Embracing diversity

Melina Ramirez, 15, middle, with sisters Sofie, 13, left, and Gillian, 12, showed pride in their Latin roots.

Donovan Berthoud/Herald

Marcus Ramirez taught Girl Scout Sevi Ozgur, 8, to salsa during his cousin Melina Ramirez’s Latina Cultural Workshop at Meadowbrook Elementary School on March 28.

Donovan Berthoud/Herald

More than a dozen tables offered a variety of activities and topics relating to Latin American culture, including arts and crafts. Above, Alexa Cespedes and Valentina Myers, both 9, were eager participants.

Donovan Berthoud/Herald

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East Meadow has grown to become a diverse community, full of people of various backgrounds, ethnicities and religions. And one resident, Melina Ramirez, a freshman at East Meadow High School, believes that community members can do more to embrace the cultures of their friends and neighbors.

On March 28, Melina, 15, set out to accomplish that goal by hosting a Latina cultural workshop in Meadowbrook Elementary School’s auditorium, where more than 250 community members gathered to learn about Latin-American culture, traditions and customs.

Melina created the program for her Take Action Project, a prerequisite for her Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl Scouts. Three-quarters Puerto Rican and one-quarter Russian, Melina, who speaks fluent Spanish, said she wanted to teach people that they shouldn’t judge others based on their ethnicity. “Sometimes I get judged for what my background is,” she said. “And people don’t know me, so they shouldn’t judge me based on that. They should judge me based on who I am. So I wanted to educate people. Tell them more about who I actually am.”

She hosted a similar workshop last year on a smaller scale, with about 100 participants, but expanded it significantly this year.

The workshop encompassed some 15 tables, each devoted to a specific topic, like Latin-American holidays and traditions, geography, music, dance and arts and crafts. There was also an elaborate spread of Latin-American dishes, some rather obscure — guava, queso blanco, empanadas and arroz con dulce — and some more recognizable — mangos and guacamole. “Many foods are things people eat on a regular basis, but don’t know it comes from Hispanic origin,” Melina said. “So I want them to learn that you may think we’re so different, but you eat these foods every day.”

Her colleagues from Troop 1440, along with other Girl Scouts her age from different troops — including her sisters Sofie, 13, and Gillian, 12 — served as volunteers. Younger scouts and their parents were the participants.