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Juliette Montes

BSU, otherwise known as Black Student Union, has been a staple at Pines Charter for years now. “The mission of Black Student Union is to unite students and inform them about black culture and the issues that they face on a daily basis.” Expressed by Nathan Josue, Senior Spokesman for BSU. 

Every year BSU hosts a display of black excellence and beauty in the River Of Grass auditorium. This annual event showcases wholesome and empowering plays representing the beauty of black culture, performed by the student body themselves. The event presents almost every kind of performance, from singing, to dancing, to skits, and many more. 

This year’s BSU showcase was one filled with pride. Students of every grade level passionately performed to serve under one main purpose. “Performing at the BSU showcase isn’t just about having a platform to showcase my talents. For me, it’s more about the opportunity to shed light on the audience about the complexity and significance of black culture.” Senior Anaya Andre pointed out. Anaya certainly met her goal, by using the power of her voice to sing the hit song “Halo” by Beyonce. 

When asked why she chose the specific song she replied with, “ Every year I’ve performed and chosen a song that uplifts the black community. This year I decided to sing halo because it’s a monumental song performed by a pillar in the Black community, Beyonce.” The crowd got so captivated by the performance that they turned on the flash of their phones and waved their arms creating a sea of lights. “Towards the beginning I was kind of shaky and wasn’t sure if I’d hit every note, but when I saw everyone shining their flashlights I gained so much confidence. I couldn’t stop smiling because I was genuinely happy on stage and had a connection with the audience.” Anaya exclaimed.  

There were many performances in the showcase involving singing and dancing, but one that the crowd really seemed to enjoy was the final show of the night. The BSU dance team performing to a mix of Doo Wop by Lauryn Hill, and Alright by Kendrick Lamar which was choreographed by Sophomores, Lealia Celeste, Jaya Knight, and Juliana Duperval. The performance had the crowd on their feet, singing the lyrics and matching the enthusiastic energy of the dance team. Lealia added, “I felt really excited but also a little nervous because it was my first BSU showcase, but once our show started the nerves went away.” 

Many teachers even showed up to witness the experience. Mrs. Sarah Phelps eagerly stated, “ I was moved by the poetry recitation and songs, absolutely loved the fashion components, and  I couldn’t sit still during the dance routines.” 

Other than dancing and singing, there were also empowering skits. A skit that truly stood out was one named, “Hairitage”. This was a piece of art that was primarily ran by Nathan Josue about the beauty of black hair. “The purpose of the skit was to inform people about how to correctly appreciate a black person’s hair.” Nathan added. 

Throughout the night there was an array of captivating performances, all contributing to the theme of black history and the power of black culture. These shows provided the audience with every reaction from being brought to their feet to in absolute awe from the breathtaking singing. All in all, this year’s BSU showcase was an absolute success in showing the audience and school the beauty of black culture.