On the morning of April 17, members of the Gaynor community gathered in the EC Garden for the first Breakfast My Way of 2024, celebrating Eid al-Fitr and African Muslim traditions.
Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Stella Mulatu kicked off the breakfast by introducing the students and their families whose cultures would be highlighted that morning, and how they found the connection that led them to speak at this breakfast together. Blue Cluster student Nour K.’s family is from Tunisia, while Silver Cluster student Kadijah Y.’s father is from Mali, and Pink Cluster student Omar A.’s mother is from Djibouti. Ms. Mulatu also shared that her husband’s family is from Ethiopia, so she was particularly excited to share a connection to African Muslim traditions with other members of the Gaynor community.
The students then spoke about how they celebrate Eid. Nour and Kadijah both talked about how their families break the fast of Ramadan with a lot of food and even a barbecue, and Omar spoke about how his family spends time together with other members of their community. Kadijah’s father Sora explained that they have a big feast of breaking the fast from Ramadan because they are celebrating how strong their faith is, and how strong the faith of their community is.
The breakfast spread included dried dates and apricots, mamoul, or date cookies, multi-colored Turkish delight, and a variety of pastries. There was also Moroccan mint tea available with fresh tea leaves that was particularly popular on the chilly morning.
Breakfast My Way is an event sponsored by the Parents’ Association DEI Committee to bring parents together to learn about the breakfast traditions, holidays, and cultures of their fellow Gaynor families. You can read more about the previous Breakfast My Way this fall celebrating Hanukkah here.
