On Wednesday night in the Garrett Center, the Theta Epsilon chapter of Bradley’s Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. hosted its annual Black history ceremony to celebrate the contributions made by people of African descent to 1980s art and entertainment.
The ceremony is the second public activity of the chapter’s “Charter Week,” a week of daily events that began on Monday and will continue through Sunday. Monday held a preliminary community service exclusive to the chapter, followed on Tuesday by the first public event: a talk on the “strong Black woman” narrative.
The event required an RSVP from attendees and was designed to educate attendees on the legacy of people of African descent in ‘80s culture.
“February is a month of … the celebration of Black culture … from musicians like Ma Rainey [to] artists like Kerry James Marshall and authors like Toni Morrison,” Nailah Brown, senior political science major and president of the chapter, said. “Our annual Black History Month celebration highlights important people, moments and movements that have inspired and motivated.”
The ceremony was structured around a presentation by several chapter members touching on the media impacted by the community via pictures, audio and video.
“The ‘80s was a decade overflowing with creative intent, and with that came many different ways to express creatively,” Brittney Burns, junior manufacturing engineering major and community service chair of the chapter, said.
Mia Jones, senior sociology and criminology major, had several pieces of her artwork displayed at the back of the room and was named the featured artist of the ceremony.
The presentation began by focusing on the music of the ‘80s, giving brief rundowns of artists Eric B. and Rakim, Janet Jackson, the Clark Sisters and Anita Baker by explaining the lasting innovations of their music. Nyla Larry, a junior psychology major, was then invited on stage, where she sang Baker’s “Sweet Love”.
The subject moved on to visual entertainment, as the presentation highlighted television and film. Sitcoms “Family Matters” and “A Different World” were said to demonstrate a shift in mainstream family representations away from Eurocentric standards and towards honest looks at what it’s like to be Black in America.
A clip from Spike Lee’s 1988 film “School Daze,” depicting a musical dance duel between a group of light-skinned Black women and a group of dark-skinned Black women, was also shown as a glimpse of relevant themes for movies at the time, including colorism, sexism and Black power politics.
A half-hour break was then held for dinner, which consisted of cornbread, chicken legs and thighs, green beans and mac and cheese.
The presentation transitioned to fashion, citing rapper LL Cool J and rap group Run-D.M.C. as tastemakers for the mass appeal of streetwear clothing, including Kangol hats and Adidas Superstar shoes. A YouTube video showed extra examples of ‘80s fashion trends, including Jheri hair curls, rope chains and tracksuits.
Chapter members further spoke on Black culture’s influence on fashion through the increased recognition of Black supermodels in high fashion, the experimental new class of visual artists at the time as well as the photography of Carrie Mae Weems. The chapter also had members modeling different outfits throughout the room as a runway collection video was played.
The presentation closed by turning to dance. Apart from spotlighting Michael Jackson as an artist with incomparable influence on dance trends, it discussed breakdancing and ball culture as movements started and rooted in black and brown communities whose elements continue to be adopted to this day.
“Long before we were doing the Dougie, Stanky Leg and a plethora of TikTok dances that got us through the first year of COVID lockdown, our parents, auntie[s] and uncles were doing … the Running Man and the Cabbage Patch,” Burns said.
The night ended with a parting message from Brown, thanking the audience for attending and advertising future Charter Week events.
“We hope you enjoyed the presentation and learned something new tonight,” Brown said.
To learn details about the Theta Epsilon chapter and the final two events of Charter Week, be sure to check out their Instagram.
