Black Caucus to celebrate Kwanzaa at VCU

While many students are winding down the semester and studying for finals, Black Caucus and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs are preparing for yet another activity.

The activity they are planning is the Kwanzaa celebration, which is an annual event sponsored by the two.

But exactly what is Kwanzaa?

“Kwanzaa is a celebration of family, community and culture,” said Tiana Burton, executive-at-large and publicity chair for Black Caucus. “One of the biggest misconceptions about Kwanzaa is that people think it’s a type of religion and it’s really just a cultural message.”

Tiffany Townsend, Black Caucus president, said the organization wants to give the student a little more this year than it did in last year’s program.

“We not only want to entertain but take the time to educate everyone about Kwanzaa,” Townsend said.

Kwanzaa, which was developed in 1966, is fairly young in the midst of social and political changes in America, but Black Caucus believes it has set a standard to continue the tradition.

“There are approximately 18 percent of students here who identify themselves as African-American or black and 3 percent Hispanic or Latino out of the 29,000 students on campus,” Townsend said. “With that being said, our goal is to notify and educate at least 6,000 students about Kwanzaa.”

With help from the members of the Black Caucus executive board, Burton said it only took about a week to complete the promotional arrangements.

“The advertisements were done about two weeks prior to the day of the program,” Burton said. “Now the fliers have been passed out and the posters are posted.”

The organization has added two new guests to this year’s program.

“We have a huge lecturer this year, Mr. Kevin Powell, a well-known commentator for BET, MTV, and VH1,” Townsend said. “We will also have one of our member organizations, Black Awakening Choir, perform a musical selection.”

Beverly Walker, assistant director for the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, said the organization has made great progress thus far.

“Black Caucus has done an impeccable job of uniting many of the student organizations with the mission of uplifting and educating the VCU community on the African, African-American and Latino cultures,” Walker said.

With the organization expecting a large turnout this year, Townsend said it will be ready.

“With our huge guest list and large space, the program will be extraordinary this year,” Townsend said. “Plus we are college students who love to eat so the food is a major plus.”

The Kwanzaa celebration will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, in the Commonwealth Ballroom.