People celebrate with music and dance all over the world. And that takes many forms. We got a 
taste of that variety this past Sunday afternoon at the Near & Far festival on the plaza at 140 West.
Dancers from Colombia sashayed and stomped to a drum-heavy arrangement. Women from Korea swirled in colorful silks as they performed Hwa-Gwan Mu. UNC students of Filipino heritage clapped and slid horizontal bamboo poles in rhythmic patterns on the ground while dancers hopped in and out to do the traditional tinikling dance. The Cane Creek Cloggers brought their own squares of wood so the sound of their clogging would reverberate through the plaza.
Drummers from the Democratic Republic of Congo saved the crowd a 15-hour flight by bringing Congolese drums and songs to Chapel Hill. The Tae Kwon Do academy students and teachers performed their acrobatic moves in another part of the plaza. Food trucks ranged from Mr. Mongolian to Tacotopia and Bruster’s “real ice cream.”
The crowd packing the plaza spanned the range from singles to families, from newborn (and not-quite-born) to young adult and old adult. I had never seen such diversity congregated in one small space in town.
It did my heart good, because it showed me that Chapel Hill has a future.
Numerous studies have shown the benefits of diversity in teams and small groups. One study recently conducted at N.C. State showed how a diverse workforce boosts a company’s bottom line. Better decisions come from a diversity of ideas, in part because diverse groups are more creative.
But simply hiring a mix of employees, checking off the “diversity” box, isn’t enough. For a company to reap the benefits of diversity, it has to be a place where people from different backgrounds, races, ethnicities, gender, age and sexual orientation want to work. They have to feel that the company values their contributions.
Last November, Chapel Hill voters elected a diverse group of Town Council members. Several boxes have been checked off that set us up to potentially see the benefits that diverse companies enjoy.
But before we can reap the rewards of better decisions and creativity, we have to welcome our differences. We have to be open to learning from one another. We have to be willing to look at a problem through a different lens. We have to value the unique perspectives and ideas that all council members bring to the table.
I hope the Near & Far festival launches many more events that showcase and celebrate our differences. And I hope council will make the most of the diversity that voters put in place.
— Nancy Oates
