Celebrating Lexington’s diverse history through bold fashion and dance
May is all about celebrating diversity in Lexington, and that includes the cultures from across the world that now call the city home.
As part of the year-long celebration of Lexington’s 250-year history, organizers decided May would focus on the city’s diverse cultures and communities. The Lexington History Museum will present an International Fashion Show and Dance from 4-6 p.m. May 17. The event will highlight the fashions and dances of Japan, Mexico, India, Kenya and Ukraine.
Preeti Gupta, one of the 250Lex Commissioners, said the event is a way to share cultures with each other.
“I’ve been always organizing these things, and I enjoy sharing dance and music and culture,” she said. “I like to share mine and I like to see others also.”
Gupta was born in India and moved here with her husband. As he pursued his career in Cincinnati, they built a life there. But as his career progressed, they found themselves moving to Lexington.
Neighbors introduced her to Friendship International, an organization that brings together women from various countries. It was there that she was able to make more friends and become integrated in the Lexington community.
Now, she and her family have been here for 33 years. Doing the fashion event was her way of giving back to the community that welcomed her.
“It’s such an honor to do something for your community and for the city I’ve been a part of for 33 years,” she said. “I have enjoyed it so much. I’m grateful to so many people and I love to bring that joy to others.”
The event coincides with a fashion exhibit at the Lexington History Museum The museum will display items on loan to the museum by Lexingtonians from China, India, Japan, Kenya, Mexico and Ukraine like traditional clothing, dolls, books, and more.
One special dress came from Gupta.
“I’ve loaned a lot of things to the museum (for the exhibit), even my wedding outfit,“ she said.
“I’ve been married for 35 years, and my wedding gown will be there at the museum. The outfits (on display) are all hand-embroidered and so beautiful. People will be able to come during the whole month of May and look at all these things from people who are living here in Lexington.”
Mandy Higgins, executive director of the Lexington History Museum, said Lexington’s history of immigrants goes back to the 1800s.
“From its earliest moments, Lexington has had non-English speaking immigrants here — French settlers, Scottish settlers, Irish settlers,” she said. “Mathurin Giron was a French confectioner who shows up in the census around 1810. And then, of course, there were enslaved Africans. There’s been a lot of diversity here, and it’s not just in the past 50 years.”
Since then, the area has continued to see immigrants come to Lexington. The third-most spoken language in Lexington is Swahili. Due to refugee programs, immigrants from Kenya have relocated to the U.S. and now about 8,000 Swahili-speakers live in the Lexington area.
“The South Asian population is largely driven by university connections, but it’s also because Lexington is a great place to live,” Higgins said. “Refugee resettlement is much bigger in Lexington than people realize, and it’s often east African countries where Swahili is spoken. That then drives other migrants to come here because it is such a welcoming community.”
Gupta said the International Fashion and Dance show is a way to bring people together in a time when that needs to happen more.
“If we have pieces of our world from someone who is already living here, why not bring it to one place and let people enjoy it in their own backyard?” Gupta said.
“We need to see that unity and diversity more than ever. We always need it, but right now we need it more the way things are all over the world. It’s good to feel that love. It’s good to appreciate each other’s cultures. It’s good to feel connected and see the uniqueness and see the similarities.”
Event information: 250Lex.com. The event is free to the public, but registration is required.
Have a question or story idea related to Lexington’s 250-year history? Let us know at 250LexKy@gmail.com.