By Isla Jade Seitz, Feb. 14, 2023
The Black Student Union and the African American Student Center hosted their annual karaoke night for students to honor the start of Black History Month on Feb. 2 in Ursa Major B. For the members of these organizations, raising awareness for the month’s celebration through events like this is important to them as Black students only make up a small percentage of the population at Cal Poly Pomona.
Ami Rollins, E-board for BSU social media chairman, explained that being a Black student at CPP means a lot to her. She explained that she holds herself to a high standard when it comes to her academics and active participation on campus.
“This is my identity here. I hold it close to my heart because I want to be excellent, I want to do better, I want to put a good image out for the Black community. I hold myself to a high standard because I am a student here,” Rollins said.
Recognizing the Black community at CPP and Black History Month through events brings those together to honor the history of Black people. Seraiah Kinslow, biochemistry student, expressed that the importance of the month begins with looking at the past.
“Black History Month to me is the appreciation of my culture and acknowledging what the people before me have gone through, realizing where we are now and where we came from,” said Kinslow.
All students were welcome to join the event and had a successful turnout. Cookies and brownies were catered as refreshments for attendees to enjoy. Attendees were welcomed into an atmosphere that was uplifting and full of home-like support.
Everyone was encouraged to sing. Songs consisted of multiple genres such as rap, R&B, soul and ‘90s classics. ‘90s classics was one of the top genres of the night. With a concert-like feeling, those enjoying the performances held their phones, flashing its light and waving their arms to encourage performers..
Michael Kalu, electrical engineering student, took the stage and sang “Leaked” by Lil Tjay, a popular rap song.
“It was a little nerve racking. I do have a lot of stage fright, but I thought ‘let me just go first while there’s not a lot of people here,’” said Kalu.
Many attended solely to support and helped keep the encouraging environment alive the entire evening. When one person finished their song, the room was filled with cheering and rounds of applause. People shared hugs and embraced being with friends, smiling, singing, laughing and dancing; the ambiance was cheerful and carefree.
Derick Prince, student retention coordinator for the African American Student Center, said, “This is not the first karaoke night hosted, in the past we have had huge turn outs from the campus community.” The turnout of the karaoke night on Thursday shows how appreciative the community is and how much students love to attend the events held.
Many attendees emphasized that they would like to see more events like the karaoke night held in the future because it brought together the community. Rollins was able to share how events are spread on campus and how those who wish to join can hear about these events, explaining that the organizations are putting together events very frequently and invite everyone to join.
“We get to do these things and enjoy it,” Rollins said.
The organizations have various other events planned for CPP students and faculty to attend throughout the year. Anyone can register on myBAR and can follow along with updates by following cppbsu and aasc_cpp on Instagram.
Feature image courtesy of Bruno Emmanuelle