Black Student Union assembles culture expo

African-American students celebrate Black History Month in style

Hellen Akinyi
Staff Writer

Students from the Black Student Union helped put out The Culture Expo this past weekend.

The event was one of the few planned to mark the celebration of the Black History Month by showcasing different enterprises around Mankato that are owned by black people. 

They kicked off the event by having “Mirror Images” on stage, which is one of the black owned businesses that came to showcase their brand.

Michael Osei, a senior and the host of the event , said, “I feel like it is important to have this showcase for all the black owned businesses, since we don’t get to have events like these where they showcase black culture and give black-owned businesses a platform to show us what they can do.”

The business panel stood out for so many people in the room because of who was in it. They also had artists and fashion designers who showcased different types of entrepreneurs. They had each person tell their journey, how they got inspired and how their journey has been so far. 

Each entrepreneur had a booth set which allowed everyone to get to know their brands and its history. Tyrin Robinson, owner of Rocky Klothing, said, “If you want something, claim it.”

“I am a self-proclaimed millionaire and my business is worth that and much more. Anything I touch turns into gold, literally,” said Robinson.

The different events organized between the talks, like the fashion show and the artist performances, made the audience feel empowered. 

“This showcase is one of the few things I always look forward to every year, because as a young black man getting a chance to see other young black people winning just proves to me that I can definitely achieve anything I set my mind into,” said Osei.

“BSU meets every other Tuesday in the Heritage Room, which is CSU 101,” said Osei, reminding that everyone is welcome to join.

Header photo: Students model the Rocky Klothing fashion line directed by Tyrin Robinson at the For the Culture Expo at the Centennial Student Union Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020 in Mankato, Minn. (Lara Peterson/MSU Reporter)