On the evening of Feb. 7, the Black Student Association hosted the tenth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Ball in the Overman Student Center’s ballrooms. The ball, which is one in a series of events hosted by the Black Student Association to celebrate Black History Month, featured a keynote speaker, a buffet of appetizers and desserts catered by Aladdin Campus Dining, and a DJ booth, among other amenities.
“We wanted to do it to celebrate Martin Luther King and his life and his legacy, and also to celebrate Black History Month,” Kennedy Cooper explains, the Assistant Director for Campus and Community Resources and the advisor for the Black Student Association.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Ball is the successor to a pageant-type event that the Black Student Association had previously held. Since then, the ball has served as both an evening of both Dr. Martin Luther King’s accomplishments during the Civil Rights Movement, as well as a time of gathering and enjoyment.
The first half of the ball was a quiet time of socializing, with the buffet being opened, as well as a photo booth for guests to partake in, complete with props. Before the dance floor opened, Black Student Association president, senior elementary education K-6 major Kennadie Campbell introduced the evening’s keynote speaker, D’Andre Phillips. Phillips, who is a Pittsburg State alumnus and a former member of the Black Student Association, told a story from his childhood about how he used to fear the dark, but he learned that light can remove the darkness. He used this anecdote as a metaphor for one of Dr. King’s quotes: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that.”
He then talked about how he was at Pittsburg State at the time of George Floyd’s murder on May 25, 2020, and how he helped lead a peaceful march against racism and police brutality in wake of the murder. Mr. Phillips’s speech delivered a message that we all must be the light in these dark times, one of the many things Dr. King asked us to be in this world.
“I think this is kind of the first Black History Month where I have realized that I am kind of people’s hopes for the world” Campbell on how she sees Dr. King’s legacy and impacts in today’s world. “I feel like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream living out, which has made me really happy this Black History Month.”
Campbell also cited how proud she is to see other people of color making achievements at Pittsburg State, and how other groups are working to create an atmosphere of unity amongst people of all walks of life, citing Hispanics of Today as a prime example.
Throughout the month of February, the Black Student Association is hosting events to celebrate Black History Month. They also hosted Haircare Bingo on Feb. 11 in the Carver League building, off of S Elm & E Monroe Streets. They will also host a karaoke night on Feb. 18 in the U-Club, and a potluck on Feb. 24, also at the Carver League building.