Flash Activities Board (FAB) and Center for Student Involvement hosted their first Black History Month celebration for students Feb. 13.

Board games, crafts, Mancala, information about Black History Month, sugar scrubs and food were available for the attendees.

Manny Jackson, a senior applied communications major and director of culture programming for FAB, planned the event and was very excited at the opportunity to celebrate Black History Month with students.

“I am always looking for opportunities for people to be able to understand those cultures people are coming from,” said Jackson.

He said this event is important for creating a space where everyone can come together to learn and understand the achievements and culture of the black community.

“I think it’s important to come up with events like these,” Jackson said, “not only so (students) can learn about people’s culture and African Diaspora, but also have an engaging experience where they can learn of people’s culture and actually experience the culture.”

Isaiah Simon, a freshman fashion merchandising major and advocate for the Student Multicultural Center, loves Black History Month because he loves celebrating his heritage and culture.

“It’s a way to just uplift the black community because we don’t get too often to do so,” said Simon.

The Black History event also included a dance workshop hosted by Kwickk Fuqua, a junior digital media production student. Fuqua said the event is a great way to celebrate black culture and community.

“We don’t always feel included on this campus, so seeing (Black History Month) being celebrated is a great feeling,” Fuqua said. “I’m glad that Kent took the first steps to do this because it opens doors for a lot of events. We also get time to celebrate us.”

Black History Month has its roots at Kent State. In 1970, members of Black United Students and faculty members celebrated the first Black History Month, a year after they had proposed the idea. Almost five decades later, their celebration continues to grow every year.

“It’s just important to recognize our culture, our celebration and to recognize those key people who are overlooked in the past as well, and for current members today that are making history,” said Chazzlyn Jackson, a freshman exploratory major.

Students at the event emphasized the importance of celebrating Black History Month and appreciating black culture and community.

“The month of February is a specific time designated where we just get to honor people in the past and future doing good things for our community and we’re able to educate other people about our history,” said Jayda Coleman, a freshman exploratory major.

Jackson hopes the event will continue to occur long after he’s graduated so students can continue to learn more about Black History Month.

“We should celebrate our differences, our uniques make us unique and be really, really accepting of people’s culture.”

Molly Heideman is a general assignment reporter. Contact her at [email protected]