The Black Excellence Ball brought a touch of old Hollywood glamour to campus during a night of music, food and celebration hosted by Eastern Washington University’s Black Student Union.
Held May 17 in PUB’s Nysether Community Room, the event welcomed students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends from the greater community.
“I think what we did is we put in our best and put in our all in everything – and the event went smoothly because of that,” says Rama Bah, a 19-year-old junior from Issaquah majoring in political science pre-law, who helped organize the event.
The annual gala, which began in 2006, is hosted by the Black Student Union (BSU), an inclusive student organization that also plays a central role in events celebrating Black History Month.
This year’s “Black Hollywood”-themed event featured a red-carpet entrance, live performances, a disc jockey and elegant décor. Guests also enjoyed food catered by CHKN-N-MO, an award-winning Black-owned business known for its Texas-influenced barbecue and sides that include collard greens and red beans and rice.
Bah, the organization’s vice president, and club president Samara McElroy, a 21-year-old from Seattle who is majoring in psychology and minoring in Africana Studies and political science, led the planning for this year’s ball. The two managed a full list of arrangements to provide a unique cultural experience for the university.
McElroy says one of her favorite moments came when the DJ brought everyone together on the dance floor. “She put a bunch of different line dances and songs so that everybody could come together and have a good time. I enjoyed that aspect of it – it just felt like community.”
“Black culture deserves to be celebrated,” says McElroy, who is in her third year of organizing the event. People don’t always realize that the BSU is about inclusivity and coming together as a community to celebrate Black history and contributions.
“I’m not saying that we don’t celebrate Black culture every day – because I know I do. I walk with my head held high and I’m proud to be a Black American woman all day every day,” McElroy says. “But I do think there are just moments outside of Black History Month where we need to come together and unite and celebrate and have a good time and eat and be merry and watch performances and just gather and have a good time.”
Both McElroy and Bah, who are entering their senior year this fall, plan to continue to graduate school. McElroy is interested in becoming a clinical therapist and Bah plans to become an attorney.
Although both know they will be busy finishing up their degrees – and planning for the next phase of their lives – they hope to continue leading the event planning efforts while encouraging greater participation from the community in both supporting and attending the ball.
Bah believes the ball is – and will continue to be – an important event in celebrating culture and community.
“I think it’s really important to recognize Black excellence, especially in our climate that we live in today and how everything is going. Culture, music, movies – lots of things like that – are influenced by a lot of minority groups, Black people included. I think that’s important for people to recognize and see,” Bah says. “Black history is American history and that’s important for people to know about.”
The Black Student Union invites the campus community to attend meetings and stay connected by following the group on Instagram.
