DATE: Thursday, April 3, 1997               TAG: 9704030381

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B9   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY NIA NGINA MEEKS, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   69 lines

ALLIANCE FOCUSES ON CELEBRATING REGION'S DIVERSITY

Cambodians. Poles. Ethiopians. Dutch. Mexicans. Laotians. Greeks. Puerto Ricans. Nigerians. Filipinos. Norwegians.

The list might read like a United Nations delegation, but it's actually a sample of Hampton Roads' international population. It's a segment that's not often recognized, but that may change with the formation of the Multicultural Alliance.

The non-profit cultural organization has been in existence about four months and is making moves to elevate awareness of the global texture of the quilt that is Hampton Roads.

``My vision is to work with all the ethnic and multicultural groups in the area and the mainstream, so we can share and understand each other better,'' alliance president Angel Morales said.

Intertwining cultures is nothing new for Morales, an Army retiree from Puerto Rico. In the past, he has been involved with the Virginia Beach sister city program and founded Hispanic Interest, a Beach civic organization.

The alliance began as a committee with the Virginia Beach Arts Commission. Two years later, as an official non-profit entity, the Multicultural Alliance is seeking to become a fixture in Hampton Roads.

One opportunity to help it do so will come in May, with the inaugural Virginia Waterfront International Arts Festival. The alliance will sponsor a two-day mini-festival as part of the larger one, complete with food, crafts, visual and performing arts.

Unlike the larger festival, which will import artists, the Multicultural Festival will provide a showcase for local talent, said Robert W. Cross, artistic director for the international arts festival.

Later in May, the alliance will co-sponsor ``Crossing Borders and Cultures,'' an Old Dominion University forum on cultural diversity and education.

With members whose birthplaces span the globe, the alliance brings the term ``multicultural'' closer to its meaning, said Ed Cowell, multicultural affairs director at the College of William & Mary. Cowell is also a Virginia Beach native.

According to Cowell, the word multicultural evolved to a catch-all phrase describing issues concerning blacks, Latinos, Asians and Native Americans, and is an outgrowth of the ``minority'' tag.

``The broader sense of the word would include non-domestic minorities, like the international population,'' Cowell said. ``It's really getting people to understand the whole idea and concept of multiculturalism.''

Considering the military and university presence in Hampton Roads, it seems logical that the area is ethnically diverse. Still, it is not always evident, Morales said. Unlike larger urban centers, few areas around Hampton Roads have defined ethnic neighborhoods. Rather, everyone lives together, making it hard to recognize the diversity of the region.

Yet diversity has a way of revealing itself, as it did in Monica Brown's case.

A business trip brought the Romanian native to Norfolk four years ago. In her initial days, she ran into people from Russia, Ukraine and even Romania. Brown felt comfortable enough that she decided to relocate.

``This group brings together the different cultures that are in this area and represent it through a big organization,'' said Brown, also an alliance member.

Today, she is often invited to talk to students about growing up in Romania.

``They want to know about different cultures here,'' Brown said. ``There is a lot of interest in that.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Angel Morales heads the Multicultural Alliance, a group that is

trying to draw attention to Hampton Roads' international population. KEYWORDS: MULTICULTURAL ALLIANCE

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