Kent State organizations Epic, Sister Circle and Black United Students (BUS) came together to celebrate black excellence Thursday in the Michael Schwartz Center Auditorium.

“We all had the same idea to do a showcase to show off student’s talents, so all three organizations put our ideas together to put together this show,” Deondre Washington said, president of Epic.

The organizations asked that students either donate a feminine product or pay $3 at the door upon admittance. The collected feminine products would be donated to the Women’s Center to help homeless women.

Brianna Scott, a sophomore marketing major, said that the event embodied black excellence. To Scott, black excellence is being proud of your culture, people and history. She said the showcase was a good place for people to be black and proud.

The showcase was put together to celebrate the end of Black History Month.

“We have been in this time where black people are so discouraged and distraught and people have really tried to minimize us and even try to take us out,” JaLynn Hairston, a BUS member, said. “This event is just showcasing that we’re here to stay and that we have so much to offer this campus.”

Students participated by performing spoken word, song and dance. Among those who performed were freshman business management major Calil Cage and sophomore human development and family studies major Montavia VanBuren.

VanBuren closed the showcase with the song “Love” by Musiq Soulchild. The sophomore seemed to be a crowd favorite as the audience rose to their feet and swayed their phones back and forth as she sang.

Olivia Williams is the African-American student life reporter, contact her at [email protected].