This year at San Diego State, Black History Month was loaded with events, workshops, talks and mixers.
The Afrikan Student Union along with other campus organizations like the Student African American Brotherhood and Sisterhood, Campus Curls and Black Space managed to put on over 25 events together within February’s 28 days.
“Having the Black Resource Center here has been truly a blessing,” international business junior and Afrikan Student Union President Richard Amaechi said.
The Black Resource Center, which is just a year old, has helped to serve as a hub for these organizations.
“The people who are in the BRC really strive for nothing but the best when it comes to providing different programming, promoting black excellence and even mental health for the students here,” Black Resource Center Cultural Chair and public health sophomore Mary Tesfaldet said.
As the month winds to a close, there are just a few events left on the Black History Month calendar. However, black history wasn’t just made in February.
March alone has three more upcoming events, including the Career Care Café held with Career Services on March 6. In addition, the Black Resource Center’s Sip and Paint event on the 12th is another way students can come in to unwind and mingle amongst their peers.
There is also the Creators Circle presented by Visionary Media where videographers, writers and various other artists can get to know each other.
“Creativity and connectivity are the two overarching things I wanted to provide with the Creators Circle,” interdisciplinary studies senior Nnagozie Odeluga said.
Odeluga said the creative fields are often intertwined, yet he found no places on campus where black creators can come together and exchange what they might and probably do need from each other, collaboration.
Another future event is one of ASU’s signature events, the annual High School Conference. During this event, the organization recruits black high school students and brings them to SDSU, allowing them to see the black presence on campus and that there is a place for them at the university. Each year, about 300 high school students participate.
Amaechi said this 43-year tradition is probably the most important event of the year.
Along with putting together events and social activities for black students, these organizations also have an agenda to engage students from all backgrounds. These are spaces designed to respectfully teach and learn from all backgrounds and perspectives.
Testafalt recalled past events, such as voter registration drives during the midterm elections, as examples of engaging with the campus on a larger scale.
She said the focus was on millennials and getting them excited about the voting process. The BRC served as the home-base for those operations.
“The two main words when the BRC was first being discussed and built were home and family,” Odeluga said.
More information on upcoming events can be found on the Black Resource Center’s Facebook page.
