Black Student Union (BSU) held its annual Black History Month celebration on the Green from 5-7:00 p.m. on the evening of Feb. 27. The event featured decorative balloons, a DJ playing music, as well as concessions selling food, a food truck, and books featuring African American authors.
The activities started around 5:30, and the organizers encouraged the participants to mingle and get to know one another, which helped foster a sense of community. Students, families, and even administrators f showed up to support the event.
“I wish there would be a little bit more students,” BSU president Dominique Walker said. “But overall, I think it was a pretty good turnout. I think the parents really helped make it more lively, and the city council people.
After the icebreaker, music was being played, and people danced. The DJ played songs from different time periods, like the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. This led into a student singing the Black National Anthem, which seemed to officially kick off all the activities to come.
“We will hold a general meeting and ask people if they want to participate” for the performances, Walker said. “So most people ask, or we ask them. Some of them (the performers) are from middle school; some are from high school.”
There was a student-organized dance, which involved handfans. Some of the performers wore dashikis, a garment from West Africa. After the dance there were student presentations, where four students came up to recite poetry or a speech.
“We gather our speakers, and we try to spread it out, so it’s not just talking the whole time,” Walker said. “Mr. Wilson (the club’s advisor) will like to do his part first with the music and all, and then we’ll have our speakers, and then our activity will usually be like dancing or something pretty chill that people will know how to do.”
To conclude the event, many of the attendees danced together. There was a raffle after the dance, where the organizers pulled out three winners, which signified the end of the event.
“This event was pretty successful, compared to last year,” junior Jocelyn Ly, a BSU member, said. “There were many more people last year.”
Hosting an event like this is important because it helps students connect with their culture and feel seen, Assistant Principal Sean Anglon, who attended the event, said.
“I would like it to be better attended, but I think that for everyone that actually does participate, they enjoy it and they feel connected,” Anglon said.
