Black United Students’ (BUS) biannual community dinner allowed students to get a home-cooked meal at the low cost of donating to those in need Mar. 14 at the Multipurpose room in Oscar Ritchie Hall.

In order to get a ticket to the dinner, BUS required students to donate a non-perishable item or $2. The donations will be put into backpacks, which will be distributed in Akron and Cleveland by BUS members.

BUS Director of Community Affairs and sophomore psychology major Chynna Baldwin organized the dinner and created the theme, “Rep Where You’re From.”

“Each table has a certain city. There are papers in the middle of the table, and the papers have places that you can volunteer over spring break in that city,” Baldwin said “That was the point of having the dinner right before spring break, because you’re about to go home, so here are some opportunities to volunteer at home.”

Kenya Battle, sophomore fashion design major and BUS member, explains that the theme of the dinner is an important reminder to anybody from an urban area.

“I’m from Detroit, and people always give us the stigma that we’re bad and only talk about the shootings,” Battle said, “We had so many great people and artists that come from our city, but people don’t ‘rep’ that.”

“The city has challenges, but the city made me who I am and I wouldn’t be me if I were from anywhere else,” Battle said.

President of BUS Isaac Floyd expands on the theme of the dinner and how this event creates community.

“Being in college, we come from far and wide. Some of us come from as close as Akron and Cleveland, and some are from far away, like California or even overseas,” Floyd said, “I think having events like this not only allows us to get comfortable with each other, but also to revisit our home, if only for a day.”

BUS will be volunteering at Habitat for Humanity on April 9th and The Ronald McDonald House on April 18th. Anybody who is interested must complete a mandatory sensitivity training in order to attend one of BUS’ volunteering opportunities.  

Hana Barkowitz is the diversity reporter for The Kent Stater. Contact her at [email protected].