The Pan African Student Union will be hosting Black Love Thursday, March 21 on the Sixth Floor of the STEM Building from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. This event will be an opportunity for students and the Kean community to come together to learn about, embrace and celebrate black culture.
The Pan-African Student Union is an organization on campus that works to unite students of African descent to learn about their roots, embrace their heritage and educate the community on history, activism and civil rights. With a mission to provide knowledge and empowerment of pre-colonial roots to strengthen the future, the organization is very active on campus in providing informative and uplifting lectures, flag raising events and more.
Black Love is an event that honors the Black Love holiday typically celebrated in February. On Black Love, members of the black community spread love and attribution to the members of their community and the figures of the past. Black Love is an observance of atonement, reconciliation, celebration and 24-hour demonstration of love through the five specific acts. These acts are also known as tenets: love toward creator, self, family, within the black community and the black race. It is also during Black Love that people of all races show love and appreciation for the black community.
This year the theme for Black Love is Midas Touch. Midas was an African King who wished for the ability to turn everything he touched into gold. It worked for him for some time until he accidentally touched his daughter and she turned into gold. The moral of the story of Midas Touch is to prioritize the right things and focus more on love, community and unity rather than materialism.
For the Black Love event at Kean, the Pan-African Student Union will be hosting an evening of positive vibes and attribution. The dress code theme is Black Hollywood, honoring the historic and iconic ancestors who have been on the silver screen. Refreshments and soul food will be served along with performances of spoken word poetry and dance performances from individuals.
"As a member of the National Council for Negro Women and executive board representative, I think Black Love is important [for] our campus community to embrace our culture and show the necessity of embracing those around us," said Tierra Hooker, executive board representative and member of the National Council for Negro Women.
Kean University prides itself on its incredible diversity. Therefore, Kean has 12 cultural organizations as well as numerous cultural Greek organizations. Moreover, Black Love will be another event at Kean University that celebrates the diverse community that walks around the campus everyday.
To purchase tickets, there are $3 and are available in Wilkins Theatre Box Office. If one is interested in an evening of cultural celebration attend Black Love, visit their Cougar Link page or email pasu@kean.edu for more information.
