Teaching unity through diversity

With roots in Jamaica and a classroom in Beijing, one professor uses music and storytelling to connect students across cultures.

It was the end of the academic year — a time of closure and new beginnings for many of my students. At our send-off party for international graduates at China Agricultural University (CAU), the reggae band One Drop had just launched into Bob Marley's iconic One Love, an anthem of peace, unity, and universal love.

One of my students, Liu Siyan, later told me she had arrived at the event still preoccupied with unfinished schoolwork. But when the entire hall joined in singing, "Let's get together and feel all right", she felt something shift.

"That moment reminded me that multicultural education isn't only about learning facts or history, but about feeling connected through shared human experiences," Liu reflected.