With February observed as Black History Month, student organizations are coming together to celebrate and unite for the occasion.
Ohio University’s Student Senate hosted its “Forward We March” event on Monday. The event, taking place in the Walter Rotunda, honored and celebrated Black life, art and culture.
The event was hosted in collaboration with multiple student organizations, including Divine Feline, the Black Student Cultural Programming Board, the Black Student Union, or BSU, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Precious Powell, a junior studying art therapy, is the Black Affairs Commissioner for the Student Senate and was a leading organizer for the event.
Powell mentions that much of her campus involvement stems from her desire to make a difference on campus and connect with peers.
“Being a transfer student, I just wanted to get involved in some type of program or organization that can make a change on campus,” Powell said.
“Forward We March” honored Black history through poetry, singing, dance and food.
Along with the “Forward We March” event, Black student organizations are hosting other fundraisers and activities throughout February for students.
Partnering together, BSU and Woman 2 Woman, or W2W, are hosting “Love, Sex, and Romance,” a semiformal event on Feb. 17 from 6-8 p.m. The event, located in Baker Theater, will promote both sexual inclusivity and open conversations about sexual health.
“Love, Sex, and Romance” will also celebrate multicultural art and acceptance through student dancers’, singers’ and poets' performances.
“We wanted to really do something that was big, that could contribute to the community in ways that we had not yet seen before,” said Alexis Thomas, a junior studying hospitality management.
Thomas is involved in a plethora of student organizations, including being president of W2W and vice president of BSU.
Other Black student organizations are stepping into the Valentine’s spirit this month offers as well. Multicultural Student Business Caucus, or MSBC, is selling cake pops outside of Baker in the spirit of Valentine’s Day.
Desmond Owusu, a junior studying management information systems and data analysis and a member of MSBC, is helping with the cake pop sale.
“We’re hoping to generate some revenue to support our organization in terms of encouraging new members to come to meetings and generate more funds,” Owusu said.
MSBC works to increase professional development and help students of all backgrounds gain business experience and leadership skills.
“(We) recruit multicultural professionals and help them gain industry experience, (get) internships and get them ready for the world outside of college,” said Owusu.
With various events being hosted by student organizations to celebrate Black History Month and diverse voices at OU, student leaders are working to make the university an accepting and positive space for students from many different backgrounds. The events and activities occurring on campus in the coming weeks allow students to celebrate Black culture and unite with others.
“I hope to encourage students to live unapologetically and to take up space on this campus unapologetically, no matter what their identity and their culture is, and understand that (they) are well appreciated and welcomed in this space,” Thomas said.
