Featured Photo by Kaleigh Young
Story by Elise Sandlin
Middle Tennessee State University welcomed students to celebrate Black History Month with food, music and dancing last night. The Black Elegance Gala was held in the Student Union Ballroom at MTSU with a DJ. Decorated tables lined either side of the dance floor. A photo booth with large letters spelling ‘MTSU’ was lit with bright lightbulbs that contrasted with the dark ballroom. Attendees, in their formal dress attire, gathered around it to capture the memory of the gala.
MTSU Junior Eryn Wade found out about the gala on the MTSU website and attended with a group of friends who invited her to come.
“It means a lot being an African American woman, to be recognized and noticed,” Wade said regarding MTSU’s celebration of Black History Month. A third-year transfer, Wade only wished MTSU promoted their Black History Month events further so more guests would attend. “I think it’s great they have programs, opportunities and events as a community to all meet up, talk about it and be able to enjoy it as a people together. Even our friends who aren’t African American, you see them enjoy the events as well, so I think that’s great,” Wade said.
Dylan Stevenson, an MTSU Sophomore, appreciated the chance to commemorate the rich history of his ancestry.
“Black History Month is celebrating the growth of where we started and where we’re at now, our culture that we had to start in America, and everything that our ancestors had to bring from Africa to incorporate it into our American values today,” Stevenson said. “We can all be doing more in trying to prioritize black people in the sense of understanding where we came from and how we got here.”
There are plenty more events left celebrating Black History Month at MTSU this February. These can be found on MTSU’s Black History Month Calendar of Events.
Elise Sandlin is a Culture and Entertainment Reporter for MTSU Sidelines.
To contact Lifestyles Editor Destiny Mizell, email [email protected] more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, or follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines or on Twitter at @Sidelines_News.
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