Music, film and dance filled The Hive at 618 S. Michigan Ave. as Columbia’s Black Student Union hosted its first-ever “BSU’s Got Talent,” celebrating the creativity and artistry of Black students across campus.
The showcase featured more than 15 performances and drew about 40 attendees, who cheered and sang along while students from various majors shared their talents.
The showcase opened with “Guilty,” a short film by junior music production major Jada Bovan and junior film and television major Janyla Allen. The story follows a woman who kills her unfaithful boyfriend and seeks help from a friend — only to uncover a dangerous obsession.
BSU President Raymia Jones Fowler, a junior film and television major, said the goal of the event was to highlight the range of creativity among Black students at Columbia.
“We have so many amazing Black students here, who are so creative and talented, so why not showcase that?” Fowler said.
She added events like this are especially important amid a political climate that often seeks to “silence all voices.”
“Right now more than ever it’s important for us to embrace who we are, and not feel like we have to put on a mask to appease our white counterparts,” Fowler said.
BSU events and community outreach chair Zaneta Lockwood, a sophomore creative writing major, said the event was “conceptualized with students in mind.”
For her, the most meaningful moments happened before the performances began, as she watched participants gather the courage to take the stage.
“To see others’ processes really warms my heart,” she said.
Students from all grade levels and majors performed throughout the evening, showcasing a range of talents including singing, dancing, rapping, short films and character impressions.
First-year acting for stage and screen major Andrew Washington performed “Friends on the Other Side” from the Disney film “The Princess and the Frog.”
“I feel like it would be on me to miss out on an opportunity to show my art,” Washington said. “There’s something within everybody that you can appreciate, including within yourself.”
First-year film and television major Aspen Stenson also took the stage, performing a dance routine to “Lupin” by the K-pop boy band DKZ. She said the performance helped her overcome stage fright.
“I really just want to just put myself out there,” Stenson said. “I just really wanted to conquer that fear.”
First-year film and television major Jonathan Smith highlighted the strong sense of community in the event.
“My favorite part was when we all came together and began clapping during different songs,” he said. “A majority of the time they focus on negative stories on news outlets about us. To show the Black community is and always has been talented is extremely important.”
Fowler also presented her own short film, “Junior,” a documentary she directed her freshman year about her great-grandfather’s life during segregation and Jim Crow.
“My grandfather was around during segregation and Jim Crow, and witnessing history and having access to that is highly important,” she said.
The event closed out with everyone singing and dancing along to the song “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” by Silentó, to celebrate not only the performances and talents displayed, but the shared connection of Black joy and culture.
Copy edited by Mya DeJesus
