The event took place on Aug. 23 in the Bishop Cornelius Henderson Student Center at Clark Atlanta University. The event was part of the Student Government Association’s ‘Welcome Back Week’ for returning, transfer and freshmen students. Enforcing CAU’s motto “Culture for Service,” the St. Jude event was the only event that charged students a fee to enter. The proceeds of the fundraising event were donated to the St. Jude Children’s Hospital to ensure families of cancer patients never receive a bill for treatment, housing or food.
Senior Business Administration student William Burnette had a significant impact in coordinating this successful event. Burnette is the Executive Director of St. Jude at CAU, so his role involved many tasks which included: leading the student team of planners for St. Jude, and communicating between St. Jude and the university to ensure everyone was on one accord. Burnette stated, “It hasn’t been around since 2015, so we wanted to ensure that we brought it back with a bang as much as possible.”
Popular Atlanta party promoting group ‘Hittsquaad’ hosted the event, along with Hot 107.9 radio station as the official DJ. Sophomore Bria Anai shocked the crowd with her astonishing vocal range, as she promoted her single on Itunes ‘One of a Kind.’ Student collaboration, PDSY (Pharaoh Dynasty) performed two songs including one featured on their new mixtape, which is to be released soon. PDSY hyped the crowd up through their ecstatic and upbeat interaction with the audience. Along with the various student performances, a gender integrated dance group, “House Arrest 2,” performed and kept the momentum up within the room.
There were also celebrity performances from Hustle Gang member Domani Harris and R&B recording artist Damar Jackson. The audience participated in giveaways and some lucky individuals won tickets to upcoming events during ‘Luda Day Weekend.’
A huge part of the event was the Greek fraternities and sororities who performed step routines and donated to the events cause. The Psi Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. started off the show with an eccentric performance. The Sigma Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. was the only sorority to perform. As the ladies of DST stepped and strolled, the crowd was wooed by their dynamic presence. Following the Deltas, the Beta Psi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. took the stage and showed out the only way the Ques know how.
Closing out the Greek segment of the show was the highly anticipated performance by the Alpha Phi Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. The Alphas certainly stole the show. They incorporated singing, spoken word, and precise steps that had the crowd whooping and hollering from start to finish.
Burnette, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. said, “I’m just glad that we were able to make an impression on all the students. I am honored that people said it was the best part of the show and hopefully we will be able to do so in the future with other events”.
Nearly 300 presale tickets were sold online, in addition to tickets at the door, resulting in a full house with standing room only. It is fair to say that Clark Atlanta knows how to party with a purpose.
