Resilience, strength and power.
These are just some of the words that describe what the Pepperdine Black Student Association (BSA) aims to showcase during Black History Month President of BSA Rochelle Williams said.
Black History Month is celebrated in the month of February, acknowledging the countless accomplishments and contributions of the Black community within the United States.
“Our goal is to foster community and help Black students at Pepperdine find their voice and find their space and community,” Williams said. “Especially members who come from spaces where their community around them — where they live is more people of color and it can be an adjustment.”
BSA is one of the identity-based groups on campus and boasts one of the largest non-Greek-related memberships, at around 100 members said Williams.
This year, Pepperdine BSA is hosting a showcase Tuesday, Feb. 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. on the second floor of the HAWC. This showcase aims to promote members of the Black community on campus by sharing their various skills. These skills include art, music, promoting a small business or any overall talents they want to share with the community said Sam Rosser, co-social chair of BSA.
“It’s going to be a really good place for those voices to be shown very very loudly and in a way that really showcases how great some of the black people are on campus,” E-board member Cady Moore said.
All members of the club who wish to participate should fill out a survey so they can be provided with anything they need to help set up said Rosser.
Rosser said the goal of this showcase is to create a welcoming environment and ensure that Black students’ voices are heard on campus, especially during this important month for the Black community.
“The goal with this type of event is to create a very welcoming environment for everyone,” Rosser said. “And then kind of increase awareness about Black students on campus, what people are involved in.”
People can show support by attending the showcase to appreciate the Black members of the Pepperdine community. Moore said as a predominantly white institution (PWI), Pepperdine sometimes makes it difficult for these students to feel seen, and this showcase aims to highlight the creativity and talent of our Black students on campus.
BSA is promoting this showcase in a few different ways, including flyers around campus, Instagram posts and community messages through platforms such as GroupMe. The information can also be found on one of the many apps Pepperdine has, Campus Groups (also known as Peppervine).
Rosser said Black History Month means acknowledging the countless racial injustices shown to people of color over the course of the last millennia while also celebrating how far society has come from things like slavery, but still how so much farther we have to go.
Williams said while Black History Month is a time for celebration, it’s also important to acknowledge how Black culture is underrepresented and under-celebrated.
“I think reflecting on how far we’ve come is a great stepping off point to feel empowered and celebrate where we’re headed and how much farther we still have to go and much more we can do.”
It is important of course, that while celebrating Black History Month, to remember to acknowledge the struggles and fight for justice and many accomplishments of African Americans in the United States year round, Williams said.
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Contact Isabella Pisciotta via email: isabella.pisciotta@pepperdine.edu
