Though Black History Month has since come to an end, Rowan University wasn’t through with commemorating African American excellence just yet.

The Center for Belonging and Student Engagement hosted “Unity in Hue,” an event celebrating 100 years of Black History at the Eynon Ballroom of the Chamberlain Student Center.

Originally, the event was supposed to take place on Tuesday, Feb. 24, but the event was postponed to Thursday, March 5, due to the blizzard that occurred on Feb. 22.

Doors opened at 6 p.m., and the event lasted until 9 p.m. Students and guests were given tickets to enter a raffle to win several prizes, which were given away at the end of the night. 

Dominique Pierson, the director of the Center of Belonging and Student Engagement, started off the event with opening remarks by welcoming and thanking all the students, guests, and invited speakers for coming.

After applauding and cheering, students lined up for food, which was catered by Henri’s Hot Barbeque. The food served included an assortment of rice, collard greens, chicken, sausage, and mac and cheese.

Michael Harris was one of the many students who came out to support the event and spoke about the significance of  “Unity in Hue”.

“This event is so important as it celebrates unity and culture and highlights 100 years of Black History, which I think Rowan does really well,” said Harris.

Tables were set up throughout the entire ballroom with activities and clubs that attendees could interact with throughout the entire event. One of the clubs that was tabling at the event was Shades of Unified Love (SOUL), which promotes and creates a safe space for queer people of color on campus.

Other speakers included Dr. Stanley Yeldell, a professor at Rowan University, who spoke about his experiences and interactions with racism and how they shaped his drive towards the betterment of black and brown students and colleagues. Many gasps filled the air as much of the crowd was in shock at his stories.

“I tell you this to give you guys a little flavor. This wasn’t 100 years ago; this all happened in the last 50 years or so,” said Yeldell.

The student performance was provided by the Elite Diamondz, Rowan’s one and only majorette dance group. The group of seven performed their moves to several hip-hop and R&B songs that caused the crowd to roar in cheers.

The final half of the event hosted a three-person panel where they spoke about their experiences, accomplishments, and had people in attendance ask questions on how they can embrace their identity confidently. The panel consisted of Rowan alumni Dr. Janelle Alexander, Tashir Ballard, and Alycia Copeland.

“To everyone here, I just want to say we are history. We are making changes for the future,” said Turwan Pratt, a sophomore at Rowan. 

The purpose of the event was to promote unity and empowerment and create a conversation amongst students. The closing remarks were spoken by Anthony Ray Phillips, director of Adult Basic Education at Rowan College at Burlington County, and invited students to speak any comments they had about the event.

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