http://digital.lib.buffalo.edu/upimage/VF_I18G_050.pdf

Media

Part of A force to be reckoned with,' November 7, 2019

Text

'A force to be reckoned with'
Students celebrate Black
Solidarity Day with Unity
Rally, Black Business
Expo
JACKLYN WALTERS
MANAGING EDITOR

SPECTRUM
11/7/19
Students are embracing their culture,
their history and highlighting black excel­
lence across campus this week.
The Black Student Union organized
events for Black Solidarity Week and eelebrated the 52nd Black Solidarity Da y
with its annual Black Business Expo and
Unity Rally Monday. Roughly 40 students
marched from the Student Union down
the academic spine, carrying signs AND
chanting "Say it loud, I'm black and I'm
proud," ''No justice, no peace, no racist
police" and "BSU." Carlos Russell started
Black Solidarity, Day in 1969, bringing Af­
rican-American communities together o n
the Monday before Election Day to dis­
cuss voting and combating racial inequal­
ity.
BSU has celebrated it yearly since.
Olaide Lemoru, a junior sociology and
health and human services major, said cel­
ebrating black excellence is crucial because
of the systemic disadvantages black stu­
dents face.

VINDHYA

BURUGUPALLI THE SPECTRUM

STUDENTS POSE AT THE BLACK BUSINESS EXPO, WHICH WAS A PART OF MONDAY'S BLACK SOLIDARITY DAY EVENT.

FR OM PAGE 1

SOLIDARITY

V tNDHYA BURUGUPALLI /

THE SPECTRUM

STUDENTS AT THE UNITY RALLY ON THE ACADEMIC SPINE DURING MONDAY'S BLACK SOLIDARITY DAY.

"The unity of black [people] is very im­
portant .because we have the odds stacked
against us. by society, by institutions,"
Lemoru said. ''The only people that are
going to support us are ourselves. We have
to stick together, help uplift and motivate
each other.'.'
Monday's events were only the begin­
ning, as BSU hosted a Family Fei::td event
Tuesday and unity potluck Wednesday,
along with various club collaborations in­
cluding an Afro-Latinx identity discussion
with PODER Latinos Unidos, BSU will

host a reparation conversation with the
Carribbean Student Association Thursday
and a women's ·appreciation "Brunch N'
Vibes" Sunday.
BSU President Florence Ayeni said she
hopes the events will spread self-aware­
ness and educate students.
"A lot of our students don't get educated on the history they need to know. Espe­
cially within UB, I feel like we still struggle
to get these students to really know their
history," Ayeni said. "We want to remind

students that they're powerful, they're a
force to be reckoned with."
The Black Business Expo gave student
entrepreneurs the opportunity to show­
case their work in the SU, with a table
dedicated to each student's business and
products.
Lemoru emphasized the importance of
black entrepreneurs and said designers of­
ten profit off black culture.
''We're [promoting] black businesses
because other businesses steal our,culture

and this is a way we can own our culture
and put it out for our own groups," Lem­
oru said. ''We want to amplify
o ur culture,
to own it and exemplify our roots.''
Ayeni said BSU gives students a plat­
form to market themselves and empowers
them to use their voice.
"[We're] empowering each other to do
better things, to be greater people," Ayeni
.said. "A lot of people don't have that cour­
age to walk around and march but with
BSU they have it. They feel at home."
Email: jacklyn.walters@ubSpectrum .com
Twiter: @JacklynAWalters

> SEE SOLIDARITY I PAGE 2

VINDHYA

BURUGUPALLI
/ THE SPECTRUM

FLORENCE AYENI, PRESIDENT OF

BSU, CHANTS

"I'M BLACK ANO I'M PROUD," INTO THE

MICROPHONE. ENCOURAGING OTHER DEMONSTRATORS TO DO THE SAME.