Jessica Asante-Tutu, president of the Undergraduate Student Government, thanks the dinner’s organizers at Thursday’s Undergraduate Student Government dinner. Credit: Francis Beam | Black & Bold Photo Editor
The first plates arrived shimmering under the warm lights of the MLK Lounge in Hale Hall — fried chicken stacked high, greens glistening, cornbread breaking apart in soft, golden crumbs.
Plates were served, the room quieted.
“Lift every voice and sing…” The African American Voices Gospel Choir rose in unison, their harmonies swelling through the Hale Black Cultural Center.?
Some guests stood with hands over their hearts, opening the fifth annual “Strength in Unity” Black History Month Gala with reverence and resolve.
Hosted Feb. 26, the gala marked a milestone collaboration between the Undergraduate Student Government, Black Student Association, Undergraduate Society of Black Leaders, or USBL, and the Undergraduate Black Caucus. Since its inception, the event has been rooted as a formal evening of food, music and reflection centered on collective empowerment.
This year’s anniversary carried added significance.?
The Black Student Association, or BSA, lost university funding at the end of the last academic year following the passage of Ohio Senate Bill 1, which banned diversity, equity and inclusion programming. The law prompted concern among student leaders about the future of cultural programming and advocacy spaces on campus.?
Terrell McCann, a third-year in business and the speaker of USG’s general assembly, said this year’s gala represents both tradition and intention.
“This is a staple in USG tradition for us to have this event,” McCann said. “This is the fifth anniversary of this gala, and so I think it’s so important at a time in which students’ rights are being taken away.”
For McCann, unity across organizations is a visible reminder of resilience.
“It still is important to have that sense of unity, to show that there is strength in being united,” he said. “That’s why it’s so important not just to have BSA, but USBL and Black Caucus to show that we are not just many different organizations, but together, we are one.”
The evening’s itinerary reflected that shared purpose. After dinner and the choir’s opening selection, former USG President Bobby McAlpine said he felt empowered to be back and proud to see a room packed of students continuing the event’s tradition. McAlpine returned to campus to deliver remarks.?
State Rep. Latyna M. Humphrey (D-Franklin) also addressed the crowd, urging attendees to remain civically engaged beyond campus boundaries. She said policy decisions at the state level have real impacts on student organizations and reminded students that their voices carry weight in legislative spaces.
McCann also said that Black leadership has long shaped USG’s direction.
“There is certainly a big portion of Black history within USG,” he said. “So many of our branch leaders have been Black students, which is so important. We have preached the importance of tying into our student organizations and pouring into them.”
The gala is an opportunity to challenge perceptions of USG being removed from the broader student body, McCann said.
“Even though we are the Undergraduate Student Government, even though many people think that we are an elite organization, we are just like any other student organization,” McCann said. “We are here to be part of the community.”
For first-year students, the event offered something more personal: visibility.
Breonna Reid, a first-year in politics, philosophy and economics, said the gala stood out in a campus environment where Black-centered programming can feel limited.
“I just thought — the fact that it’s a Black History Gala is why I would want to go,” Reid said. “Because we don’t have a lot of like Black History events here.”
Reid said seeing alumni, faculty and elected officials in the same room as current students reinforced the message that Black excellence spans generations.
As the program concluded and the final applause faded, McCann said he hopes attendees left feeling empowered despite uncertainty.
“I want them to leave here knowing that they are bold, that they are emboldened to go out and to make a true difference in the world,” he said. “We are the change makers. We are the ones that are going to make a significant difference — not just in our organizations, not just at The Ohio State University, but around the country.”
Five years after its founding, the gala has grown beyond an annual celebration. For organizers and attendees alike, it now stands as a reminder that even in shifting political and institutional climates, collective presence can serve as both affirmation and action — proof that strength, when shared, multiplies.
