164WINTER ORGANIZATIONS Black Student Association hosts a ‘60s-themed function for the student body to support their theme of Black joy. THE BLACK STUDENT ASSOCIATION (BSA) worked to create positive interactions through campus during the 2021-22 school year through their ‘60s-themed function Groovy Phi. The Black community at Harding formed their own organization called Groove Phi during a time of social strife in the 1960s. The BSA’s leadership decided to pay tribute to this and bring together people to participate in fellowship and music. “In 1968 there was a Black social club called Groove Phi on campus, and it was a safe place for Black people at Harding,” senior Jay Bradshaw said. “The late ‘60s was generally not a safe time for Black students, yet Black people still found a lot of joy in themselves and in the community in which they were living. This function is paying tribute to their strength and attitude.” Groovy Phi saw a large turnout of Black and White students who participated in karaoke of Black artists’ songs and a Kahoot on Black music, pop culture and choreography. “I see Black joy the most in music,” junior Halle Miller said. “Some of my favorite songs from artists like Marvin Gaye were produced during times where there was a lot of social strife, so I think it’s part of who we are to make music and be creative in the midst of struggle. This function is a celebration of that.” Of all the activities during Groovy Phi, participating in choreography from the early ‘70s TV show “Soul Train” was a crowd favorite. “With Jay leading, my row had to spontaneously come up with a move with our partners in the row across from us as we moved down the line,” junior Grace Winfree said. “I appreciated them including this activity because it informed me about such a legendary piece of Black history.” Throughout the night the DJ duo, juniors Janae Bradshaw and Halle Miller, boasted Black artists from across the ages. “You got James Brown, you have Lionel Richie, the Temptations, all of these groups that started to blow up in the late ‘60s,” Jay Bradshaw said. “My dad is a strong Temptations fan, and I grew up listening to them, so it has always been evident to me how important that kind of music is to our culture.” While the high energy and multitude of karaoke hits were a plus, BSA members felt these events ultimately fed into the message of true joy—the kind of joy that persisted through the good and bad times. “To me, Black joy means the small wins here and there and keeping our heads up during the toil of hard times,” junior Josh Wesley said. “Our organizing of this event is just an example of the BSA trying to bring that joy to the Black students on campus right now.” Janae Bradshaw worked to celebrate Black culture on campus and highlight minority representation. “The idea of Black joy to me is being around people that make you feel loved, especially within our community where it’s hard to find that sometimes,” Janae Bradshaw said. “Black joy to me is being around those people that make me feel like I can be myself and that love me.” WRITTEN BY ZACH BISHOP Get With The Groove
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