On February 4th, some of the most inclusive and impactful black organizations on FAU’s Boca Raton campus came together to co-sponsor the annual “Black History Cookout”. It served as a kickoff event for Black History Month, a time to celebrate black excellence and unify the black community.
This year’s black history cookout was hosted by the Black Student Union and co-sponsored by the African Student Association, Caribbean Student Association & Student Government Multicultural Programming Board.
With midterms just around the corner, the BBQ was exactly what the black student body needed: a safe space on campus to link with friends, eat some food, and turn up with their community.
First-time attendee, Stephanie Moise said, “I didn’t know that the Black Student Union threw BBQs like this on campus! When’s the next one?” Her friends quickly yelled out “facts!” in support of her statement. Returning attendee Brittney Nixon said, “There’s a lot of BBQs held on the housing lawn, but none match the vibes of this event”.
The food was hot and ready to go at the start of the event and honestly, the hamburgers, hotdogs, and mac & cheese were hitting *chefs kiss*.
While it is nice to go to a BBQ and actually get to eat, you really attend this event because it’s more of a party than a BBQ.
Music was provided by none other than DJ Redwood. This is his fourth year partnering with BSU, “The energy is always good and students look forward to it” Redwood said.
Once DJ Redwood got going on the turntables it was impossible to stay glued to your seat. He worked hard to include all of the black-subcultures during his set, there was Kompa, Reggae, Afro-Beats, Salsa & that good ole’ South Florida music (if you know what I mean).
Everybody got to hear songs that allowed them to wine up, bruk down, jook and stick. “My favorite part about djing for these organizations is the people. They come out to have a good time and get informed. It brings light to an event when more and more people attend” said Redwood.
Patrick Gelin, current president of the Black Student Union, said “I’m very proud of the organizations for putting together such a fun and successful event for the black community during one of our most momentous months of the year. I hope that we can continue to do this for the students in the future”.
You can keep up with these organizations and their future events through their Instagram pages: @fau_bsu, @faucsa, @fau_asa @faumulticulturalprogramming
Mykera Crawford is a staff writer for the Paradigm Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email mykeracrawford@gmail.com .
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