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The independent news website of The Kent Stater & KSTV

KentStater

The independent news website of The Kent Stater & KSTV

KentStater

The independent news website of The Kent Stater & KSTV

KentStater

Barefeet Dance Tribe performs at their 10th annual Oya Shake Sumthin' event on Oct. 19, 2024.

Oya Shake Sumthin’ event creates space for cultural celebration

Addison Young, Reporter October 21, 2024

Barefeet Dance Tribe at Kent State celebrated their 10th annual Oya Shake Sumthin’ event on Oct. 19 to highlight the inclusivity of dance.  Barefeet Dance Tribe alumna Kamille Pierce spoke about...

Members, Blair Seu, Nora Sone, Hayden Wilks-Mitchell, and Mikayla Perryman of Barefeet Dance Tribe rehearse before performing at Kent State's Juneteenth celebration.

Kent State celebrates Juneteenth with community celebration

Destiny Torres, Reporter June 18, 2023

Over one hundred people gathered at Kent State Friday for the university’s third annual celebration of Juneteenth. Kent State’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion coordinated the event,...

Members of Barefeet Dance Tribe perform at the closing ceremony for the Pan-African Festival on Saturday, April 30, 2022.

Pan-African Festival returns to Kent State after two-year hiatus 

Morgan McGrath, Reporter May 3, 2022
This year, for the first time since the start of the pandemic, Oscar Ritchie Hall proudly welcomed students, staff and alumni to their yearly Pan-African celebratory festival. “The Pan-African festival is one event that we use to really connect with our community and our alumni in this department,” said Shemariah Arki, an activist and assistant professor in the Department of Africana Studies. 
Courtney Kasturiarachi, a sophomore anthropology major, dances to Bollywood fusion-themed music at the Oya Shake Sumthin' event Friday, Oct. 6, 2017.

Students find their rhythm at fourth annual Oya Shake Sumthin’ event

Tierra Thomas October 7, 2017

Dance teams across campus gathered in the Kiva Friday to celebrate cultural diversity at the fourth annual Oya Shake Sumthin’ event.Hosted by the Barefeet Dance Tribe, a traditional and modern African...

Black United Students present 40th annual Ebony Achievement Awards

Lauren Rathmell April 22, 2016

Kent State’s Black United Students hosted its 40th annual Ebony Achievement Awards Friday night.This year's event entitled “Remembering the past, honoring the present and encouraging the future,”...

Kent State honors Black History Month

Hana Barkowitz Diversity Reporter February 24, 2016

Concerns surrounding Black History Month and the need to recognize it are now more crucial than ever, Kent students say.Emanuel Jackson, Director of Student Relations for Black United Students and sophomore...

Black United Students

Black United Students commemorate their history

February 22, 2016

Black History Month has been a large part of African-American culture since the 1920's. In 1926, it was first initiated as Negro History Week.To Kent State's Black United Students, however, the celebration...

DEI Hosts MLK Extravaganza

Lauren Rathmell January 31, 2016

As Kent State's celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. came to end, the university's Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion hosted a final event to honor the civil rights activist and his legacy.The...

United Nations scholarship aiding students with disabilities

Erin Zaranec October 7, 2015

The United Nations Emergency Session scholarship fundraiser will be hosted on Oct. 17 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m in room 133 of Bowman Hall.All proceeds from the fundraiser go towards a scholarship for Kent...

Rumbi Mupinga (center) and fellow members of the Barefeet Dance Tribe practice a traditional African dance, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2014, in the Music and Speech Center. They practice a series of different dances and songs for two hours, twice a week.

Showcasing minority culture

Christina Suttles February 17, 2014

“This movement really needs to be angrier,” Janine Tiffe playfully said as she instructed nine students of various nationalities in a traditional African warrior dance inside a locked studio on the...