UMass Amherst’s Black Student Union honored the legacy of Black resilience, persistence and achievement in higher education. The event, “Harlem Nights,” started off with the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Igniting the audience with her spoken word, PhD candidate and international award winning spoken word poet, Imani Wallace, aka Lyrical Faith, MC’d the event. Brockton High School teacher Gregory Hazelwood conveyed the importance of leadership in carrying on the message of hope for future generations. Dr. Sonia Dinnall, first Black female Superintendent of Springfield Public Schools, led attendees in a closed eye poetry ceremony, positing powerful words on faith and gratitude for all of the ancestors that paved the way for Black students today and future generations. The sound of jazz filled the room as the local band and jazz saxophonist Johnnie Lee Walton elegantly played. Dinner was served buffet style and the mock bar’s most requested “Shirley Temple” ranked as the top drink of the night. Student entrepreneurs were also at the event, marketing their products and discussing their entrepreneurial endeavors at the vendor section. The UMass Afrodites dance team hit the stage with dynamic moves as the house cheered.
