The “Blackout Block Party” inside the Piano Row Skybox and the Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Gym was filled with friends, faculty, family, games, and food on Feb. 21 for a Black History Month celebration hosted by EBONI, Emerson’s Black Organization of Natural Interests.
Senior creative writing major, Stepyhne Weathersby, a member of EBONI who organized the event, said the idea behind the block party was simple.
“I feel like there has been a lack of Black community spaces on campus, so I thought, let’s just get together, have good food, play games, and be happy,” said Weathersby, who is a resident assistant and former president of EBONI.
The celebration included a selection of food including West African, Jamaican, and soul food, card games, music by 1kantrm—a student DJ—and a basketball game. It was co-sponsored by EBONI, the Office of Intercultural Student Affairs (OISA), Housing and Residential Education, and the Student Government Association. It is part of a larger schedule of Black History Month programming co-sponsored by EBONI and OISA.
“We wanted to celebrate Black History Month with students and get to spend some time together,” said Juanma Suarez, program coordinator for OISA. “This kind of concept started three years ago,” Suarez said, referring to previous years efforts to celebrate Black history month, including an event tasting foods from the African diaspora and a community volleyball game.
Weathersby, who has been involved in EBONI’s Black History Month events for the last few years, combined previous years events into this year’s larger “Blackout Block Party.”
She also brought back the same food from last year’s tasting event: Jamaican from Mural’s Kitchen in Dorchester, West African from Suya Joint in Roxbury, and soul food from Hunter’s Kitchen in South Boston.
At the start of the party, Nnanna Anosike, Piano Row’s resident director, served Emersonians food outside the Skybox. Anosike is newer to the Emerson community, having started the position in November 2024, and said he was eager to go to in-person events with his residents.
“I wanted to support the students here,” said Anosike, clad in a Kappa Alpha Psi cardigan, a Divine Nine fraternity, which is a group of historically African-American greek life chapters. “I also wanted to see students with other backgrounds and learn about their culture as well.”
Inside the Skybox, students, faculty, staff, parents, and a group of newly admitted high school students played card games, and chatted together in sofa chairs after a full week of classes and mid-semester co-curriculars.
“I thought it was a good opportunity to be involved in and for the residents here,” said sophomore Little Building resident assistant Emma Seibold at the party. Seibold was sitting at a corner table in the skybox, playing the card game “Trash” with Jalia Knowles, a resident assistant in 2 Boylston Place.
“From my experience, cards are such a big thing in Black culture,” said Knowles, who discussed growing up around cards and her family’s frequent tradition of playing spades.
“It’s about working with your partner and it can be very fun and intense,” said Knowles. “I remember playing with my mom.”
Senior Emerson student and DJ known as 1kantrm, has DJ’d at previous events for Emerson organizations like Index Magazine, which Weathersby also worked on.
“I love music and I love connecting with my people, and this is a combination of the two,” he said as he lined up tracks from artists like Mary J. Blige and LL Cool J on his Macbook in the corner of the room.
High school senior Davin Clement, who is committed to Emerson, finished a plate of food while looking out the glass of the Skybox down to students playing basketball in the gymnasium.
“It’s gas,” said Clement about the food, holding an empty plate.
Olivia Alicea, also a high schooler on a tour eating with Clement, agreed.
“If I was an admitted student, I would definitely come to this for fun,” said Alicea. “My dad was a member of EBONI and we used to come to these types of events all the time.”
Weathersby hoped the block party would spark interest in creating more physical spaces centered around Emerson’s Black community.
“I just want people to come out and know there’s people who look like you and who really care and can be seen,” she said.
