The Black Student Union at Cal State Fullerton ended Black History Month with a special event for the community. On Feb. 28, the BSU hosted “Black Amplified,” the organization’s first student-produced music festival.
The inaugural event took place on the Engineering and Computer Science lawn and featured seven performances by students from several Southern California universities. The event was hosted by CSUF students Jordan O’Garro and K.C. Amete.
This event marks the BSU’s second event during the academic year. The first was “Black Titan Experience,” a resource fair for incoming and current students to learn about the dozen clubs supported by the organization.
“Black Amplified” was planned and produced by the BSU executive board with support from Associated Students Inc.
“There was so much hard work and dedication put into the planning, and just seeing that there was so much positive feedback and everyone was having a great time, really meant so much to me and really warmed my heart,” said Seyi Alli, president of BSU.
The festival, which began as an idea from Alli, drew in over 350 students and community members, including Tuffy and CSUF President Ronald S. Rochon.
The headlining performances featured rapper Trinidad James and several supporting acts, including two DJ sets. James, most known for his 2012 song “All Gold Everything,” performed a 10-minute set, and invited students on stage for his performance of the hit song. “All Gold Everything” was notably sampled by Mark Ronson for his 2014 hit song “Uptown Funk,” featuring Bruno Mars.
Food was provided by Baby’s Burgers and ChicanX Tacos, and goods were available for purchase from several local vendors, including Brothas Cookies, House of Mosaic Candles, Amour Propre, Xalia Boutique and Nena’s Organics. A photo booth was available for attendees to commemorate the festival, and all event participants had the opportunity to enter to win a ticket giveaway by concert and festival promoter Goldenvoice.
Alli, a fourth-year business major, is set to graduate in the spring. Despite the imminent departure from her role, she has high hopes for the event’s future.
“I hope that since we have this solid foundation, I want to see even bigger artists come and even a bigger setup. Making it bigger than what we had this year is the whole goal,” said Alli.
Visit the club’s website to learn more about the Black Student Union.
By Chrissy Washington