Kyra Washington and Denia Goodman
“I’m a strong believer in if you want something to change, do something about it. Don’t just sit around complaining about it,” said Nailah Brown, the Parliamentarian of Black Student Alliance (BSA).
One of the goals of Black Student Alliance is to uplift and celebrate the African American community on campus. This year, Black Student Alliance was able to host BLACKout Homecoming. BSA was able to host a variety of events throughout the week in order to make the African American community feel more included.
While Bradley does host a Homecoming Week for the campus, none of the events were specifically tailored towards minorities, and BSA wanted to host events that they felt students would be more interested in attending.
While there is an Office of Diversity and Inclusion on Bradley’s campus, students have often complained that the actual act of including minorities on Bradley’s campus happens very rarely, or not at all.
“As a minority on campus, we don’t really feel included in the events that are held on campus daily,” said Aliyah Benson, a sophomore at Bradley. “Our voices aren’t really heard, and the events we look for aren’t held unless we do it ourselves.”
While BSA did come up with the idea of BLACKout homecoming, they also partnered with other predominantly African American organizations in order to give them more campus representation as well. BSA partnered with Bradley University’s Fashion Focus, who provided fashionable themes throughout the week for students to follow, as well as the National Pan-Hellenic Council, which is the council which covers the five active African American sororities and fraternities on campus.
BLACKout Homecoming included the following events: a Homecoming Pep Rally, the NPHC Stroll Showcase, a Homecoming Flag Football Game, a Homecoming Tailgate, and the Bradley University Black Alumni Association’s (BUBAA) annual Scholarship Luncheon.
On Monday, the Fashion Focus theme of the day was neon colors, while BSA held a pep rally. During this pep rally, students were able to compete in a Basketball ShootOut, cheer on their favorite Flag Football Team for the game on Friday, and were encouraged to vote for Donnell Stone, a junior at Bradley, who was running for Homecoming King. Students were even asked to repost Stone’s flyer to encourage other students to vote for him. If Stone were to win, he would be the first African American Homecoming King in Bradley history.
While BSA did not host an event on Tuesday or Thursday, the Fashion Focus theme was ‘Denim Daze Tuesday,’ and ‘Throwback Thursday,’ Students who participated were even featured on the organizations Instagram Story.
On Wednesday, the Fashion Focus Theme was ‘Cute but Comfy.’ BSA was able to partner with NPHC and host the NPHC Stroll Showcase. The sororities and fraternities that participated included Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Each organization strolled to four songs in total. While all organizations strolled to Wipe Me Down and Knuck If You Buck, each organization was able to choose and stroll to the other two songs of their choice.
On Thursday, students were reminded to attend the Homecoming Pageant and vote Stone for Homecoming King. Stone did receive enough votes that he was able to advance to the next round and fight to becoming Homecoming King, however he did not win in the end.
On Friday night, BSA was able to partner with members of both Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. host the Pretty Gritty Football Game. Prior to the game, BSA also hosted a Homecoming Tailgate, where they provided food and beverages for all in attendance. It was a tough game, but the White Team prevailed and brought home the win!
To close the week, BSA encouraged everyone to attend the BUBAA Scholarship Luncheon. This luncheon is used as not only as a networking opportunity to connect with current students and Bradley Alumni, but to also encourage students to apply to a scholarship that is raised for them. Students are even provided with tips to ensure that they receive the scholarship.
Overall, BSA was very pleased with the outcome of the event, but also recognize that there is always room for improvement. “I think BLACKout Homecoming turned out great, especially with this being our first time hosting,” said Charles Myers, the President of BSA. “Hopefully next year it can be bigger and better.”
Link to Slideshow Presentation https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1i_hI21smLIwkaoWibXcUolyuLIJhOJtuDEQHpGcHKHk/edit#slide=id.g63e23d72ea_0_0
Contact information:
Nailah Brown: nlbrown@mail.bradley.edu
Aliyah Benson:albenson@mail.bradley.edu
Charles Myers: cqmyers@mail.bradley.edu