On Feb. 2, the Black Academic Excellence Center (BAEC) hosted their annual Black History Month Kickoff at the Multi Activity Center. In a celebration of Black joy, several campus partners, clubs, food vendors and live performers gathered at the Multi Activity Center.
“It’s a big message to our Black student community,” BAEC Coordinator Christina Sholars Ortiz said. “It’s about standing 10 toes down and feeling firm in who we are as individuals and not having to apologize.”
This is the second time BAEC partnered with Cal Poly Admissions to organize the kickoff, who also hosted their fourth annual United by Excellence event for Black. scholars, according to Admissions Director Melissa Furlong.
During this event, high school students from historically underrepresented communities came to Cal Poly.
The day-long event included a guest speaker, student panel and topic-centered discussions such as “The Struggle for Black Liberation: Voting and Beyond,” concluding with the Black History Month Kickoff.
According to a 2022 article from CalMatters, under 0.7% of Cal Poly students identify as Black. As a Cal Poly alum and first generation student, Sholars Ortiz is passionate about empowering Black students to succeed.
“It’s important for them to know they deserve to be here,” she said.
The Black History Month Kickoff featured a resource fair for prospective and current students to explore. The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and Black Student Union (BSU) set up booths and spoke with people in attendance.
Video by Cassandra Garcia
“When I came to Cal Poly, I didn’t know that the Black community on campus was so small,” BSU graphic arts designer and software engineering sophomore Sanaia Pierre said. “It’s so important to give them support early on so they can succeed.”
Some of the Campus partners who collaborated on the kickoff included Office of University Diversity and Inclusion (OUDI), Campus Health and Wellbeing (CHW), Safer and the Cal Poly Food Pantry.
“It’s a great opportunity to connect with prospective students,” CHW Strategic Communications Director Diego Abeloos said. “We want to show them the levels of support they have on campus to make the transition from home to college.”
Also featured were R.A.C.E Matters – an organization that focuses on increasing racial and social justice engagement in SLO – and motivational speaker and communication studies student Jasmine Phipps, who hosts the podcast “Spilling Tea with a POC.”
Performances by the Central Coast Afro Rhythm and Dance members Tracy Morgan, Bob Nanninga and Bruce Ogilvie were set to West African drum rhythms and celebrated Black heritage.
“The African people have given us their blessing to share their culture,” Ogilvie said.
Morgan, Nanninga and Ogilvie said that they have been playing drums for over 20 years. They have practiced in Africa and locally in San Luis Obispo.
Later, the Fortune School drumline performed a rendition of “Poison” by Bell Biv DeVoe, among other songs.
The drumline was followed by a performance from the Cal Poly Mustang Band, who performed instrumental adaptations of “MONTERO” by Lil Nas X and “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk.
The event culminated in a lively drum battle between Fortune School and Mustang Band and concluded with a speech emphasizing the power of the Black community.
“Black excellence is 365 days a year, 24/7,” Cal Poly Admissions Outreach and Recruitment Director Dimitrous Chattman said.
In honor of Black History Month, BAEC will be hosting more community wide events such as the State of Blackness and Love Your Crown.
To learn more, visit the Cal Poly BAEC page on Cal Poly Now.