Ellington

This is the 22nd year that Jackson State University will devote five days to celebrating cultural diversity and promoting education about other countries. From April 9 through April 13, the university's Division of International Studies presents International Week with events designed to promote cultural awareness.

Patricia Jernigan, an event organizer, said this year, International Week will focus on Africa. "Because we do have a large contingent of students from Africa within the university," she said, organizers decided to focus on the whole continent instead of picking just one country.

Events for the week include films, food, dance and a bazaar. A peace conference and symposium will include topics about African countries, Jernigan said, and a model United Nations will discuss issues in Syria and Sudan. Reuben E. Brigety II, deputy assistant secretary of state, is the featured speaker for the International Scholarship and Awards Banquet April 13. Brigety supervises U.S. refugee programs for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration in Africa and manages humanitarian diplomacy, among other things.

All events are open to the public, and many are free. Tickets for the banquet are $50 each or $500 for a table. For more information, visit http://www.jsums.edu/intweek or call 601-979-3796.