Member-only story
Similarities and differences in the diaspora at African Night.
A few months ago I had no intention of going to African Night. One of the most important nights of the year for black people on campus became background noise to me.
I decided to go on a whim with my sister since one of my friends worked on the executive board for the event. We got admitted for free while everyone else had to pay for tickets.
I had low expectations from the start and by the end of the night, they blew them out of the water and lit them on fire.
Black People Aren’t a Monolith
Before the start of the event, countless black people could be seen in the hallway wearing African garb from their native country. No one wore the same piece of clothing unless they were twinning intentionally.
This differences shined throughout the beginning of the celebration. The host announced different African countries and people from that country would walk in with their flag.
Uganda, Togo, Egypt, Ghana, Ethiopia, Senegal and many more walked down the isle way as a distinct unit. It became obvious my school didn’t have a monolith of Africans, but Africans of different countries.