The Latinx Student Union (LSU) and the Black Student Union (BSU) hosted the third annual LSU x BSU Kickback on Oct. 1.
The kickback started out in 2021 as an opportunity for the two diversity-centered organizations to get to know one another, said MarLanaysia Rosser, BSU President.
“If we can take time to build relationships with each other, we can have a good foundation outside of just our org to rely on and feel like we have somebody in our corner,” Rosser said. “And plus, why not be friends with other cultures? And then that way you can learn as well.”
The kickback is a chance to ease some feelings of homesickness expressed by recently recruited freshmen and transfer students, said Rosalva Brito, LSU President.
“MarLanaysia and I have tried our best to make sure that incoming freshmen feel welcome because they’re far away from home or they might be from a really big city where there’s a lot of diversity,” Brito said. “Events like these make them feel a little bit more comfortable and that makes me happy.”
The BSU and LSU often collaborate on projects including a cultural appropriation education panel this Thursday, Oct. 5 with the Asian Student Union and the Native American Student Association.
“We love BSU and BSU loves us, we are orgs that are best friends,” Brito said. “We work a lot together and every time it happens, it always just feels comfortable, it never feels uncomfortable.”
The kickback was catered by the university, with BSU and LSU collaborating with NMU Dining on the menu.
“Being able to get a feeling of being back home with the food felt really nice,” Brito said. “Dining Services did amazing. They cooperated with us on a lot, and they showed up.”
On the menu were BSU picks such as chicken wings, baked beans, baked macaroni and cheese, banana pudding and lemonade, and LSU picks including carne asada, Mexican rice, flautas, arroz con leche and horchata.
Hispanic Heritage Month
This Friday, Oct. 6, Northern Lights Dining will be serving Hispanic food as part of a takeover with LSU for Hispanic Heritage Month.
On Saturday, Oct. 7, there will be a UNITY pop-up at the women’s volleyball game. Next Friday, Oct. 14 is the UNITY football game against Michigan Tech, where the marching band is going to perform songs composed by Hispanic musicians.
Similar to the PRIDE pop-ups that the Student Equity and Engagement Center (SEEC) does highlighting LGBTQ+ members of the NMU community, the UNITY pop-up celebrates and highlights NMU athletes, students, staff and community members of color.
“It’ll be really fun, I’m super excited. I’m very grateful that a lot of people are helping us celebrate,” Brito said.
Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated annually from Sept. 15 – Oct. 15 “as a nod to the anniversaries of independence for a multitude of Latin American countries. It is meant to celebrate the history, culture, influence and contributions of Hispanic Americans,” according to the SEEC website.
