“Will the man I nominated win?” This was the question on many girls’ minds as they joined the Sigma Gamma Rho sorority to celebrate the minority men on campus at the annual Brothers Appreciation Dinner.
The dinner, co-sponsored by the Black Awareness Month committee, was held at the Alma Jennings Foundation Student Lounge Feb. 18. The lounge was given a golden makeover, with gold table cloths, centerpieces and floral decorations. The walls were adorned with pictures of the nominees and famous minority men.
Brothers Appreciation Dinner was created more than six years ago by members of Sigma Gamma Rho to recognize the accomplishments of minority men on campus.
This year, there were eight awards given out, including Mr. Intellectual, Mr. Congeniality and Sigma Man of the Year. In the weeks leading up to the dinner, ladies on campus voted on the various awards through nomination forms found in the United Black Students office.
Some of these ladies later volunteered as hostesses and servers at the dinner. With coordinated black and white outfits, the women catered to the men by escorting them to their tables and bringing them their dinner and dessert on gold platters.
“Tonight we wanted to make sure we thanked you for all that you’ve done for us,” said Marjorie Pierre, president of Sigma Gamma Rho, at the beginning of the program. “Too often women want men to cater to them, but tonight we want to cater to you.”
The young men were also treated to original poetry and serenaded by a rendition of India Arie’s “The Truth.” The awards were announced and Christopher Williams was named as the Sigma Man of the Year.
“It feels good. It’s been a long time coming,” Williams, a senior and the president of Organization for Jamaican Unity, said. “It’s such an honor to even be nominated.”
Some ladies even considered it a privilege to be a part of the celebration.
“We tend to focus on the negative aspects of our young black men and the black community as a whole,” said Stephanie Felix, a junior who volunteered at the dinner. “Sometimes it’s important that we look to what is good in our black brothers.”
Ashley Calloway may be contacted at a.calloway@umiami.edu.