King’s College Faculty, Staff, and Students Attend 2025 Wilkes-Barre Multicultural Parade and Festival

 
‘Monarchs for Diversity’ is more than just a student organization: it’s a celebration of the College’s mission to champion the inherent dignity of every person 

On Saturday Sept. 13th, the Office of Multicultural and International Student Programs (MISP) invited the whole King’s community to join the city of Wilkes-Barre for the annual Multicultural parade and festival. This inclusive event brought together the King’s community and Wilkes-Barre residents to celebrate their heritage, cultural backgrounds, and appreciate and learn about other cultures. 

The Multicultural Parade for the City of Wilkes-Barre began as an initiative of then-Mayor Anthony G. George, with the first parade held in 2017. Erica Acosta was honored to serve as one of the founding committee members under the guidance of Patty Hughes, who was the City’s Special Events Coordinator at the time. For the past five years, Dan Kimbrough and Erica Acosta have proudly served as co-chairs of the parade. They have worked to advocate for belonging and inclusion, with the strong support of Mayor George Brown and the ongoing collaboration of Mike Slusser, the City’s current Special Events Coordinator. 

Since the parade became part of Wilkes-Barre tradition eight years ago, King’s College has been part of it as a community member and sponsor. The College’s Multicultural International Club (MIC) and the Hispanic and Latino Excellence (HALE) Center have a tent at the festival to share resources that are geared toward the community as well as activities for kids to play. MISP director Jasmine Giddings has been the host of the event for two of those eight years.

This was one of the College’s biggest turnouts with more than 40 people from the community in attendance. Participants marched on South Main Street, around Public Square towards East Market Street, and ended at the intersection of North Main and Public Square. During that time, King’s community members handed out candy, waved flags from their country of origin, and held the ‘MONARCHS FOR DIVERSITY’ banner.

The King’s representatives got to speak with 2025 Grand Marshal Rose Daniels, who shared her experience about leading the event:  

It was not only an honor, but a great pleasure to be this year's Grand Marshall. I did not take this lightly, as I have great respect for the many communities that have poured into me as I poured into them over the years. This year was especially a heartfelt celebration as so many of our friends and neighbors have some fears that loom over just existing. There is so much strength in showing up courageously and proudly. I think we could all learn so much just by spending more time asking more questions that help us appreciate and understand our differences rather than ostracizing those differences. This year, I was proud to be able to learn about the beautiful cultures from India, Mexico, and Ecuador. There is so much diversity here in this beautiful valley, and they are more than worthy of celebration, they should be protected and uplifted! 

Caleb Cruz ‘27 and Caoimhe Taylor ‘27 (who is studying abroad for a year at King's College) shared what it was like to be at the parade: 

I have inspiration to learn about different cultures; this event has motivated me to take my passion for that to the next level. Seeing all the students from Kings College, as well as the other organizations of Wilkes Barre, coming together to celebrate their different cultures made me feel proud to be around so many people that share the same sense of love and respect for other cultures as I do. Leading our students while holding the “Monarchs for Diversity” sign with Clementine Mwefu was a very powerful feeling, especially seeing the impact of acceptance in the community had on all of us. This is what spreading love and acceptance is all about, and it inspires me to continue to spread that love as the president of the “Multicultural and International Club. ~ Caleb  

It made me feel welcome and not alone as an international student. I enjoyed seeing how many different cultures there were locally, showing how diversity is valued and celebrated here. Seeing different dances, cultural clothing, and performances showed me how every culture has unique ways of expressing identity. I liked how the parade shows how people from many backgrounds can come together in one event. Despite any differences in language, music, or dress, the parade highlights common values like community. The parade strengthened the sense of community by bringing students, staff and faculty together to celebrate different cultures. It created an environment where everyone could share their traditions while appreciating others. ~ Caoimhe