Lehigh’s Cultural Greek Council (CGC) held its annual Yard Show on Feb. 23, where cultural Greek chapters perform dances to show pride for their organizations.
The CGC was established at Lehigh in 2009 and consists of three cultural Greek organizations. The CGC hopes to create spaces where people of color are able to have their voices heard and support one another.
Aisha Abdulkarimu, ’20, Julius Wibisono, ’20, and Eliza Dent, ’19, said being able to showcase their hard work and show off an organization that lacks daily recognition is important to them.
The trio said a large population of the Lehigh student body doesn’t know what the CGC is about, so this is its chance to share.
“One of the goals is to showcase our history and what we do as a chapter,” Wibisono said. “Not necessarily philanthropy or social events, but performance is a big part of our culture.”
Dent, the CGC president and member of Mu Sigma Upsilon, spoke about some of her day-to-day experiences and responsibilities.
She reflected on trying to maintain a balance between organizing events within her own group while giving attention to the CGC as a whole. Because her sorority only has four active members, Dent said giving attention to her own organization is very important.
“I would say trying to keep a good relationship between all three of the organizations is a main priority,” Dent said. “We all are very small and close so making sure we all act well to each other and keep the peace is important.”
Dent, Wibisono, a brother of Kappa Alpha Psi and Abdulkarimu, a sister of Mu Sigma Upsilon all stressed the amount of time and practice that goes into the performances given at the CGC Yard Show.
Wibisono said it can be difficult to find dance rooms and to find a time where everyone can meet to practice.
Abdulkarimu also spoke about the immense amount of time put into the preparation for the Yard Show. She said that she and her sisters started preparing a couple of weeks before the show and practice at least three or four times a week.
“A lot of stuff we do is either made up ourselves or someone else made it and we have to teach ourselves,” Abdulkarimu said. “It’s just a process of having to teach ourselves or come up with something new, find the perfect song for it, figure what the audience might like and how to best entertain everybody but at the same time we love what we are doing.”
Abdulkarimu said she gets an adrenaline rush while performing and showcasing her organization. Abdulkarimu said the love she feels for this opportunity is contagious.
“I think our main goal is educating people on what the CGC is, what it encompasses, who is a part of it, why we join and just realizing we are there and this is something that is really important to us,” Abdulkarimu said.
Dent said the CGC is trying to hold one event each month so it can be manageable for all members.
She also said that a main goal of the CGC is to maintain activism for minority groups on campus because at the end of the day, that’s why they are here.
“The Yard Show is definitely a highlight of being in a cultural organization,” Dent said. “It’s a moment where we really get to show off to everybody what our organizations are about and the work we have been putting in the last few weeks. Just in general, sharing your culture and legacy with Lehigh’s campus is so special.“
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