Imagine if all the farmers across the country planted nothing but sweet corn.
It would certainly be impressive — mile upon mile of tall green stalks adorned with golden tassels shimmering in the sun. It might even be very efficient, requiring only a limited range of equipment to plant and harvest.
But after a short period of time, most people would be craving variety — a salad maybe with crunchy green lettuce and juicy red tomatoes. And the monoculture crop would most certainly be vulnerable to a pest or disease that suddenly decided that it loved sweet corn.
In the plant and animal world, biodiversity is not only desirable but necessary for survival.
The same can be said for the diversity of people. Diversity is what makes life interesting; it’s what makes us strong.
The Upper Cumberland Diversity Advocates recognizes this and, as a result, educates, celebrates and advocates for diversity and equality.
In their definition, “Diversity encompasses the range of similarities and differences each individual brings to the community including, but not limited to, national origin, language, race, color, disability, ethnicity, gender age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, veteran status, and family structure.”
“We focus on learning more about our neighbors and embracing their varied backgrounds and experiences,” said Lilly Janecek, president of USDA, a Tennessee 501c3 non-profit organization established in 2021. “All of us can benefit greatly when we practice inclusion and acceptance of everyone.”
The UCDA sponsors a range of activities throughout the year to educate and celebrate diversity. In the last four years, the organization has hosted numerous speakers, movies, and performers. Most recently Eldaa Royer, a professional vocalist from a respected musical family, delivered a powerful performance of spirituals and dramatic monologue in honor of Black History Month.
Royer’s convincing portrayal of Eliza Boone, born into slavery and the property of the Daniel Boone family, captured the imagination of a large audience at Art Circle Public Library in Crossville.
UCDA also has a book club that meets every fourth Tuesday of the month at Art Circle Public Library. The club has read 25 enlightening books since its inception, more recently “Midnight in Broad Daylight: A Japanese American Family Caught between Two Worlds”, “From Beirut to Jerusalem”, and “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants.”
The book club is a way to learn about the ideas, contributions and experiences of a wide range of people, both present day and historical.
Twice a year, UCDA members build a display at the library to highlight various cultures, historical events, and social justice issues. Notable displays honored Americans with disabilities and Jewish American Heritage Month.
The group also organizes about three field trips a year to historical and cultural sites such as the Coal Creek Miners’ Museum, the Clinton12 Museum, a memorial to the first 12 Black students to integrate a school in the South, and the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, which focuses on Sequoyah’s development of a writing system for the Cherokee people.
The UCDA’s signature event, however, is the annual Celebration of Cultures. This year’s event will be from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 26 at Tennessee College of Applied Technology Upper Cumberland at 910 Miller Ave., Crossville.
“We are excited to bring you an entertaining afternoon of live music, song and dance, artistic and cultural displays from various ethnic groups,” said Wilson Jackson, chairman of the 2025 UCDA festival.
The Plateau Women’s Chorus, Terry Henderson and Regina Pullin, both beloved singers and performers at the Cumberland County Playhouse, and two teenage Mexican dancers are a few of the entertainers featured at this year’s Celebration of Cultures.
There will also be food vendors and various exhibitions, including the Art Circle Public Library Bookmobile, which is being repurposed from a donated Cumberland County school bus and a $3,035 check from UCDA. The bookmobile should be ready by this summer to visit senior communities and children at free lunch sites throughout Cumberland County.
The Upper Cumberland Diversity Advocates honor diversity. Diversity is like our grandmother’s patchwork quilt. Similar and different pieces of our well-loved dresses and shirts are stitched together to create a vibrant multi-colored, multi-patterned whole.
Just as in a patchwork quilt, diversity is beautiful; diversity is strong.
Visit uppercumberlanddiversityadvocates.com for more information on the UCDA and the 2025 Celebration of Cultures.