By Kiyanna Noel
African Unity: The African Student Association presents its 6th annual banquet, this year’s theme being UBUNYE: Wedding Party. It will be taking place in the Warren Ballrooms of the Angell College Center Dec. 3 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on the Plattsburgh University ticket site. Students and faculty at SUNY Plattsburgh it is $8 and for the general audience it is $10 for entry. Parties more than eight can reserve a table to be seated together.
President of African Unity Abieyuwa “Abby” Uzamere wanted to create a different experience for the Plattsburgh community outside of the pageant show.
“SUNY Plattsburgh never had a wedding in this sort of way before so we are excited to host it, ” Uzamere said. After the scripted proposal earlier this month, the wedding planning has begun and now it is time to celebrate the alliance of bride Demetria Baptiste and groom Christian Morgan.
“This is nothing that has ever happened at SUNY Plattsburgh so our event planners and entire team have been working for months to make it happen,” Uzamere said. “It truly takes a village.”
This event is known amongst the team as the thing that will be talked about for years. It will not only be close to a sold out event, but will expose Plattsburgh to other cultures that exist on this campus. After the recent racial injustice on campus, this would be a way to showcase the representation and how students and faculty of color can still rise despite negative stereotypes and misconceptions among the Plattsburgh community.
Aissatou Lo, one of the event planners for African Unity, expressed how the bride and groom came together.
“After auditions and interviews, we knew this couple would be the perfect pair. We got them to know each other before the proposal happened so they can have some sort of friendly relationship to be comfortable enough to do the scenes with each other,” Lo said.
Although this is a scripted event, what’s a wedding without love, drama, and fun. Dressing appropriately was highly recommended, implied by Uzamere. “We want people to dress how they would if they were going to a wedding in formal wear.” More on attire can be found on the Instagram of African Unity @africanunitypsu.
“Tickets are selling fast so we are expecting a big turnout this weekend. Everyone has different roles within the event, so it’s something you don’t want to miss,” Lo said. For more information on the event email Abieyuwa Uzamere at auzam001@plattsburgh.edu.
