More than a month: SU hosts Black History Month Kickoff
- Tessah Good
- 23 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Natalya Imani sits on the stage before the audience as if thinking aloud, questioning a month that offers flowers to a world not yet healed. To her, something remains hidden beneath the disguised colorful hues.
She carries what cannot be reduced to February alone – the braids she learned how to do from her sister when she was young, the songs she learned to hum, the food she learned to cook and the chains of her ancestors that taught her how to hold her spine straight.
As Salisbury University’s Multicultural Alliance (SUMA) vice president, Imani insists flowers are not enough and neither is one month. She is more than just one month on a calendar.
“To be Black,” she says, “is more than just the month we are given.”
Imani’s words echoed across the Jackson Family Auditorium in Holloway Hall on Feb. 6 during SU’s annual Black History Month Kickoff, hosted by SUMA and the National Pan-Hellenic Council. More than 200 students and locals gathered to watch Imani and other talents showcase their Black excellence.
The campuswide celebration featured clubs and organizations, like Vanity, CaVa Chauffe and Substance Dance Team, SU Gospel Choir and the NPHC’s Divine Nine who all delivered high-energy performances that left the walls of Holloway Hall shaking from the vibrations of the audience’s applause.
The theme of this year’s production, Unapologetically Black, honored the history of all Black individuals through captivating performances rooted in the multi-components of Black History – song, religion, dance, storytelling and most importantly, love. It created a safe space for community members to loudly express themselves and their culture.
Student Government President Jahnaiya Sutherland and SU President Carolyn Lepre kicked off the event with speeches, encouraging audience members to not only remember the past but to look ahead at the future. They emphasized that understanding Black history is not confined to a single month but should be recognized and celebrated year-round.
And she said, it begins here.
Two Sea Gulls, Trekis McCollough and Pani Marousis knew just how to do this. The pair hosted the kickoff, engaging the crowd and drawing cheers that kept the audience on its feet.
McCollough said his goal in life is to serve a higher purpose, whether that be mentoring younger children in sports once he earns his degree in exercise science or using his outgoing persona to make others smile.
McCollough danced and gyrated across the stage making the audience fly out of their seats, clapping and shouting as he paced around, owning the stage with every move.
His high-energy personality drew the audience in as he mixed humor with fast footwork, each step landing with purpose and keeping the crowd engaged.
He said as a host, it’s important to make sure the audience is having just as much of a blast as him, while also remembering and honoring the celebration they have come together for.
While hosting is something McCollough has lots of experience in, this kickoff was different than the rest.
McCollough said seeing the numerous campus organizations and locals come together to display Black culture was a beautiful sight he hadn’t seen before.
“It felt amazing,” McCollough said. “I don’t even know how to put it into words.
“Seeing so many people with all different types of backgrounds and skin tones, I think it’s really beautiful for all of us to come together like that.”
For Marousis, education has always played a big part in his life, which made hosting the show a no brainer. After transferring from Goucher College last year to achieve a degree in nursing, he got to see with his own eyes the impact of education on diversity and Black history once joining his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi.
Marousis shared how meeting his brothers allowed him to feel as though he finally found a school that represented him and his culture. Through his fraternity, he gained more than just the courage to be himself, he gained a brotherhood.
His goal while hosting was to create an inviting atmosphere where all individuals of color could experience the acceptance that he does with his fraternity. He wanted to allow them to do what they felt most represented them, whether that be singing a gospel tune or breaking out into African dance.
“Now that I’ve gotten a taste of really what it means to be a representative of your culture, that really motivated me even more to want to be a part of the kickoff,” Marousis said. “For me, it was a representation of what young people of color in this nation can bring to the table.
“To have these young Black students do what they feel represents them the most and what represents Black culture as a whole was a beautiful thing.”
If one thing is for sure, SU students know how to represent.
The stadium came to life as SU’s dance team, Substance, delivered a debut that left the crowd cheering and completely captivated. While this was the group’s first time stepping into the spotlight since 2015, the eight dancers made sure to give a performance the crowd will never forget with touching tributes to songs by well-known artists Cynthia Erivo and Beyoncé.
The team began the performance with a modern dance to “Stand Up” before transitioning into a hip-hop routine to “Already” and “Black Parade” by Beyoncé.
The team said they wanted to tug on the audience’s emotions by reminiscing on the past while looking forward to the future.
“It was more so about tapping into our older times,” dancer Ayanna Anderson said. “‘Stand Up’ was the most heartfelt dance, and I think that was just supposed to be a spoken piece, so everyone knows, you know, we made it.”
“Even though we had a like a sadder song and something more heartfelt, we kind of wanted to make the Black History Month Kickoff like a party,” dancer Nina Edmonds said. “The reason we chose ‘Already’ and ‘Black Parade’ is because it really felt like a party and it got everyone up and dancing.”
The shaking of Holloway Hall grew stronger as the performances went on, and the crowd grew eager for more. Until one performance made the crowd go quiet – The Divine Nine Unity Step.
According to ABC News, the Unity Step is a dynamic and rhythmic form of dance with deep roots tracing back to African traditions. The Unity Step is not just a dance – it is an expression of unity, heritage and power.
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity member Daniel Clark said stepping on the stage was an experience like no other.
When the bright spotlights shined down upon him and the rest of the NPHC performers, a switch went off in his mind.
“It was time to kill it,” Clark said. “We wanted the audience to feel that tug on their heartstrings.”
Clark said if he wanted the audience to walk away with one thing, it would be the importance of connecting with others – no matter their skin tone.
“When we connect the world runs smoother,” Clark said. “God says love each other like you love the Lord and if we all did that, the world would be a much better place.”
By TESSAH GOOD Editor-in-Chief
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