Sacramento City College’s Asian and Pacific Islander Center, where students are encouraged to stay rooted in their culture, hosted its second annual Manit Day on Sept. 26.
Students who are part of the Pasifika Connections Club at City College come from all different islands in the Pacific Ocean, including Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia. All were welcome to enjoy the ceremony and learn about the Marshallese culture, which refers to the culture of people from the Marshall Islands.
“The API center was designed to create cultural affirming programs and for students to find a voice on campus,” said Ameilia Tuifua, a City College counselor. “So this aligns with the mission because we have our Marshelles students population excelling and growing here on campus.”
The Marshall Islands include atolls and islands, which are located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The Marshall Islands are a Micronesian nation. Marshallese people celebrate Manit Day to keep their culture alive and remember where they came from.
“I feel like when students are able to share their culture and see that the campus appreciates their culture it helps them feel like they belong,” Tuifua said. “It also helps them stay enrolled and succeed academically.”
The Marshall Islands were invaded by the United States in 1944. The U.S. conducted 67 nuclear tests on the Marshall Islands between 1946 and 1958. The radiation exposure poisoned the food chain, making it unsafe for people to continue living on the islands.
The Marshallese endured what tragically happened to them. The U.S. and Marshall Islands have a treaty that states the Marshallese people can come and go to the U.S. as they please for the continued use of their islands as a testing base for the United States.
The City College festival started off with a prayer by Pastor Scotty Luke. He spoke in his native language then repeated it in English. He was a soft-spoken man, but his words were very powerful as everyone’s attention was on him.
Vice President of the Pasifika Connections Club, Susan Lokboj, introduced Mito Band who are students from City College and a part of the API Center. The band opened with songs the audience knew but with an island twist. Mito Bad got the audience up on their feet dancing and enjoying the moment.
“Having events like this is special; it’s their culture [and] they do this all the time,” said Inoke “Will” Qarau, API Center student support specialist. “So to have it on campus it’s special. You can bring the community together, letting them know you can go to school and have fun too.”
The students put on a fashion show representing their countries. The fashion show creator, Weriana Francis, featured everything from the Marshall Islands to Fiji to Samoa. Everyone was on their feet dancing, celebrating and enjoying the moment.
Next, the dance team Boom Shakalaka performed, and they had the crowd throwing candy, clapping and dancing. The festival ended with Lokboj presenting Alex Tamasoa as the new vice president.
“Culturally, there are a lot of differences between Asian and Pacific Islander, so because P.I. has less of population they tend to get overlooked within the label,” Tuifua said. “So having one of the groups of the P.I. community to be able to present their culture and celebrate their culture shows that the API can serve all students.”