Black Culture Week celebrates black culture

Smiling and dancing: The Black Culture Week is an opportunity to learn about black culture. Many people came to the Black Excellence Ball, which was one of the activities of the week.

The Washburn Black Student Union presented the annual Black Culture Week from March 25 to March 29. 

The Black Culture Week goes back to the 1970s. It goes over some items of Black History Month, which is celebrated throughout February. The Black Student Union found some old photos of the Black Culture Week and they decided to bring it back. It’s a chance to see black culture on campus.

Alona Harrison, a junior business major, is the treasurer of Black Student Union. She helped to organize the Black Culture Week.

“It is an easy way for you to get to know us, and for us to get to know you,” Harrison said. “It’s important for the campus and the community in many ways.”

The Black Culture Week contained six days of events.

The Black Student Union meeting was held on March 25 in the Blair room of LLC. It welcomed all students to hang out with members of the group and play games.

On Tuesday, March 26, an art for thought exhibition, “Women in Black History,” started to show in the Memorial Union. If people walked through, they could see photos of black women who attended Washburn and accomplished notable things.

The Black Excellence Ball was held by the Black Student Union and the Washburn Student Government Association at 6:30 p.m. on March 27 at the Bradbury Thompson Alumni Center. Students came dressed to impress for a night of music, dancing and black excellence. All types of people came to the ball, including WSGA, Young Life and various other organizations.

Jasmine Marie Creighton, a junior English education major, went to the Black Excellence Ball with her friends.

“I thought it was a great way to celebrate black excellence for people from all different ethnic backgrounds,” Creighton said. “It was a fun atmosphere and everyone was excited to dress up and dance together for a night. I’m looking forward to next year already.”

At 2:30 p.m. on March 28, the Wave Check was held on the Memorial Union Lawn. It encouraged people to wear a durag, scarf or bonnet to class and meet together on the lawn.

The Black Student Picture was at 2 p.m. on March 28 on the steps of the Memorial Union. It invited all Black students to link up and pose for a photo, wearing black shirts and denim.

On Saturday, March 30, a dinner prepared by the Black Student Union raised money for the organization to finish up their year.

Black Student Union is a student organization geared towards making a difference at Washburn. It collectively embraces and promotes a positive and professional image of the black collegiate experience on campus.

“We (Black Student Union) are here to learn and grow as a community,” Harrison said. “We are here, and we matter, and we do things that help Washburn matter.”