A night of lights, music and culture came to Cal State Monterey Bay (CSUMB) as students skated the night away.
On Feb. 12, the Helen Rucker Center for Black Excellence and Area Two Resident Advisor Chrystina Utley hosted a roller skate night in the Otter Student Union in honor of Black History Month.
The Helen Rucker Center supports Black students, faculty, staff and the community through academic, professional and cultural programs according to its webpage. It serves as a hub for learning, empowerment and connection.
For fourth-year Phillip Yang the best part of the night was “coming here with my friends and seeing them get better [at skating], or seeing them being absolutely amazing.”
Students and community members seemed comfortable on the rink no matter their experience. The more experienced skaters showed off their skills, Yang’s friend being one of them. “The girl who is skating around in circles, that’s my friend. She’s so great at this.”
The event was attended by almost 200 students and brought an experience used in Black culture as a form of expression and community building to the students at CSUMB. Skaters of all levels showed their skills.
“This is my second time skating, [the] last time was like five or six years ago,” said Yang. “I was somewhat [confident]; the turns scare me when there’s a bunch of people.”
While the main activity of the night was roller skating, those who weren’t skating danced to the music curated by the DJ. Second-year Preston Kealing’s favorite part of the night was “Knowing a lot of people will show up and have fun on a weekday.”
The amount of attendees highlights the impact an event like this can have and the possibility of future events.
“It was an idea to bring something new to campus. We can see more events being brought to campus [highlighting] Black culture,” said fourth-year organizer, Gennelle Watkins. “As long as you have a good team, events like this will happen smoothly”
This event caused students to think about what they want to see happen on campus next. “Ice skating if that is possible,” said Yang.
Seeing the success left organizers “grateful and inspired by the outcome” said Watkins. With everyone up on their feet and enjoying their night, Watkins remarked there was “very good energy.”
