Pan-Afrikan Week, the annual event hosted by Union Activities Board (UAB) and Black Students Board (BSB), will be holding events “For The Culture,” and there will be 22 events highlighting and celebrating African-American culture. The focus is to concentrate on what it means to be African American in a predominantly white institution and sharing experiences of these students with the larger NC State community.

Shelsey Hall, a third-year studying philosophy and political science, said that Pan-Afrikan week provides African-American students with the opportunity to connect to their peers and celebrate.

“It’s not just for our community,” Hall said. “It’s an opportunity for allies of the black community and people outside the community to see what black culture is. I think that Pan-Af does a really great job of doing that, allowing other people to appreciate our culture, and I think that’s what makes it special at NC State.”

Hall emphasized how it is vital to participate in the events because they are topics that have an impact on all students at NC State, not just African-American students. She also stressed the importance of being an ally of the black community.

“It’s not enough to love black culture,” Hall said. “You must also love black people. When you attend events like this, you show that you are an ally. It’s not that you just show up, get a T-Shirt and leave. You show up, and you try to get an understanding of black identity and really appreciate that.”

Raven Blount, a third-year studying nutrition science as well as chair of the BSB, said that the process of creating events was community based and that there was significant outside input to make sure the events catered to the needs and wants of NC State students who want to appreciate black culture.

“We had a proposal process,” Blount said. “So, people submitted their ideas, and my executive board went through them, talked to them, worked out any additional kinks if we thought that it needed a little something or it needed a little clarification. But for the most part, every org[anization] submitted something that was well within the means of what we’re trying to accomplish, so it wasn’t really hard to make those selections — we just used what people gave us.”

Alumni are also a large part of the event, and many come back to share their experiences with African-American students at NC State. Many students have the chance to talk to alumni about how to effectively attain their goals after college and also how to work through ideas they have to make change not only on campus but also for their futures.

“I think that alumni participation is really important because it’s a really good networking opportunity,” Blount said. “So, students can talk to people that were once in their shoes and that are maybe still in shoes that they want to be [in]. So being able to have this open, relaxed and family vibe allows you to make those connections, and have those conversations, and meet new people … and let them know, ‘hey this is what’s going on with us now; if you dealt with that, how can we address it,’ or ‘do you have any ideas moving forward.’”

One of the goals of Pan-Afrikan week, along with celebrating African-American culture, is to provide a platform to start conversations on subjects like cultural appropriation. Blount said that she believes this topic can be addressed through conversation and education.

“I think the biggest thing about addressing cultural appropriation is honestly just education,” Blount said. “That’s why we have so many spaces where we want people to come learn so we can talk. It’s not exclusive by any means; we want people to come out and talk to us. We kind of just have to get that conversation started about, ‘oh what does this mean,’ ‘what does that look like’ or ‘what does me being an ally look like in this particular setting.’ Honestly, it all just starts with a conversation and everyone being willing and receptive to communication.”

Pan-Afrikan Week will kick off on April 7th and will continue with events such as “For The Culture: African Night ‘18” and “41st Annual Spring Concert” throughout the week. A full list of their events can be found on their website.