VCU School of World Studies to hold first annual Grace Street Festival Nov. 23

By Malorie Burkett

RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia Commonwealth University’s new School of World Studies in the College of Humanities and Sciences, will host the First Annual Grace Street Festival, a celebration of the new school and the many world cultures within the greater Richmond community.

“The past decade has seen tremendous demographic change as new neighbors arrived from all over the world,” said R. McKenna Brown, Ph.D., director of VCU’s School of World Studies.” The festival will give the Richmond community the chance to experience the diversity, traditions, cultures and the more cosmopolitan and international world that has come to Richmond.”

Free and open to the public, the Grace Street Festival will take place Sunday, Nov. 23 from noon to 5 p.m. along the 900 block of West Grace Street. It will feature different cuisines, live stage performances, an international film festival, strolling musicians, artwork and other entertainment.

In addition to uniting the community for a daylong celebration of culture and traditions, Brown says members of the surrounding communities also will gain a greater visibility of VCU’s School of World Studies, the only entity of its kind in the state. The new school, approved earlier this year by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, offers programs in cultural anthropology, geography, foreign languages, international studies and religious studies. The programs emphasize applied learning through both classroom and non-traditional classroom instruction, such as internships, study abroad and community outreach.

“The School of World Studies is about the people and the lessons we learn from one another through collaboration and community development,” said Brown. “This festival is just a starting point for the school to allow people to discover the world right here in Richmond and visit the new face of VCU that is transforming the neighborhood along with other new neighbors.”

During the festival, free parking will be available at the new Ukrop’s, formerly Community Pride at 500 N. Harrison St., and the West Broad St. Deck will be available for a nominal fee. Street parking also will be available. For more information on the festival, such as participating merchants and the schedule of international films, call 804-828-1028, or visit http://www.has.vcu.edu/wld/gracestreet.html.