Black & Proud Showcase: A Black History Month Celebration

On Feb. 20, the Black Student Caucus and the Intercultural Center (ICC) presented a ‘90s themed showcase, celebrating Black culture and history. Over 180 students gathered in the Turner Lynch Campus Center for music, soul food, and performances by various student groups. 

Image from the Intercultural Center Instagram

The Black Student Caucus, which celebrated 50 years at Oglethorpe last November, is led by President Mariya Beasley. “Black Student Caucus serves to establish and maintain a network of Black and allied students,” said Beasley. “We also aim to deepen our campus' understanding of Blackness, reduce the presence of prejudice on campus, and provide a safe place for Black student voices to be heard.” 

The Black & Proud Showcase was a chance to honor Black history and culture. As a driving force behind this event, Beasley said “[Black Student Caucus] wanted to create an event that could bring all Black students together and create a fun environment that we all could relate to.” 

After mingling and listening to music from DJ Shvy, representatives from the Intercultural Center, Joseph Bowie and Beyonca Elias, as well as the vice president of Black Student Caucus, Dominique Branch welcomed everyone from the stage. 

“Tonight, at this event, something we really want to honor and celebrate is community,” Bowie said. “In all times, but especially in times like these, community is something very, very important, and it's very important that we uphold and emphasize the community that we have here.” 

The event was also co-sponsored by the Office of Equity and Care, the Office of Student Engagement, student club Black Beautiful Brains (BX3), and featured performances by the OU cheer team, the Khayos dance team, the Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) sorority, and the Alpha Phi Alpha (APA) fraternity. 

Choreographed by Elias, Khayos’ performance took inspiration from the ‘90s, aiming for “family reunion vibes,” said Peyton Morgan, captain of the dance team. 

“Dance has always been an outlet for the Black community,” said Morgan. “As a club with a majority marginalized and underrepresented population, it is important to showcase and share our culture.” 

The AKA sorority and APA fraternity are part of the Divine Nine, a group of historically Black sororities and fraternities. Both groups dressed in their signature colors and performed routines that included their respective signature chants and symbols. 

“We wanted to really emphasize that [diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)] and Black history is something we are very, very much about,” Bowie said to the crowd. “In these dire times, I know that message can be lost in translation a lot, but that is something we value; that is something we’re upholding and it’s not going away anytime soon.” 

Amidst uncertainty about the future of diversity programs, Oglethorpe used this month to demonstrate their commitment to supporting students of color and to acknowledge the importance of Black history. 

“Black history is American history,” said Dr. Rhana Gittens-Wheeler, the Chief Inclusive Excellence Officer of the university’s DEI Cabinet. “But it is silenced and left out, even to this day.” 

Many events were held on campus during Black History Month, by student groups and university departments. The Intercultural Center posted weekly spotlights that honored several prominent activists and inspirations, held a game night celebrating Black African and Black American culture, and hosted a pop-up of influential Black books from the library, available for checkout in the ICC. The Black Student Caucus also celebrated their annual All Black Affair on Friday, Feb. 21, as well as collaborated with the African American Studies department to organize a movie screening of “Captain America: Brave New World” at LOOK Cinemas. Afterwards, they held a conversation panel about Black representation in TV and film.  

“I know a lot of students who I meet every day who don’t necessarily know the history or significance of [Black history],” Gittens-Wheeler said. “It’s important to continue to keep it alive and continue strengthening our knowledge, because we learn so much from history.” 

As an institution, Oglethorpe aims to promote diversity and inclusion in all areas. “It's not just about training and education,” said Gittens-Wheeler. “that's a huge piece of it, but even more so is trying to relieve some of the barriers to an education. So that’s barriers from the start, from admissions, all the way to completion and graduation.” 

“It’s through faculty, staff, and through students that this is done,” Gittens-Wheeler said. “We think of the university as this entity, but the university is its people. Inclusion and belonging is really developed by the people who exist in this space.”