On Friday, Feb. 17, the University of New Haven’s Black Student Union (BSU) hosted a concert in the German club. The concert was a fundraiser to raise money for the Sankofa Scholarship Fund, as well as to raise awareness for it. In order to support the cause, University students were asked to pay an entry fee of two dollars while non-university students were expected to pay eight dollars. When the doors opened at 6:30 p.m., students were greeted by music being played through the speaker system as they found seats. Students were given a little over an hour to find their seats before the show officially began.
Once the show officially began, students were able to enjoy 10 different musical acts, all of varying types and genres. These varying acts were all chosen through an audition process put on by the Black Student Union. These acts were chosen to be openers for the main act: Sevyn Streeter.
While the openers were all fairly small acts, Streeter is an artist who has been around since 2002 and has almost two million listeners on Spotify. Streeter typically performs R&B music and got her start in the group TG4, which was a pop-R&B group. Streeter was signed as a solo artist in 2012 with Atlantic, which is also the label for artists such as Ed Sheeran and Twenty One Pilots. Streeter was very well received by the students in attendance at the concert and definitely helped the fundraiser be a success.
The Sankofa Scholarship is awarded to one incoming student each year, typically geared towards African American students. Sankofa is an Akan term and symbol created by the Akan people to mean “to go back and get it.” The scholarship is designed to help an African American student to further their education when their situation may prevent that feat. The University of New Haven offers their Sankofa Scholarship as an endowed scholarship, directly through BSU and the funds they raise.
The concert was one of many fundraising events for the Sankofa Scholarship Fund. The Black Student Union has supported the Sankofa Scholarship Fund for years at the University of New Haven. The group has a Sankofa Ball every year in order to raise money for the scholarship. BSU also has an event coming up in April, entitled the Sankofa Soiree, which is yet another event to raise money and awareness for the Sankofa Scholarship Fund.
In addition to the Concert and Soiree, the Black Student Union hosts many events year round, and hosts even more during the month of February in honor of Black History Month. Students are welcomed to learn more about African and African-American cultures while also engaging in fun events, particularly concerts of various types. The Black Student Union will be hosting an open mic night later this month as well as a gospel night. These events aim to raise awareness of African and African-American cultures as well as represent Black History Month.
The Black Student Union’s upcoming events are all located on their Charger Connection page for anyone to find if interested in attending any future events or supporting their Sankofa Scholarship Fund.