Diversity Walk aims to bridge, celebrate differences

A walk and family festival to celebrate and showcase diversity in the Northwest suburbs will be held Sunday, Sept. 20, in Arlington Heights.

While the event is designed to bring peoples from all different backgrounds together, its aim is also to demonstrate to local officials that groups sometimes quiet and hidden are living in the suburbs, organizers said. And it will encourage residents to get involved.

Groups organizing the celebration are Northwest Cook Leaders, a group of social service organizations; the Community Education department of Northwest Suburban High School District 214; and an immigrants' organization called Coalition of African, Arab, Asian, European and Latino Immigrants of Illinois.

"We want civic participation on all sides," said Francisco Ramos, coalition executive director. "When people get to know each other at a community event, hopefully they will continue to come out to events like school meetings and library meetings."

The walk and festival is 1 to 4 p.m. at Forest View Educational Center, 2121 S. Goebbert Road, both indoors and out near the South part of the campus.

The walk will go 2.8 miles to Jackson Clearwater Park in Mount Prospect and back to Forest View, with walkers using sidewalks and streets remaining open.

Entertainment and snacks will also be available at the free festival. T-shirts will be given to people who register for the walk.

Although this is the fourth diversity walk, the event is being revived after a lapse of about four years.

"The message is that we're here and we're happy to be here," said Ernestino Cabral-Galvan, representing Clearbrook Center. "We have so much to learn from each other."