By JESSALYN KIRCHHOFF
Tiger Media Network
The annual Black Student Union (BSU) Banquet is scheduled to take place on Thursday at 5:00 pm. in the Memorial Union Ballroom. At the banquet, there will be lots of food, good music, and a few BSU members will be speaking about their experiences as a person of color.
Star Parham, president of BSU, said the purpose of BSU hosting this banquet is to educate the community on an assortment of things in the Black community.
“Along with providing a fun environment open to all to come hang out and socialize, we hope to achieve a goal of educating as many as we can on different topics we will be presenting on and just giving back to our FHSU community,” Parham said.
Parham gives some background on the annual FHSU BSU-hosted event.
“This is not the first time that the BSU is hosting this event” Parham said. “For the past several years, it has been an event that is hosted every year during the month of February in honor of Black History Month.”
Additionally, Parham provides a brief description of what attendees can expect from Thursday’s festivities and extends an invitation to the students, staff, and faculty of FHSU.
“Everyone is welcome and encouraged to join us,” Parham said. “Guests can expect to hear some really good music ranging from pop to R&B, some powerful speeches and information about the community, good food – culturally driven, and an array of games.”
Parham said events like this benefit the students of FHSU by educating them on a culture they may be unfamiliar with and allowing them to meet new people.
Alongside the BSU’s Banquet, the BSU also hosted a Black History Month Jeopardy event on February 16 in partnership with the Student Government Association (SGA) and the BSU Instagram has been posting historical facts throughout the month as well as other important information about racism and prejudice. BSU can be found on Instagram at @bsuforthays.
In regards to other future events, the BSU hosts an ice-cream social, hair care event, movie night, and the annual barbecue/ball.
Parham encourages people to attend their events as well as stop in for a meeting sometime.
“For the remainder of this semester, we are planning on putting on our hair care event and some more surprise pop-up socials to introduce the BSU in a more informal way to the student body,” Parham said. “However, if students are interested in joining the BSU, people are more than welcome to attend our meetings on Mondays from 5-6:00 pm in the Memorial Union Kansas Room.”
More information regarding the FHSU BSU Annual Banquet or the BSU in general can be directed to BSU President Starlet Parham at saparham@mail.fhsu.edu or BSU Faculty Advisor Heather VanDyne: hpvandyne@fhsu.edu.