Metallic tinsel and fringe surrounded the dance floor as bell-bottoms swayed beneath colored lights. The Black Student Union (BSU) hosted its fifth annual Black Essence Fest on Friday, Feb. 27 from 1-4 p.m. in the Fiesta Room, inviting Trinity students and faculty to immerse themselves in this year’s theme: “Soul Train: The ‘70s.” A Soul Train line formed down the center of the room and students stepped forward one by one, striking disco poses to the tune of ‘70s disco anthems.
For an afternoon during Black History Month, the club held a campus celebration inspired by the larger Essence Festival of Culture. BSU turned the Fiesta Room into a celebration of rhythm, history and what BSU President Aaliyah Jones, senior political science major, calls “Black joy.” Organizers said the event created a space for community and cultural pride, allowing students to engage with Black history through music, movement and shared experience.
Sophomore Chrissy Bernard, finance and political science double-major and sophomore class representative, said Black Essence Fest is one of the organization’s biggest events of the year.
“It definitely helps bring BSU together, as well as students who are interested or curious,” Bernard said. “It gives us a space where you can talk, laugh, make jokes and play games.”
This year’s theme paid homage to “Soul Train,” the variety television show that aired from 1971 to the mid-1990s. The show gave Black artists national exposure and showcased Black music and culture at a time of limited representation in media.
“It was kind of like our first version of music videos,” Jones said. “It gave Black artists a platform on television when we were still trying to break down those barriers.”
Jones said “Soul Train” remains central to the Black cultural zeitgeist because it publicly centered joy. “Black joy is just joy,” Jones said. “But when you put ‘Black’ in front of it, it brings context. Black joy is something that had to be fought for, and even in the darkest times, it persisted.”
The themed Essence Fest allows students to engage with history in interactive ways, Kya Lee, junior business analytics and technology major and junior BSU class representative, said. Last year’s theme highlighted the “Dirty South,” while this year’s embraced the music and fashion of the ‘70s.
“We get to celebrate these parts of our history that are cool and fun and interact with them in that way,” Lee said.
Organizers emphasized that while BSU centers Black culture, its events are open to the broader Trinity community. Bernard said Black History Month gives students unfamiliar with Black cultural traditions an opportunity to learn.
“For a lot of people, they’re not very knowledgeable, but sometimes they want to be,” Bernard said. “Having things like Black History Month and Black Essence gives people the opportunity to come and learn and see what the culture is about.”
For Jones, spaces like Black Essence Fest shaped her college experience in lasting ways. She said the organization gave her a sense of belonging during her first year on campus and helped her build community through leadership opportunities. It’s the reason she stayed at Trinity, she said.
