18 September 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The sixth annual Open Streets ICT event on Douglas avenue was held this weekend, but this year’s event was different than previous years.
During Sunday’s event, a four-mile stretch of Douglas avenue was closed in areas including College Hill and Downtown Wichita.
It was opened up to bikers, walkers and even skaters as part of a larger effort by Wichita’s Parks and Recreation department to promote physical health.
Unlike past years, this year’s event included a multicultural celebration featuring performers from different cultural backgrounds.
“I don’t like excluding anybody,” said Margarita LaFarrelle-Hunt, Multicultural Education and Celebration Association President
Lafarrelle-Hunt is the president of the Multicultural Education and Celebration Association.
The performances came to be after open streets invited her to put on a Hispanic heritage month celebration at the event, according to Lafarrelle-Hunt.
“I wanted them to be educated indirectly through music, dance, languages,” Lafarrelle-Hunt said. “I thought it was really good to be able to write this entertainment and have the people experience it.”
There were about 7 different ethnic groups performing at open streets this year, according to Lafarrelle-Hunt.
“We have so much to learn from each other,” said worship leader Aleetra Chaney-Profit, who performed at the event. “Being included in this means somebody cares about us and cares about what we think.”
It’s important to share gospel music, according to Chaney-Profit.
“Way back they were songs that were sung to inspire, to bring hope in a very desolate time in our history,” Cheney-Profit said.
For Alia Galindo, preforming Danza Anahuac is a family affair.
“My brother was here, he danced with them,” said Anahuac. “I like following in his footsteps.”
Bringing Hispanic heritage month to open streets is about celebrating cultural practices in all their forms, according to LaFarrelle-Hunt.
LaFarrelle-Hunt said the multicultural education and celebration association has already been invited to next year’s Open Streets ICT event on Douglas Avenue.