UMOJA had its annual Black History Month presentation on Thursday February 24. “The theme was reminding people about the black voice,” said Senior Olay Redden. “We wanted people to know that it’s present today and not something to be ignored.”

The presentation saw several students present brief statements, such as a spoken word piece. The largest part of the presentation was a reenactment of a 1935 debate between Wiley College, a small, African-American college in Marshall, Texas, and an elite college with a highly ranked debate team. This debate was famously portrayed in the 2007 movie The Great Debaters, a clip of which was shown.

Now that the auditorium is over, UMOJA is by no means done for the year. “Right now,” said Redden, “we’re getting ready for the UMOJA tour of HBCU colleges. We’re always looking for new members too.”

Junior Iftou Yoya has been in UMOJA since her freshman year and will be going on the HBCU tour. “I’m excited to go to Washington D.C., I’ve never been out of the state, and this is just a really great opportunity.”