At the Caribbean Students Association meeting on Monday night, more than a dozen students gathered around wooden tables in a Hinds Hall classroom. Conversation bubbled with various suggestions, as the group discussed their upcoming events, ideas for locations and decorations along with what kind of group apparel to order.

Before brainstorming on ideas for later in the semester — including brunches, dances in Sky Barn and a possible “field day” on South Campus — the group finalized details for their event this weekend: The Black Lounge.

Doors open for The Black Lounge at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday in Goldstein Auditorium. The event is hosted by CSA in collaboration with the Office of Multicultural Advancement and the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Admission is free and tickets are available at the Schine Box Office.

The idea for the first Black Lounge at Syracuse University came about in 2005, when Cedric Bolton, coordinator of student engagement for the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and another colleague, were brainstorming ways to host a celebratory night for students. From that conversation, the event was born — an opportunity to shed light on arts, politics and education through live performances, food, awards and open discussions.

Keturah Raymond, president of CSA at SU, said The Black Lounge helps recognize all the talent SU has to offer by giving student performers a platform to showcase their work. CSA hosts events throughout the year, including Flag Party and Caribfest, that have a long-standing history in the organization’s 34-year tenure at SU.

“It’s not just about being Caribbean. Anybody can celebrate with us as long as you love your culture, appreciate your culture,” Raymond said.

The Caribbean Student Association at Syracuse University was founded in 1985. Senior Keturah Raymond is this year’s CSA president. Aaron Kassman | Staff Photographer

The first Black Lounge took place during the 2006-07 academic year, Bolton said, but wasn’t revisited until 2016. Since then, the Black Lounge has honored student excellence as well as distinguished staff and alumni who have paved the way for students today.

“Most of us celebrate around food and music,” Bolton said. “By looking at that, we would highlight within The Black Lounge alumni and staff who, over the years, have meant a lot to this community.”

Each year, the performers chosen are selected based on student feedback. This year’s lineup features student performers including Creations Dance Company, singers Charity Luster and Simone Ayers and poet Gaelyn Smith. The evening will also feature the band Anomalous People, who performed at last year’s event, along with DJ Maestro, who is set to play a 1990s-2000s dance R&B sound mixed with contemporary hits.

The Black Lounge is catered by SU Food Services, who will be serving baked chicken, sweet yams, salmon, vegetables — including string beans — along with cakes and lemonade.

Raymond knew she wanted to help plan this year’s Black Lounge after attending last year’s. For her, CSA has made campus a more welcoming place for Caribbean students.

Freshman Haniyah Philogene, an international relations and broadcast and digital journalism double major, agreed. She joined CSA after attending one of their events last semester, where she immediately felt at home.

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“It was a beautiful welcome onto campus, and then on top of that, it helped to see that the president was Haitian,” Philogene said. “I was able to connect with my Caribbean culture despite being so far away from home.”

Nicholas George, a senior information management and technology major, appreciates CSA for similar reasons. Having been raised with Caribbean culture, George said he “lives and breathes” dancehall music, and wasn’t sure where he would find his comfort zone at SU.

“I feel like I just found my family here,” George said. “And it just made me want to continue to push and promote so we can bring awareness to it on campus, because a lot of people don’t know the power that Caribbean people have here on campus.”

The students, staff and alumni being recognized at The Black Lounge are significant, George said, because they honor CSA’s long history at SU. He added that the group is always striving to improve itself by being as inclusive as possible to spread appreciation for Caribbean culture on campus.

Bolton has worked closely with the students throughout the weeks of planning. To him, the purpose of program planning is to create a memorable event, so people only see the “glitter” behind the hard work and “grit.”

“It’s like cooking a meal. A really good chef gets excited about how excited you are about what you just ate,” Bolton said. “The same with someone who produces an event and gets excited about what you’re excited about.”

Published on January 29, 2019 at 10:19 pm

Contact Haley: hrober03@syr.edu