"Soul food is the feeling that you associate with the food, not the food itself," freshman Erin Martin said. Students celebrated the culmination of Black History Month at Soul Food Sunday on Feb. 25 in the Simpson Multi-Purpose Room. The event was sponsored by the Black Cultural Center (BCC).
The event brought Black History Month to a close by bringing students and faculty together for one last event. McArthur's Restaurant catered the food for the event. "The food was delicious and the cornbread was the best," freshman Nicole Juppe said.
Black Cultural Center senior secretary Tara Galloway said, "We just all came together like a big family and had dinner together. We got to talk about all the events and everything that has happened."
Soul food can be defined in many different ways. For senior Leah Brooks, soul food is "very tasty with lots of flavor and lots of cholesterol." Senior executive board member for the BCC Akula Morris notes that soul food can be defined differently depending where in the United States the food is made.
"It is typically a mixture of American and African food," Morris said. "Anytime you think of soul food you think of greens, mashed potatoes, candied yams, cornbread and any part of [an] animal that's cheap."
For BCC adviser and campus safety officer Ken Wiley "Soul food is just a title; this is just regular food to me."
Soul Food Sunday was just one of many events sponsored by the Black Cultural Center, the black world studies program and the Office of Student Diversity to celebrate Black History Month. Some of the events included a comedy show, a poetry reading featuring Malik Yusef, a discussion of the Emmett Till case, the Race Machine and the Ebony Ball.
"The events were nice and very informative," Brooks said. "It was interesting to know my peers' opinions about things." The events were each successful in their own respect, but Wiley said, "Ebony Ball was the best one." As the last event of the month, the ball, a dinner and a dance, was held at the Water Tower campus. Awards were given to the best dressed attendees and the most active members of the BBC. A king and queen of the Ebony Ball were also named.
BCC president senior Briana Person said, "I feel like we were able to bring in a more diverse group, especially for Ebony Ball. Our events were more appealing. It's just nice to bring everyone together, and you can do that through events."
Senior Cindy Acosta, vice president of BCC, thought the most successful event was the Ebony Ball. "I always measure success by the amount of work put into an event, and this event required a lot of teamwork and effort." More than 200 people were present at the ball.
The events celebrating Black History Month have improved since past years. "I think every year we try to do better than we have done in the past," Galloway said. "Every year we grow."
Although improvements have been made, there is always room for growth. Acosta believes Black History Month should feature more historic events.
"We just need more people to come out and be supportive of our events on campus," Galloway said. "We've done a lot over the past four years to be recognized, and I'd like to see that continue."
"African-Americans have contributed greatly to our country, and often we don't recognize that, and it's important to pay tribute to what they have done," sophomore Katie Fiorelli said.
"It's important to celebrate the people who worked hard for what we have now," Person said. "There are people who shed their blood, sweat and tears so that we could have the opportunity to go to a school like Loyola."
To Morris, Black History Month is about "raising awareness." She said, "It is an important thing to shed light on the positive things that black people have contributed to society and serve as an inspiration for any person or group of individuals who feel oppressed in some way, shape or form."
Although the events of the month did much to celebrate African-Americans, many students noted that remembrance of black history should not end after February.
"The African-American population has suffered immensely and to be given a month of 28 days to remember all the people who gave their lives is not enough," Acosta said. "It needs to be ongoing."
Brooks agreed, saying, "It should be celebrated every month. It is important to know about everyone's history because we are all living together as one."
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