Friday night, there was a flurry of activity in the Student Union courtyard as the NAACP hosted "The Blackout," a free late night barbecue from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.
The courtyard was decorated in a "Hollywood" theme with red and gold balloons. Attendees were provided with glow-sticks so they could see in the pitch black dancing area, where the DJ blasted reggae, dancehall and hip hop music.
The Blackout is an end of the year social event for the NAACP where the organization's yearly achievements are celebrated and members are thanked for their efforts.
"The whole meaning of 'Blackout' is that we're fading to black and fading out the end of the year," said Jovan Ramirez, sophomore exercise science major and current vice-president of NAACP.
Ramirez and other e-board members have worked for months, preparing and fundraising for the event.
"It's one of our only social events of the year. The educational events are great, but sometimes people just need a chance to sit down and relax," Ramirez said.
According to NAACP president and senior sociology major Sharee Hereford, clubs such as Minorities in Management Systems, UB Step Troupe, Caribbean Student Association and Hip Hop SA helped out with Friday night's event.
Hereford also said that the barbecue serves as an inexpensive alternative to the typical nightlife scene for the UB community.
"Basically all of the students want to go out and have a good time, but they want it to be free," Hereford said. "We thought, why couldn't we have a end of the year event and use the school to our own advantage, so they could come on campus, have fun and do it safely."
In its third year, this spring's "Blackout" was bigger than ever. Late night busses ran between North and South Campus all night to encourage attendance. According to Ramirez, over 200 people stopped by to grab some food and enjoy the music throughout the night.
For senior biomedical sciences majors Tamara Ridgeway and Larika Evans, the event was a nice change.
"This is our first year (attending the event), and it's a pretty nice turnout," Ridgeway said. "We didn't expect this."
Senior African American studies major Cuthbert Onikute attended for the third year in a row.
"I've gone the past three years, and its just grown in size each year," Onikute said. "It's a testament to the hard work of the NAACP e-board."
Three years ago, UB's chapter of NAACP was far from the booming, successful gathering seen on campus today according to NAACP treasurer Richard Lawrence.
In 2003, the organization suffered huge budgetary cuts due to high turnover and disorganized e-boards, as well as members' lack of interest.
However, the group's current leadership has rectified the situation and built membership, increasing programming and events for the UB community, Lawrence said.
This year, "The Blackout" was the 10th NAACP event of the year, following educational events such as Open Mic Night, 'segregated cafe' during Black History Month, Founders Brunch, health fairs, voter registration and National College Prep day, which brought inner city high school students to UB to take a practice SAT and experience a taste of college life.
For graduating senior Lawrence, "Blackout" was a culmination of the past few years of hard work.
"It's bittersweet," he said. "It's a big change from being a little unknown club on campus to being a name that people on campus recognize and talk about."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
