Heritage Festival Week
Here's to a very very eventful week for the campus starting out with the Spring Football Game on last Saturday. It was my 1st one, and I knew I had to go for my Senior year to see what all the hype was about, but it was a good game (a surprisingly really long one too) where everybody who came got more than their money's worth since the game was free! Ohio State also broke a National scrimmage game attendance record with having over 90,000 fans show up, and that was a major feat out in the heat that day. It was a solid 80 degrees and made me feel as if I was right back home in Hotlanta.
The Spring Game Final score: It's a big Buckeye win either way, Scarlet or Gray!
My friend Whitney and I at the Spring Game
My friends and I went to the South Oval later for the Heritage Festival Kick-off celebration. There were tons of vendor outside, music playing, various groups performing, food on the grill, a moon bounce and a lot of people out in the Mirror Lake area to help kick of the biggest annual cultural festival to hit OSU. For Day 2 of the Heritage Festival, it was the Gospel Fest, which I particpate in each year with the campus Gospel Choir I am in.This year, the program was held outside of the RPAC since the weather was lovely, and the Spirit was there and alive as different Christian acts sang, danced, rapped and worshipped. It was such a nice and open event that people could easily be a part of by simply walking by joining the crowd.
at the Gospel Fest on Sunday
Other events that took place for the Festival week were the Town Hall Forum on Monday and the Poetry Slam on Tuesday. These were also great events that hit on different aspects of the African American culture from addressing issues of "Dark skin versus Light skin" at the Forum, to hearing about an array of deep, poetic topics flowing at the Slam.
Wednesday was another big day since I was performing in the "Soul Time Talent Show" as a back-up singer for my good friend, Whitney. There were two rounds in the show, and we thankfully did really well in the 1st round singing a slow song "Lions, Tigers and Bears" by Jasmine Sullivan, and made it into the 2nd and final round, where we sang an old-school jam from the nineties, "I'm So Into You" by female R&B sensation, SWV.
My friend Whiteny and the great back-up singers outside the Newport Music Hall before showtime.
My friend and fellow background singer, Ayanna
Thursday, turned out to be another big day with the Fashion Show a part of the weeklong celebration. This went right along with the Festival's theme "Uzuri" which means Beauty. Famous contestant on Tyra's Next Top Model, Toccara Jones, was the host of the event, and I got to ask her questions for the Q&A session of the show. It was an overall very colorful and lovely show, especially to be the 1st time the Heritage Fest has put one on.
The Friday night event for the Festival was the "Mahogany Moments" dance which is similar to a Homecoming style dance where you get to dress up, dance and have dinner with your friends.
The final event of the extensive week is the big Step Show, where all the Black Greek organizations come together to put on a great, exciting show feeled with pulsating rhythms and awesome steps.
Here's my sisters and I at the step show during Intermission at Mershon Auditorium