Wayne State School of Medicine student organizations hosted their first annual multicultural fashion show fundraiser Monday evening.
The event featured cultural fashion, music, poetry and dance performances by WSU SOM students and faculty.
Abi Kumar, World Health Student Organization president, said the goal was to display the diversity within the SOM.
“What makes Wayne State and the city of Detroit so special is our remarkably diverse community–our strength is in our diversity and numbers,” Kumar said. “So I think, this night was about celebrating our whole community, not only in terms of our races, ethnicities and cultures, but also the powerful work around community organizing.”
All proceeds from the fashion show went toward 482 Forward, a coalition organizing families to improve Detroit’s education system.
The event featured performances by the WHSO, Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association, Black Medical Association, Latino Medical Student Association, National Arab-American Medical Association NextGen, Jewish Medical Student Association, American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin and the Islamic Medical Student Association.
The fashion show also acknowledged current holidays, Kumar said. Monday marked Indigenous Peoples’ Day and the Jewish holiday Sukkot is held throughout this week.
SOM Dean Dr. Wael Sakr and SOM Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director Dr. Leah Robinson attended the event and spoke in support of their students.
“Fashion is pretty important for us. It joins us, it shows our identity and affiliation for what we do,” Robinson said. “It dictates our rules and how we behave.”
Organizations presented student models wearing outfits from their cultures. Some also featured cultural dances and musical performances. This included some non-WSU organizations, such as the Arabesque Dance Troupe and Raices Mexicanas de Detroit.
The Mexican folkloric dance troupe, Raices Mexicanas de Detroit, performs during the Latino Medical Student Association exhibition at the fashion show Monday evening.
The Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association showcased Vietnamese, Chinese and South Korean cultures through fashion and music.
Students modeled Vietnamese and Chinese traditional clothing while cultural music played. Then, performances by WSU K-pop dance group Impulse and Chinese folk dancer Thomas Davis showcased Korean and Chinese music styles.
APAMSA Secretary and event organizer Melissa Ly modeled áo dài, a traditional Vietnamese garment.
Ly said she was excited to help organize the show because SOM multicultural events are rare.
“This was a really big group effort because a lot of people are so busy but we try and make it happen,” Ly said. “It’s really nice to celebrate diversity and then raise money for a really common cause.”
WHSO President Abi Kumar said they chose to fundraise for 482 Forward because they supported the coalition’s work to combat educational inequity.
“We care enough to prioritize these issues to make an event like this happen, to make a fashion show happen, to ensure we are raising funds for an organization that really does the work,” Kumar said. “We care about these things just as much as we care about our medical education and our future patients.”
The WSU K-pop dance group Impulse performs during the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association exhibition at the fashion show Monday evening.
WSUSOM BMA models showcased African diasporic fashions, representing Antigua, Somalia, Ghana and Jamaica. This performance also featured poetry by Dr. Ijeoma Opara and Sudanese American spoken-word artist Khadega Mohammed.
Opara’s poem, “When Our Pressure Rises,” focused on structural racism in Black maternal health care and Mohammed’s poem, “Between,” explored her struggles with identity as she moved from Sudan to Saudi Arabia as a young girl, and then to the United States.
Samir said she hoped the fashion show portrayed each community accurately.
“We wanted this event to portray the significance and the beauty that we are surrounded by,” Samir said. “Each culture has its own history and traditions that we wanted to highlight.”
Shawntay Lewis is the arts and entertainment editor for The South End. She can be reached at artsandentertainmenttse@gmail.com.
Photos provided by Shawntay Lewis.
