Florida State University’s Black Student Union is one of the five Student Government Association agencies. Since its founding in 1968, the Black Student Union (BSU) has strived to create an entity that serves as a voice, a refuge, a social outlet, and place of involvement for black students on campus. This semester they have been quite busy in preparation for Black History Month which begins its celebrations in February.
I sat down with BSU President Harold Scott to discuss the upcoming plans and we began with this year’s theme. “Our theme this year is Unlit Beauty: Illuminating the Hidden Color so we really want to focus on a lot of unsung heroes when it comes to African-American culture,” says Harold, dressed sharply in a suit as we sit upstairs in the Union.
The Black History Month (BHM) theme comes at an interesting counterpoint to the recent MLK celebrations orchestrated by SGA in January. Martin Luther King Jr. is, undoubtedly, one of the most recognizable and distinguished faces in history, not just African-American specifically. It is both exciting and enlightening for BSU to use their theme as a catalyst for honoring the past and present figures that, while not being as immediately recognizable, still hold a place in African-American history.
With an event calendar filled to the brim, BHM is certain to be a success in both the education and entertainment departments. The month’s celebrations began on Saturday, February 1st with the “Opening Ceremonies,” which served as a kick-off to BHM here at Florida State. During this event, the theme was formally introduced and discussed. There was also performances from students on campus as well as several “Unlit Beauty Spotlight” presentations by four COBOL (Coalition of Black Organizational Leaders) organizations that spoke to the theme of highlighting unseen efforts. Another event not to be missed is the General Body Meeting on the February 4 in the University Ballrooms. Revealing it is one of the events he is most excited about, Harold says it will be a time to dig more deeply into the point behind the theme Unlit Beauty by discussing issues, events, and endeavors of the black community from the past up to the future. Some other events on the calendar are:
- “Battle of the Sitcoms” Wednesday, February 5th: An event centered around the “Golden Age” of black television
- “Cupid’s Arrow” Friday, February 7th: Put down the books and have fun with BSU at Ginza Red for Tally’s first masquerade ball
- “An Evening with Laverne Cox” Tuesday, February 11th: From the beloved show Orange is the New Black, Laverne Cox will share her story on navigating the world as a transwoman of color through her topic of “Ain’t I a Woman: My Journey To Womanhood.” Co-sponsored with the Pride Student Union, the Women Student Union, and the Asian-American Student Union.
- “Motown Getdown” Saturday, February 15th: Held in Moore Auditorium and hosted by the current Mr. and Miss Black Student Union, “Motown Getdown” is FSU’s finest lip-syncing talent show. The theme this year is “One Hit Wonders: Best of the 2000s.
Those, however, are just a few of the events BSU has planned for the month. There is an event almost every day for students to attend and enjoy. With all the fun and thrill expected of most of BHM’s events, Harold emphasizes the importance and commitment to the theme of highlighting the beauty and triumph in African-American tradition and history in the US.
“Sometimes black students get conditioned to thinking that black as a color and as a race isn’t beautiful so what we wanted to do was really flip the script and build self-confidence behind being black. The hidden beauty is the different achievements that blacks have done throughout history that have gone unnoticed. I’m excited.”
To view the full calendar of events, click here. Also, follow the Black Student Union on social media!
Instagram: fsu_bsu