Black Love Week at UMD
By: Isaiah Woodley
With Valentine’s Day and Black History Month overlapping this week, the University of Maryland's Black Student Union is hosting Black Love Week to highlight love and community in minority group on campus.
Black love has lasted for centuries. From jumping the broom to power couples, Black UMD students are keeping that love alive on campus.
For sophomore Emmanuela Sarpong, Black love is a standard.
"It is very special, starting with my dad. When my sisters and I were very young he would buy us little teddy bears and cards, and give us gifts, and even seeing that from my father it set an example for my boyfriend now," she said.
For sophomore track athlete Sam Ford, Black love is history.
"For me its loving your culture, loving your ethnicity. Because Black people have come from a long line of struggle from slavery times, prosecution, Jim Crow laws. So, Black love is just loving who you are, loving your brothers and sisters around you and being a community," he said.
This year, the BSU is showcasing Black love week with two words: timeless love.
BSU President Therman Hawkins III says, "Through Black love week we are able to express all forms of love, but also Black love and how deep rooted that phrase Black love is, which is rooted in a history of sacrifice and being able to be your brother or sisters keeper. There are so many more meanings to Black love, and we’re able to emulate that through the entire week and the week's events."
On Monday, the BSU is hosting "Love Jones Movie Night" in the hoff theater at 8 p.m. in the Stamp Student Union. They will also host self-care workshops and meetings in the Nyumburu Cultural Center through Friday, and end it off with a date auction fundraiser on Saturday in the Stamp atrium at 8 p.m.
Senior Jade Tran is excited that the BSU is spreading the love during a special week.
She says, "So them having 'Give Back Day' to the nursing home and showing them some love for Valentines Day is an awesome way to do that, as well as doing the date auctions and bringing together people within the school and the college and show love that way as well."
Although Black Love Week will eventually come to a close, the BSU plans to spread even more love for upcoming Black History Month events.