Thatiana Gibbs
Assistant Editor
The Common Ground club and its interfaith fellows hosted an interfaith dialogue dinner Monday at the Hanawalt House Courtyard.
The purpose of Common Ground is to promote diversity on campus, as it pertains to religion. The concept of interfaith is exemplified in religious and spiritual groups of different cultures and traditions, coming together in order to cultivate respectful discourse concerning important topics.
Complete with candle centerpieces and a spread of Indian food, each table served as a meeting place for guests of all backgrounds and acquaintances.
Prior to serving food, the club went over a brief presentation, highlighting what interfaith was, and why it was important to each interfaith fellow. The presentation included a disclaimer that emphasized a temperament of understanding and respect in preparation for the upcoming dialogue.
“I would describe it as insightful,” Danny Zheng, instrument technician and attendee said. “A lot of commonalities. I thought there would be a lot more division but I say that people were very much unified and there were similarities in what they believe.”
Dinner consisted of vegetable samosas, chicken tikka masala, garlic naan bread, and more. During the meal, the club’s executive board acted as liaisons to help facilitate conversations between guests and their neighbors.
When taking seats, guests were encouraged to merge tables and foster new connections during the process.
“I feel like knowing someone’s faith is good for aiding in connection,” Cherie Atalor, sophomore computer science major, said. “I believe in fostering unity and getting to know people.”
A series of five questions guided the night’s discussion. To begin each segment, the respective liaison would repeat the question, and begin the exercise by providing their perspective first.
“For me, I don’t know what I was expecting, but it did really exceed my expectations in an overwhelmingly good way,” Mercy Mgbemere, freshman psychology major said. “I didn’t expect it to be beneficial to me, but I was pleasantly surprised. To other students, I say give events like this a chance.”
“What turns you away from your religion/spirituality? And, what affirms it?” and “How does your practice cope with the pain of suffering? What are its traditions of healing?” are examples of some of the prompts that were discussed.
Participants actively listened to each other, giving every speaker undivided attention during their time to share. As the dinner went on and relationships established, participants began to be more vulnerable with their peers.
“I think it’s a very healthy thing,” university chaplain Zandra Wagoner, Common Ground adviser, said. “To gather people together and talk about differences, and to do it in a way that still builds community. In its own way it’s building bridges. For me, it’s very meaningful. To see people to be able to hold conversations across deep differences and walk away friends.”
Marked by the prompt “What makes you excited about life?”, the event ended leaving attendees introspective and with a new perspective on the meaning of interfaith.
Thatiana Gibbs can be reached at thatiana.gibbs@laverne.edu.
Thatiana Gibbs is a senior journalism major with a concentration in print-online journalism. She is a photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine. Her enthusiasm lies in research, writing, and effectively delivering captivating information to the public eye. She has previously been an assistant editor and staff writer for the Campus Times, and a staff writer for La Verne Magazine.
