Sociology student Darrayl Warren went to his first cultural event during his first special dinner at Holmes Dining, not knowing what to expect. He said he felt a sense of belonging at the event because it symbolized and honored his Black heritage.

“There were extremely diverse cultures, sharing some of the same meals together, people sitting here conversing from all parts of the world,” Warren said. “Food is a major part when it comes to the culture of Black people. I thought they displayed that extremely well here with the dishes that they have.”

The Multicultural Center (MCC) brought a ‘taste of soul’ to campus to honor the richness of Black culture and celebrate the conclusion of Black History Month.

In collaboration with Dining Services, the MCC, along with the Black Student Union (BSU), the THRIVE Affinity Group and the Men of Color Affinity Group (MOCA), hosted their annual Taste of Soul Partnership dinner in the Holmes dining room. The event ran from 5-8 p.m.

A southern-style dinner

Taste of Soul allowed participants to eat foods from various cultures. The menu included skewered shrimp and cheesy grits, crispy fried chicken, southern-style baked mac and cheese, cornbread muffins with honey butter, baby back ribs, vegetarian baked beans, slow-cooked collard greens with smoked onion, sweet potato pie with whipped cream, potato salad, iceberg lettuce salad and mixed melon and grapes.

“My favorite dish is the mac and cheese, all hands down, but the barbecue ribs were really great, too,” SURC Executive Chef and Campus Sous Chef Dayna Oyarzo said. “We made them nice and slow in the oven for about four-and-a-half hours, and then we made some nice barbecue sauce to go with it.”

“We put a southern flair on [the mac and cheese] and we added some bread crumbs and we spiced up the cheese sauce a little bit so it had some Creole flavors to it,” Oyarzo continued.

BSU chose the menu items and Dining prepared the menu items as they would traditionally be consumed in Black culture.

“That partnership [between Dining and students in MCC organizations] is getting stronger and it allows that line of communication to be open and we’re flexible,” Dustin Atkinson, the assistant director overseeing the Student Union dining operation and 1891 catering, said. 

“As we’re preparing the food, if [the student event organizers] want to come in and do taste testing, we let them come in and try things out. If we need to tweak any recipes, we tweak recipes so it is a true representation of their culture,” Atkinson continued.

Black History Month lesson

The celebration began with a brief history lesson by Lashaya Doty, the student program coordinator for the MCC.

“Black History Month is an annual observance in the United States, Canada and other countries, dedicated to celebrating the achievements and contributions of Black people throughout history, Doty said. “It originated from the efforts of historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in Chicago during the summer of 1915.”

“Carter G. Woodson traveled from Washington, D.C., to participate in a national celebration of the 50th anniversary of an emancipation sponsored by the state of Illinois,” Doty continued. “Inspired by this movement celebration, Woodson decided to form an organization for both the scientific study of Black life and history.”

Games

After Doty’s lecture, BSU led a song association game, which especially impressed Warren. “I like the way they collaborated with the crowd and getting them involved in trying to solve what the actual next words of the song was going to be, bringing people together,” Warren said. “I thought that was pretty amazing.”

Warren’s favorite song in the game was “Hot in Here” by Nelly. Warren said he likes Nelly because “he’s a southern boy from St. Louis. I like his style of hip-hop.”

Next came a Black History Month-themed Kahoot. Then, a group of students played Uno, another table played War and a third group played Dominoes, while all the other participants in the room sat and ate their food.

The event concluded with a line dancing lesson. “Line dancing has been around for a long time,” MCC Director Mal Stewman said. “Black culture has created some unique ones that are relevant to our culture and songs. I think they even used to include R&B [rhythm and blues] songs, including Black songs. It’s kind of fun to do things that are more relevant.”

What is BSU?

According to BSU Development Coordinator Dina Lako, one of the purposes of Taste of Soul was to let the community know more about BSU and the MCC.

“If anyone is interested in joining BSU, we meet every Thursday from 5-7 p.m. in the Multicultural Center in Black Hall,” BSU Secretary Imani McClain said.

BSU President Rishe Pierre added that everyone is welcome to join BSU, regardless of their identity or background. “We offer a space for students of all races, all colors, no matter what you are, we offer a space for you to find community and have a good time,” Pierre said.

BSU Event Coordinator Temidayo Brown added that Taste of Soul allowed people of all backgrounds to learn more about Black History Month as the annual observance came to a close.

“Black History Month, to me, is more of a chance to celebrate not only our ancestors that came before us and their sacrifices, but also what we, as the present Black population, can do to further educate other people about our culture, as well as building our own culture and movements surrounding Black history,” Brown said.

Brown said they felt that Taste of Soul was a successful event this year. “Everyone’s having fun in their own ways. I feel like everyone’s enjoying the food and they’re learning more,” Brown said. “I feel like it’s a good chance for everyone to sit with their friends, talk and hang out, as well as hear about Black culture. I feel like we did get a good turnout again.”

Stewman estimated that a total of about 400 guests showed up at the event, including students and faculty of all races.

Upcoming MCC events

Women’s History Month occurs every March. To start that observance, the MCC will host a kickoff celebration on Thursday, March 5, in the late afternoon. More information about specific Women’s History Month events will be found on the MCC’s Instagram page.