February 07, 2017
Sylkin Barksdale
Hannah Clark
It’s common knowledge that a solid foundation is the basis for anything to grow and flourish successfully.
The Black Student Union takes great pride in the foundation that has been laid before us. We believe it’s our duty to remember those that fought day and night for our culture to have the rights we are now able to take ownership of.
Often, the history and culture of African Americans is forgotten and unappreciated.
For this reason, the Black Student Union will host an event, Blast from the Past, to counteract this phenomenon. This event is held during Black History Month and is designed to raise awareness of the history of African Americans.
The annual Blast from the Past event will be held Monday, Feb. 6, in Berger Hall from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be a prize drawing, silent auction and of course, free food.
Blast from the Past serves as a platform for the UCCS community to symbolically travel through time, view historical representations of African Americans and to highlight the culture’s hardships and successes.
The goal of the event is two-fold. BSU hopes attendees leave the event with a newfound understanding and appreciation of true African American history, and that they regard their own respective culture(s) with that same level of understanding and appreciation, simply because all cultures intertwine in some way.
BSU believes all history should be acknowledged and the positive steps taken by those in both the past and present should be celebrated.
In sum, BSU hopes that UCCS’s core values of inclusiveness and diversity will be pursued and that we can bring awareness to the cultural, economic and political pillars of American History.
(Editor’s note: Sylkin Barksdale and Hannah Clark are co-presidents of BSU and submitted a guest column to The Scribe for publication).