By: Denzel Washington
Deltas celebrate their 45th anniversary with eventful weekend, caps off with Black History Month showcase
This weekend marked 45 years of public service and social change to Bradley and Central Illinois for the Theta Epsilon chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, incorporated.
“A lot of what we do is centered around helping those around us and it’s not just about students at Bradley, but the citizens of Peoria,” said Danielle Peterson, the president of the Bradley chapter and a junior television arts major.
“We engage alumni and together, with their help, we facilitate programs for the community,” she continued.
The featured event planned for the community, was the Black History Showcase, held on Friday, Feb. 12 in the Hayden-Clark Alumni Center on the far west side of Bradley campus.
“Seeing such talented students of color give testimonials on why black history is important was really good [sic] to see,” said Marissa Bacon, a junior biology major. “It showed why representation is important.”
Representation was a big theme of the event, according to Peterson.
“With nearly 20% of Peoria being black, we wanted to not only pay homage to the sisters who came before us here at Bradley, but show that even outside of our sisterhood, Peoria and Bradley has a rich black history that needs to be shared and appreciated,” said Peterson.
Delta Sigma Theta Theta Epsilon Chapter President Danielle Peterson (left) and First Vice President Lonyee Lampley welcome the audience to the Fourth Black History Month Showcase on Feb.13 in the Peplow Pavilion of the Hayden-Clark Alumni Center at Bradley University. Photo by Denzel Washington
“I really enjoyed the event,” said Tiara Rice, a freshman retail merchandising major. “It is important that we take time out to celebrate our culture especially on a predominately white campus. Even though it was to celebrate black history it was open to all of the campus to come out and enjoy performances from our own student body.”