Karaoke, good vibes and community at Lakeshore Black Student and Engagement

Humber’s Black Student Support and Engagement (BSSE) hosted a karaoke event on Sept. 10, for students to have some fun and jam to some of their favorite tunes. Songs from Michael Jackson, Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar, Justin Bieber were some of participants go-to artists. Afterwards, I got a chance to speak to several students about the event the work BSSE is doing. 

“I have never done karaoke before and I liked the event, I hope to attend more events!” said Luwam Tesfazgi, a first-year student. BSSE is a community space for students who identify as Black, regardless of nationality. It is located at Lakeshore A building, room A411 and is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. The goal of the space is to provide a holistic environment and offer resources and support to enhance the academic, social and professional experience on campus. 

Tesfazgi and Vanessa Akello are both first-year international students from Eritrea and Uganda. They say they both found out about the event that same day from staff while looking for the library. Despite being from different countries, the motivation to attend the event was the same, to connect with other Black students. 

Akello is conscious about the Black experience and understands that learning from others with similar experiences can help with overcoming challenges. “Sometimes at the workplace, some of the issues that affect us we can’t talk about them with other races because we are in two different bubbles. We can discuss how we can get solutions but listening to the point of view of someone who is in the same situation is different.”

The room was full of different background nationalities, but the appreciation in BSSE is mutual. The space breaks down nationalist barriers where you may not find as many people in your geographic region but BSSE brings all these regions together in one space.

Jonathan Scott, another first-year student, says the space gives him a sense of belonging. “The idea of us coming together in a place like this is amazing. Especially in a program that we are in, sometimes it is hard to find people that are like us. So when we come to something like the BSSE, we feel a lot more at home.” 

BSSE is off to a great start, with karaoke being the third event this semester. On Sept. 24 and 25, they held an info session about a youth mentorship program called the Canadian Black History Experience Project (CBHX). Black students were encouraged to apply for a trip to the biggest tech show in the world Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas which takes place Jan. 7-10, 2025.

Students will have a chance to attend CES, and afterwards form a think tank on how the innovative tech from the show can create a live immersive multimedia production on Canadian Black history. CBHX mentorship program is organized by co-founder Clarence Ford, an executive producer and director who has worked with Cirque du Soleil and Fortune 500 companies.

BSSE posted a list of October events on their Instagram @BSSEHumber and students can sign up for their email list to stay up to date.