LSU and Southern students — students sometimes divided by university lines — met on the Parade Ground Saturday to celebrate Black History Month as one community.
The African American Culture Center and Southern University’s Student Government sponsored the fourth-annual Black History Month Reunion that included a cook-off, talent show, sports and information fair. Event organizers estimated that 1,500 students attended.
Steve Brockington, a communication studies senior, said the event was “a good opportunity for people to bridge the gap between the two universities. These opportunities to capitalize on diversity need to be between race, ethnicity, organization and university.”
Three competitors cooked in the second Black History Month cook-off — Omega Psi Phi, Upsilon Phi Upsilon and Toby Leblanc, an education graduate student who works at the Office of Multicultural Affairs. The two Greek organizations invited members from LSU and Southern to help in the cook-off.
Omega Psi Phi won with their entry by “Dem Ville Platte Boys” called “Sause Picant.”
Brockington, who created the dish with his cousin, said it was a local dish that contained sausage and chicken, prepared over a grill with seasoning.
The winner of the side competition was Upsilon Phi Upsilon who had macaroni and cheese and baked beans.
While the cook-off gave students the opportunity to showcase their cooking skills, the talent show featured musical talents.
Anyone could perform on stage, and groups performed for almost four hours.
Hanan Thompson, a political science senior at Southern University and member of the Look Dancers who performed in the talent show, said she thought the day was a good idea.
“It shows some of the things African-Americans can do,” she said.
Roosevelt Johnson, a landscape architecture sophomore, said the event provided a place where students could meet one another.
“You need to know who’s in your neighborhood,” he said.
Leon Bush, a civil engineering junior, said he thought the day was positive.
“It’s good to bring a bunch of people together and not have problems,” he said.