Even with the dreadful combination of rain and chill, the line for the Sankofa Benefit Concert began nearly an hour before doors opened and continued to grow long as excited students waited for entry. It appeared the bad weather did little to dampen their spirits, as students huddled together, chatting eagerly about the upcoming event.

Black Student Union’s (BSU) annual concert is a tradition that members of the club uphold with pride. Each year, they challenge themselves to continue to make this event successful in the hopes of raising money for the Sankofa Scholarship given to students who wish to go into higher education.

“Being able to pull this off is something our Eboard takes a lot of pride in,” said Marc Wong, president of BSU. “This event is the largest one we put on financially. It’s stressful, there’s a lot of things we have to deal with to make it work.”

Wong briefly described how hard the organization worked to make the Sankofa Benefit Concert happen. It relied on contacting a lot of different people and working with their varying attitudes and personalities, going through piles of paperwork, hoping that the USGA would grant them the amount of money they needed, and ensuring that the artists felt comfortable performing.

Said artists included openers Jahniya Morris, Chase & Zion, Advantage Eiffle, Emani, Roemello, NYCdevine, and Bugatti, with the headliner of the evening being Dave East.

“Every year we try to showcase local talent,” said Wong. “Bugatti is an up and coming artist in CT. Meanwhile, students had to audition and be selected by our Eboard to perform in the show.”

Gallery • 8 Photos

There was much approval from the crowd as each of the artists came on. Each were unique in their own way, demonstrating different techniques of getting the crowd riled up. Many, like Chase & Zion, Advantage Eiffle, and Roemello showed off rapping talents, while artists like Jahniya Morris and Emani performed slower, yet strong lyrical, vocal, and in Emani’s case, instrumental talents.

The energy in the crowd varied by artist, and at 10:15 it appeared as though many were partied out. That all changed the moment Dave East stepped onto the stage.

With renewed excitement, students jumped and sang along with Dave East. The atmosphere was explosive with ecstatic students, the ground physically shaking with every bounce. It was clear that all the hours of standing outside waiting for the doors to open, then standing inside waiting for the show to start was well worth it.

As the show drew to a close, exhausted students left the doors of the German Club with smiles on their faces. Clear signs of a successful event.

The Black Student Union would like thank all the students who have showed up to their events during Black History month. The organization would also like to thank students who came out to see and support the concert, as it meant a lot to them and their goals to help high school students go to colleges.