The Black Student Union held a paint night last week that gave students the chance to come together and create something special.

The event took place Feb. 9 in the third-floor Sawyer Lounge. BSU provided canvases and paint supplies, as well as burritos for attendees to enjoy while painting.

The club’s Outreach Committee is chaired by junior member Sarah Lawton. Twelve BSU members make up the committee and Lawton credits them for being “behind most of the great ideas Black Student Union has put forth this year,” including the paint night.

“Thanks to the leadership and commitment of Ahria Ilyas, Angela El-Jazzar, Justin Turner, Jair Ayalas Rosas, Selvin Backert, Venice Morris, Lindsay Dieudonne and Hana Wallen, our BSU members can look forward to more events, fundraisers and volunteer opportunities this semester,” said Lawton.

Student Government Association President and BSU Outreach Committee member Angela El-Jazzar was excited to see the committee’s hard work come to fruition.

“This is only one of the weekly Black Student Union hangouts to embrace the celebration of Black History Month and allow a platform for students to connect with one another and build long lasting relationships,” said El-Jazzar.

BSU President Lindsay Dieudonne called the event a success. She also said that many attendees messaged BSU on Instagram afterward and shared how much they enjoyed the event.

“The Outreach Committee did an amazing job at organizing this event and so many people came to unwind and have fun. We ended up having a great turnout and can’t wait to see more people next time,” said Dieudonne.

Dieudonne said that the executive board created the BSU hangouts during the pandemic in order “to increase membership engagement.”

“Now that we’re in person, we want to keep holding spaces for students that isn’t centered around Black trauma, but emphasizes creativity, culture and fun events instead,” said Dieudonne.

Along with hosting hangouts such as paint night, BSU recently held a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club in collaboration with the Suffolk Student-Athlete

Advisory Committee and SGA, raising $266 in total.

Lawton shared that the club has fundraised over $1,300 for the Boys & Girls Club and other local nonprofits since the fall of 2020.

“This year, we have been focusing on staying true to our mission to empower the Black student body and the Suffolk community at large through service, education and celebration,” said Lawton.

BSU’s next event is a trip to the Museum of African American History on Wednesday. There are three time slots for Suffolk students to visit: 10 to 11 a.m., noon to 1 p.m. and 2 to 3 p.m.

“Throughout this semester, we hope the Suffolk community will join us in volunteering events, social events, general meetings and raising more funds for the Boys & Girls Club,” said Lawton.

Follow BSU on Instagram @su_bsu for updates on events, meetings and fundraisers.

Follow Morgan on Twitter @morganjltorre