The Black Student Union plans to recreate Harlem, the city where so many black leaders, musicians and performers got their start, on a small scale tonight, BSU member Patricia Haggerty said.
The semi-formal event is dubbed “Harlem Nights, A Night Out on the Town. Celebrating the Journey to the Big Apple.” The ball will feature backdrops of cultural references important to the history of Harlem. Haggerty said she believes this is an important event, not limited to music and dancing.
“Even though this is a ball, it has a lot of meaning behind it,” Haggerty said. “It’s supposed to make us think of the heritage we come from.”
According to Gothamcenter.org, a NYC history Web site, black musicians called Harlem “The Big Apple,” referring to making it big in music. There was a club called “The Big Apple” in 1930s Harlem where many early jazz musicians performed.
The dress code at tonight’s event, which starts at 10 p.m. and lasts until 2 a.m. at the Red Lion Hotel, is also reminiscent of Harlem nightclubs of the 1930s and 1940s, BSU Co-Director LaTina Lewis said.
“Back in the Harlem Renaissance they dressed up to hear jazz and poetry,” Lewis said. “The guys wore zoot suits, and the ladies wore dresses.” She added that BSU wanted everything about the evening to have a Harlem nightclub feel.
This year’s ball will be limited to students 18 years old and older and is free to all University students, but donations will be accepted. The semi-formal dress code will be strictly enforced, Lewis said.

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