According to the U.S. Census, there are over 35 million Americans with Irish ancestry – that’s almost nine times the population of Ireland.
To increase awareness of diversity pertinent to Irish culture, the Diversity and Inclusion Program held an Irish Heritage Celebration on Thursday, March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day – for Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States employees.
This cultural session was designed to showcase the rich cultural heritage of Americans with European descent. A highlight of the session was performances by the Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance, a local dance company that teaches the tradition of Irish dance and song, and competes in local, regional, national and international level.
Employees were engaged throughout the performances and a few “thrived” and learned a traditional Irish line dance!
By celebrating each other’s cultures, we further enhance our organization’s ability to be a culturally competent health care delivery system.
If you are interested in an event featuring other cultural heritages, or want to establish a new multi-cultural Business Resource Group, please contact Ana Vera, Diversity & Inclusion Workforce Specialist, ana.p.vera@kp.org.
For more information about Diversity initiatives, please visit kpnet.kp.org/masdiversity.
