To conclude the year and the progress they made, the Black Student Union is preparing to host a Block party on May 12 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The student-driven event is intended to celebrate the seniors and the BSU as a whole.
To kick the event off, there will be a senior ceremony in the cafeteria prior to moving outside to the athletic loop where the party will begin.
“The block party will start off with the senior ceremony. We will be inviting parents and family members to be there for the seniors. They will give a small speech and then the host will announce their post-high school plans. After that, it is time for the party part of the block party. This will include music, food, dancing, a photo booth and a general celebration,” sophomore BSU member Mwape Sokoni said.
The block party will have a 90s theme and will include music, entertainment and food. The step team will be performing, along with WJ’s own Slump Madi to DJ the event. The food will be provided by the West African catering truck The Kuks Tribute and the desserts will be provided by the BSU. There will be vegetarian options and the food will have ingredient lists.
The event will be open to everybody with a ticket or a BSU t-shirt, but in case of bad weather, the block party will be capped at 350 people. There are flyers around the school with a QR code to obtain a ticket. Junior Mallory Striplin, one of the members planning the event, describes the details of the ticket purchase.

The celebration is also an opportunity for members to reflect on the accomplishments that the union achieved this year. From their thoughtful discussions and increase in members, it was a successful year for the Black Student Union.
“The assembly was probably our biggest accomplishment because it was so well organized and informative, though another notable thing was the discussions within the meetings have also been memorable because we often have in-depth intellectual debates like the queen’s death and discrimination based on skin color, hair texture, stuff like that, but we also discuss less heavy topics like who is the best female rapper,” Striplin said.
This is the first time the BSU has hosted a block party, and the club officers hope to make it an annual event depending on how the debut goes. The chance to reflect and connect with the community makes the block party quite valuable and exciting to members and non-members alike. Many students, including sophomore Alexis Batac, are excited to attend.
“I’m really excited to go to the block party, partially because I want to see my friends and celebrate all of the important work they’ve done this year. I also can’t wait to see the step team!” Batac said.