In the spirit of celebrating the diverse contributions of the Black community on campus, African-Latine-American Society (AfLatAm) and the Black Student Union (BSU) hosted Black People’s Got Talent last Friday in Susie’s. The event provided an opportunity for the talents of Black students to be spotlighted, and allow the rest of the student body to support their peers. Organizer and BSU Co-President Suhaila Cotton ’24 spoke on the BSU’s planning process as well as the event’s success.
“BSU sent out an RSVP and anyone was able to join. They signed up and we got the act list together, then worked with Mr. [Christopher] Capano, [Director of Student Activities], to get the [Susie’s] stage… Overall it was smooth, this was our first-ever talent show and it’s amazing that we hit it off. The energy was high, [and] the dances and performances were amazing,” said Cotton.
The Andover Black community was encouraged to get outside of their comfort zone and participate in this spirited event. Amina Gorman ’26 seized the opportunity to express herself musically. Despite having a limited amount of time to pull it together, Gorman expressed her content with the performance, in which she collaborated with Amanda Dominique ’25, and Gabbie Kawooyaa ’27 to sing “Cardboard Box” by FLO.
“I wanted to sign up by myself, but then I thought about the song me and Amanda were talking about. And I knew this was the perfect opportunity… It went pretty well, we only had a week to put it all together. There were definitely some things we could make better, but overall it was good… I liked the riffs and we were really in sync,” said Gorman.
The event was not limited to singing. Additionally, it showcased the wide variety of talents possessed by the Black student population. Dancer Mayumi Kawano ’25 shared her experience on stage.
“I did two performances, the first was a dance with Kierah Harris ’25. We danced to the song ‘Angels in Tibet’ by Amaarae… I wanted to show off my talent, and what Kierah and I have to offer… The second performance was Afrowave, which was a collaboration between Fusion and ASA [African Student Association]… The first row [of the audience] was mostly my friends and I felt really supported by all of them,” said Kawano.
Nevada Charity ’26, expressed her enjoyment as an audience member of this event, as well as her passion for supporting her peers at all sorts of on-campus events, specifically as a Black student.
“As a Black student at Andover, I wanted to support my peers and encourage them from the audience. In general, I always try to show up to talent shows and events on campus. Overall it’s a great experience to see everyone’s talents… The event reminded me of times back home dancing with my friends, getting lost in the music. [It] did a good job of encapsulating that feeling… I enjoyed every minute of it and can’t wait for next year,” said Charity.
