In recognition of the tremendous work that various organizations and athletes have done, the Saint Leo Chapter of SISTUHS, Inc. presents The First Annual Black Excellence Awards Banquet.
The ceremony took place on Feb. 25 at 7 pm in Kirk Hall rooms 123 and 124.
The ceremony commenced with the introduction of the Mister/Mistress of Ceremony, followed by the Black National anthem.
Irma Sera is a senior who is currently majoring in communication and management. Sera is a proud member of the SISTUHS, Inc., who takes pride in her in culture and organizations.
Sera opined that the purpose of the event was to highlight the multi-cultural community on campus and award students who excelled academically and athletically.
“We wanted to award the black excellence on campus and since it’s Black History Month, we thought that we should this and make it an annual thing,” Sera said.
Sera postulated that this celebration is widely practiced by some of their partners in organizations, where students nominated other students, Greeks, and organizations in recognition of their work.
Andrew Rashaad, a junior who is majoring in elementary education, postulated that the Black Student Union and Alpha Phi Alpha contributed to the production of this annual banquet.
“The Black Excellence Award Banquet is a way for us to come together and celebrate each other in our achievements,” Rashaad said in support of Sera’s view.
In acknowledgement of their willingness to work as a team and corporative features, Alpha Phi Alpha won the Best Collab Award, which was presented to them by Jone Akins, a junior here at Saint Leo University.
In honor of the Saint Leo core value, Excellence, Andrew Rashad presented the Caribbean Student Association with the Organization Academic Award.
SISTHUS, Inc. won the Organization Service Award, which was presented to them by Claudia Pierre, a senior who is majoring in healthcare management.
The organization that won the Best Overall Organization was Black Student Union, which indicates that this organization has incorporated all of Saint Leo’s core values to the best of its ability.
In recognition of Saint Leo’s devoted, hardworking, and committed athletes concerning their various sports area, a male and a female athlete were awarded.
Marcus Dewberry, a junior who is majoring in sports business and a member of Saint Leo’s basketball team, won the male Athletic Award.
Arielle Kabangu, a freshman who is majoring in sports business and a member of Saint Leo’s female soccer team, won the female Athletic Award.
At one point during the event, the audience was totally engaged in the song “Lean on Me,” sung by Johanna Raquel, a freshman, and Yohana Immanuel, a junior.
The song was built on support and community. It serves as a reminder and a proposal that people should share their discomfort with others and seek support. This support serves the purpose of uplifting individuals, while focusing on building a better community.
Eric Theodore, an adjunct professor of management and religion and a DBA student here at Saint Leo, attended the event with great gusto.
“The world that we are handing over to you all, is kind of messed up, so when I see you all doing things like this, I feel hopeful,” Theodore said.
Theodore pointed out that it is important these events happen, as he compares the environment now to his college experience.
The community’s diversity has grown greatly and the events hosted by various organizations and staffs across campus, including the Black History Month Celebration event held earlier this month on Feb. 10, have made a huge impact on the Saint Leo community.
In light of the commemoration of Black History Month, addressing racism and segregation in today’s society is important to touch on.
“I see Black Lives Matter as our modern day civil rights movement, it is more complex as we are not dealing with straight up segregation and racism,” Theodore said.
Black Lives Matter is a movement created and based on recognizing the validity of black lives, in light of the police brutality, systematic segregation and racism black people have faced and are facing today.
Education is the first step to bringing about a change. Events such as these, commemorating Black History month initially, are an educational opportunity, especially in such a diverse community.
It is with great hopes that these events, opportunities of education, are taken advantage of by students and faculty of all cultures alike.
