As the dreariness of winter fades away, the Caribbean Student Association aims to bring positive vibes back to UNC with a week of fun, Caribbean-related events.
The Caribbean Student Association kicked off the week on Monday with a joint topic event focusing on natural disasters and social issues affecting the Caribbean. Co-Vice President Erin Flood said it’s important for people in the mainland United States to be aware of how natural disasters hurt the Caribbean.
“Raising awareness about the hurricane is really important to me simply because I’m from the U.S. Virgin Islands and that area got extremely devastated," Flood said. "However, because it’s a small area a lot of people don’t really know what’s going on and sometimes that can be frustrating to me, but I also know it’s because people wouldn’t know if they live in the mainland United States.”
Co-President Khara Vassell said she is looking forward to Tuesday’s event, “Pictures and Plantains in the Pit” because of the importance of plantains to Caribbean nations.
“It’s something that’s a staple amongst all Caribbean countries, so it’s not necessarily just the one country but it’s from every country in the Caribbean,” she said. “Nobody has ever done an event like this before. We’re going to actually be cooking the plantains live in the Pit and everybody is going to see the process, so it’s going to be cool.”
Vassell said Caribbean Student Association Week is not just about having fun, but also about exposing UNC students to the best aspects of Caribbean cultures.
“We think that the Caribbean people in general tend to be very loving and they’re very inviting, so we all thought it was necessary to show everybody what we’re about, but also bring everybody together with a week of events that will hopefully inspire others to do the same, because we think of ourselves as one big family,” Vassell said.
The final event of the week is a dance party at The Library on Franklin Street featuring a Caribbean style of music called soca. Co-Vice President Ashley Sapp said she is most excited for this “soca glow party” because she thinks everybody who attends will enjoy themselves.
“I like to see other people have fun, I like to see other people be happy, so I think that’s going to bring me joy just seeing people come out to support our club and learn more about who we are and just enjoy dancing with our members and having a good time,” Sapp said.
