In honor of Black History Month, the Black Student Union packed the month of February with a variety of events for “A Celebration of Blackness.” Events ranged from a spoken word performance by Joshua Bennett to a church service which celebrated black religious traditions. To end Black History Month, the Black Student Union hosted an event known as Ruby Lounge last night. This year’s event was filled with songs, dancing, and poetry. Students performed songs by Etta James, Tamar Braxton, Sam Cooke, and Alicia Keys, danced to Jennifer Hudson’s “I Remember Me,” and shared their original poems. There were also performances from the student groups Gospel Choir and Ritmo Latino.
Amina Avril opened the night with a breathtaking performance of the Beyoncé rendition of Etta James’ “All I Could Do Was Cry.” Afterwards, Aunrika Tucker had the audience laughing and snapping in agreement with her as she performed her poem “You Move Me.” Gospel Choir then sung James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice,” which MC and BSU co-chair Tre informed the audience was also known as “The Black National Anthem.” The song was written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson and was later set to music by his brother John Rosamond Johnson. Gospel Choir then followed this moving performance with the traditional hymn “Ride On, King Jesus.” Daniel Schreiner accompanied Neal Ellis on guitar while Neal sang Tamar Braxton’s “White Candle.” Neal’s performance had the audience swaying side to side. There was then an open mic during which Olivier Joseph performed an original poem which addressed the prejudices surrounding the Haitian culture specifically. The program then continued with a sexy performance by Ritmo Latino. Marguerite Ferrera then took the stage and gave an electrifying performance of Sam Cooke’s “Change Is Gonna Come” with Brice Green accompanying her on the piano. Venson Williams followed Marguerite’s performance with an original poem titled “Strange Fruit Hanging.” His powerful poem reminded the audience of some of the everyday challenges that black people face in this country. Amanda Washington then performed a beautiful dance to Jennifer Hudson’s “I Remember Me.” The night ended with an encore from Marguerite Ferrera singing “Empire State of Mind Part II” by Alicia Keys which had the audience clapping and singing along with her.
The event was a wonderful combination of celebrating Blackness as well as sharing the varied talents of Williams students. Every performance had the audience engaged and left the audience wanting more at the end of the night. Black Student Union: thank you for a month filled with amazing events and for helping the Williams community celebrate Blackness.