By Adila Sebastian & Genesis Moon//
The Black History Month kick-off celebration was held on Feb. 1 and was sponsored by the Division of Community and Inclusivity and the Office of Student Life with support from members of the Black Student Union.
The celebration provided food catered by Jerk N’ Jive, a local black-owned business, with live performance by the local music group “Melodies of Worship,” led by Hood College employee Isaac Barnes. The band played many mainstream artists’ songs that were soul and rhythm and blues genres.
According to Tammi Simpson, vice president for community & inclusivity, “The planning committee for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Black History Month determined that the theme for January and February would center around supporting and amplifying local African Americans through food, music and an exploration of local Civil Rights activism.”
The event had a good turnout, according to Tammi Simpson.
On Feb. 2, the Black Student Union hosted “Sip and Spades,” an event where students were taught how to play Spades, a popular card game in Black households. They also sipped on Purple Rain and Blacker the Berry mocktails. BSU president Aalayah Honablue said she hoped hosting this event would “provide a time for younger people to learn how to play,” Honablue said.
Some upcoming events that are hosted by the Black Student Union include a dodgeball tournament on Feb. 23 at 9 p.m. in Gambrill Gymnasium, an appreciation dinner on Feb. 24 in Whitaker Commons and a night-club theme party on Feb. 24 at 10 p.m. in Whitaker Commons.
Honablue said she hopes to build a safe space beyond just Black History Month among the Hood College community. “We want that to last past Black History Month here on campus,” she says. “We want people to feel like BSU is a safe place to come to.”
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