The African Diaspora of Elon closed the university’s celebration of Black History Month with the first-ever African Night on Feb. 28, with music, fashion, comedy and pageantry.
Abdul-Malik Harrison, advisor to ADE and assistant director of the Center for Race, Ethnicity, & Diversity Education, said that though he has seen the campus put together amazing cookouts, parties and cultural events, African Night was unique and new.
“Black History Month is technically an African American holiday, but they wanted to put more importance on recognizing black people all over the globe,” Harrison said. “So Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America.”
Planning for African Night began in November of the fall semester. Students in ADE came to Harrison looking to create a performance that shed light on the African Diaspora. Fatmata Binta Bah, Vice President of ADE, said a lot went into preparing for the night, from rehearsing dances and fashion show choreography to writing and preparing their comedy skit.
“In the beginning, sometimes things are shaky,” Bah said. “At the end, it all works out.”
Support for the event did not just come from Elon students. Students from various colleges around North Carolina travelled to watch and cheer for the ADE. Elon community families also came to watch the show.
Amyah Farrington was there to support her sister, Elon sophomore Aaliyah Farrington, who was a model in the fashion show.
“I love seeing people embrace their culture and what they wear,” Amyah said.
The fashion show was broken up into three parts across the night to showcase the evolution of African culture in the diaspora. It started with traditional clothing, transitioning into streetwear, ending with an interactive performance of a model being painted on, live. Music and cheers filled the room as models strutted down the runway and danced in the crowd.
Brandon Farrington, Amyah’s brother and a high school student, said his favorite part was the comedy skit.
“It was a nice perspective on the types of interactions between African parents and their kids,” Brandon said.
Actors performed a scene about a son caught smoking, a passionately furious mother, and a pastor. Laughter erupted in the crowd as “holy water” went flying, and the “mother” went flailing in despair of her son's poor choices on the stage.
Adrianna Stapleton, attendee and Elon senior, said seeing the night’s performances was inspiring.
“I feel more in my blackness because so many different cultures are represented and everyone is so proud of where they come from,” Stapleton said. “People know that they are welcome.”
Presented alongside the fashion show was a pageant in which five students represented their countries, highlighting pride in their culture and excellence in professional environments.
Despite being in competition with one another, contestants praised each other’s incredible accomplishments. Contestant and Elon senior Kashawn Myers made sure everyone knew that his competitor, MK Anyimah, was one of few black physicists on campus.
“Being black in America means you’re rare,” Myers said. “And when you’re rare, that means you’re scary because you can do things that people don’t expect and don’t want you to do.”
Anyimah was later crowned king of the court. He said black excellence is something that comes with accepting your skin and culture, and it shines when you showcase it in your work. He explained this with something his mother always tells him.
“Your skin isn’t just black, it’s gold,” Anyimah said. “Gold doesn’t decide to wake up one day and glow and then go back to fading. Gold doesn’t wake up one day and decide not to glitter.”
The night concluded with a dance, where students raised flags from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Naba and more, high and moved with energy and vibrancy across the stage.