Black History Month celebrated

This year’s Black History Month events included National Black HIV/Aids Awareness Day, the movie “Straight Outta Compton,” Uncensored Series Dialogue, Swimming in Dark Waters: Other Voices of the American Experience, and Soul Food Sunday Potluck Dinner.

According the Black Student Union President Curtis Stubbs, the events this year have had about the same attendance as in years past. The only exception to this was when compared to last year the Black Lives Matter Discussion Panel had a much larger attendance, but the rest of the events were consistent.

Compared to last year, there were only two different events. Last year there was the Black Lives Matter Discussion Panel, and a campus forum. According to Stubbs, a forum was planned for this year. However it was the same week as the Hot Topic Forum hosted by SGA so they decided to cancel theirs as they found the SGA was more pertinent.

The events are often not well attended, however, it is consistent. RSVP events are not often RSVP’d to, even by BSU members, no one responded to the Soul Food Sunday Potluck Dinner, so it has been postponed to Sunday, March 6.

According to the Assistant Director of Student Engagement and Coordinator of Diversity & Inclusion Travis Eichelberger, “The program during Black History Month is partially sponsored by BSU and partially sponsored by my office. I think last year, having the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act and having such a push to deal with social justice issues, I think it has burn out our students of color. Since they really that usually host programs and host events, I think they are tried. They don’t want to do events where people don’t come. They see on Yik Yak that people bash them every time that the issue is advertised, I think they have had conversations where they are going to adversities without their name on it.”

Stubbs agrees that there is an issue with advertisements, especially on the administrative side. Although, Eichelberger, said there have been posters with all of the events displayed around campus.

There is a lack of interest on the students part, according to Eichelberger, students don’t sign up. Like Stubbs said, no one RSVP’d to the dinner so it had to be postponed. Eichelberger believes that it does not matter how many emails are sent out, there still is not a huge interest.