History was made on the campus of Brooklyn College on February 18 as the Black and Latino Male Initiative (BMLI) teamed up with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to host the first annual Black History Month Student Showcase.
The event was held in the student center, where nearly 100 students, faculty, staff, and supporters, including the student body president, joined the festivities in honor of African-American history.
The program was a menu full of energetic performers who fed the soul of each audience member with tantalizing talents. There were guest appearances from the official Brooklyn College Slam Team, the Supreme Steppers, four different Greek Lettered Organizations on campus, an ensemble by the Blaze Dance Team, and performances from a vocalist, a guitarist, and a violinist, to showcase only a portion of the creative minds that Brooklyn College has to offer.
"I felt very inspired. A lot of these kids at Brooklyn College have a lot of talent and I was moved by what I heard, especially the poetry section," said Mary Metayer, a junior at the college who enjoyed the event from start to finish.
"I really think it's a good thing for us to come together and celebrate the people that paved the way for us," she said.
Throughout the night, students bonded with each other sharing laughter, exchanging information, and displaying the gifts they aren't able to in the classroom. There was an undeniable kinship that only got stronger as each performer got up and shared a piece of themselves.
Highlights from the night included Black History trivia questions administered by the master of ceremonies, Kevin Lamonte Jones, a senior at the college. A variety of free finger foods compliments of the director of BLMI were offered to pleasantly surprised (and apparently hungry) guests.
Attendees were also educated about the BLMI program and the group's mission to promote brotherhood and self-love. Nicholas McMillian, a film student, presented a documentary about eight minutes in length, detailing just how special and important a program like BLMI was for the young men of color at Brooklyn College. In addition to weekly workshops held on campus, the BLMI hosts monthly events, such as the upcoming Hip-Hop Conscious Discussion on February 25 where students will have a chance to explore the role of hip-hop in politics.
By the end of the showcase, there was cheering, clapping, snapping, whooping and dancing, as everyone showed their excitement and appreciation for all the Black History of the past and for the history that was being created right there on the campus of Brooklyn College in that very moment.
"You have the agency to do more than what you think you do as students," Jones told the audience after one particularly inspiring performance.
The very first Black History Month Showcase to be held at Brooklyn College resulted in "a beautiful display of talent, history, solidarity, and love," according to Shadiq Williams, the student responsible for organizing the event and serving as Ambassador for BLMI and President of the NAACP chapter at Brooklyn College.
He went on to say, "All of those are things I think embody the spirit of Black History Month."
For more information on the NAACP chapter at Brooklyn College email: naacp.bkcollege@gmail.com
