From traditional foods to informative presentations and lively entertainment, international students in the George Warren Brown School of Social Work will offer a taste of their homelands during the 13th annual International Festival March 28 and 31.

The theme of this year's festival, which is free and open to the public, is "Connecting Cultures."

The celebration begins on March 28 with a forum called "Prospects and Challenges of Integrating Immigrants and Refugees into the St. Louis Community," from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in Brown Hall Lounge.

Forum speakers and topics follow:

• Karen Tokarz, J.D., professor of law and director of clinical education and alternative dispute resolution programs, and Joshua Altman, second-year law student in the law school’s Civil Rights and Community Justice Clinic, will discuss litigation against municipalities like Valley Park, MO, which passed anti-immigration ordinances penalizing landlords and businesses for renting to and hiring "illegal aliens."
• Hisako Matsuo, Ph.D., associate professor of research methodology at St. Louis University, and members of her research team will present the findings of their research about Bosnian refugees, and their prospects for integration into U.S. society.

On March 31, attendees can sample food from more than 20 countries at an international banquet from 5-6:30 p.m. in the Rettner Gallery in the Lab Sciences Building. Cultural exhibits will be on display in Lab Sciences Building, Room 301.

After the banquet, students will present dance, music, song and poetry from around the world in the Lab Science Building, Room 300. Seating for the talent showcase will be limited.

“This opportunity to engage with fellow students at the Brown School, to make connections and to celebrate different cultures and traditions that may be unfamiliar, opens up new possibilities in terms of ways of seeing and sharing life,” says Melanie Messer, one of the festival organizers and first-year social work student.

“The festival is an occasion for us, as a community of social work students, to pause and to think about each other as citizens in a global context. It is our hope that the Washington University community will celebrate with us and that we will all be enriched by this year's festival.” 

For more information e-mail intfestival@gwbmail.wustl.edu