examples of multiculturalism in the United States by talking about his family and his hometown. Then he gave an introduction to his family. His grandmother was born in Copenhagen and his father’s ancestor came from Ireland. “Christian”is a common name in his country but“Kristian”is not. His first name often confuses people. He added that“Christian”is common in Denmark and that“Sloan”is a name which appears in Scotland and Ireland.
Mr Sloan described what his hometown is like. It is a beautiful coastal town north of Los Angles. The name of the town and many places in it are Spanish. There are many Spanish-speaking people there. He talked about the “Old Spanish Days,”the traditional festival in the town which is held every August. He showed us how it celebrates Mexican, Spanish, and Native American culture.
The speaker looked back at the history of the town. The Chumash, a Native American tribe originally lived in and around Santa Barbara. The next people to travel to the California coast were Spanish explorers. From the 18th to the19th century, Spain built many churches or“missions”in what is now California. One of the objectives was to convert Native Americans to Christianity. After the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), the United States gained California which had been a part of Mexico.
Mr Sloan mentioned that in American society many people such as black people and Native Americans have faced discrimination and poverty. He explained the significance of the“American Dream”in the society. His presentation was interesting and instructive. It was a great opportunity to learn more about multiculturalism in American society.

Posted in Event Report.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *