The Black Student Union has planned events each week leading up to and throughout Black History Month.
Black History Month began early this year, with an event for each week, beginning Jan. 31 and ending Feb. 29.
The first event put on by BSU was Black Out Skate Night on Jan. 31 at the Skating Place. All were welcomed to participate in fellowship on skates and snap pictures at the photo booth provided by BSU. The event was from 10:45 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Students were asked to wear blackout attire.
The February Madness event will be on Saturday. Presented by BSU and social club Nu Kappa Psi. All are welcomed to participate in a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, taking place from 1-3 p.m. at the Wellness Center in gym’s A and B. Sign-ups to compete closed Thursday.
For active BSU participants there will be a showing of the movie The Photograph. A production of Black love, showing will be at cinemark and doors open at 6:30 p.m. It will be first come first serve; details to reserve a ticket can be found on the BSU Instagram (@acubsu).
Another event for active BSU participants will be the “Black Is” photoshoot. The attire is white shirt and blue jeans. The event will serve to capture Black essence and beauty on camera and will be from 1-3 p.m. at the Office of Multicultural Affairs.
Ending Black History Month, the final event is the Afram Festival, short for African American Festival, and will take place at 6 p.m. on Feb. 29 at The Well. Tickets to the event will go on presale on Feb. 19 in the Campus Center. If interested in performing, contact BSU (acubsu@acu.edu) by Feb. 14.
In the past, BSU has put on and performed a play for Black History Month, but this year they have chosen to create a different event students can participate in for each week of the month.
Marilyn Allen, sophomore speech pathology major from Hillsborough, NC and president of the BSU, said she hopes the celebratory month goes well.
“We are extremely excited to see ACU’s reaction to it and we’re especially excited for our big event at the end of the month, Afram Fest,” Allen said.
Allen said students are encouraged to join BSU during these events to celebrate the importance of Black History Month.
“Black History Month is a time to put a spotlight on the achievements of Black Americans,” Allen said. “I think this is important to celebrate because it puts a positive outlook on our history despite what our ancestors have been through.”
