Lehigh's Black History Month's kick-off event, entitled "Journey through the Beats of Africa," featured performances by the Imani Edu-Tainers Dance Company, various Lehigh student organizations and spoken word readings by students in Lamberton Hall Friday.
"This year, Black History Month is about connecting to your roots while simultaneously making strides toward the future," said Bruke Mammo, '17, one of the hosts for the event, along with Simone Cotton, '17.
The performances presented at the event ranged from traditional African dances to modern rap.
The Imani Edu-Tainers Dance Company presented various traditional African dances, all accompanied by African drums. The dancers dressed in patterned skirts and tops in accordance with African tradition.
They even allowed the audience to participate by selecting about 20 attendees and dividing them in two groups to learn some steps. Following the lesson, they hosted a dance-off by having each group follow a set of dancers.
The dance company also presented some spoken word poetry.
LU's Finest step team and Lambda Sigma Upsilon both performed step routines. Lambda Sigma Upsilon also had a dance performance, and three members of Alpha Phi Alpha danced along to various modern rap songs.
The event also featured two spoken word performances by Niomi Sterling, '14, and Rawle Sterling, '14.
Niomi recited a poem that she dedicated to "all the brown-eyed girls."
"If you're a poet, or you're into poetry, you know that the inspiration comes from your experiences," she said before her performance. "That being said, you might not always hear what you want to hear, but a lot of times it'll be something you need to hear. And, that's what I'm about to do today."
Rawle ended his poem with the line, "My name is Rawle Sterling, and I am black history."
Many students attended the celebration and enjoyed the music, the performances and the poetry.
"I think Black History Month is just a recognition of something that's 365 days a year," Lindsay Bailey, '17, said. "You know, sometimes we like to encompass recognizing African American history in one month, 28 days, but black history takes place every day.
"It's something that we should recognize every day," she continued. "But I am happy that there are a lot of people here recognizing that these events did happen and are honoring it in a way."
Other students expressed that this event was a way to self-reflect.
"For me, it definitely is a time when I can really reflect on who I am as a person," said Toni Isreal, '17. "Being black is part of my identity. Also, it's a time to reflect on other influential people in my life who are African American and who have broken color lines and excelled beyond what most people would think they have done. Even though [Black History Month] is only 28 days, it is something that I celebrate every single day."
At the end of the evening, the hosts asked the audience to attend some of the other events for Black History Month, including film screenings, plays, expos and lectures. They also said to tweet about the events using the hashtag #LUBHM2014.
The event was organized by the Black History Month Committee and the African Caribbean Culture Club.
The next event planned for Black History Month is "Body Image and Race Brown Bag" on Feb. 4 at noon in the Women's Center.
Story by Brown and White news writer Gabriela Morera, '17.