Black girls rock the OC

African American women were honored and celebrated Tuesday evening in the banquet rooms of the Oakland Center.

Black Girls Rock, an event hosted by Students Advocating for Gender Awareness, Black Student Union, Students Toward Understanding Disabilities and the Gender and Sexuality Center, awarded students, faculty and staff for being successful members of the female African American community at Oakland University.

Aiana Scott, a junior sociology major, is the vice president of BSU and president of STUD. She was both happy and proud of the results of her two months of planning the event.

“It was actually packed,” she said.

Alexandra Allen, a senior and English major and the president of SAGA, also helped organize the event.

“I liked just how much it meant to everyone,” she said.

Throughout the evening, awards were given in three different categories: student, staff and faculty.

Student winners included seniors Angela Burgess, Arika Pore and Vanity Ellis.

Bridget Green, the assistant director for the Center for Multicultural Initiatives won the staff award and Frances Jackson, a professor, won the faculty award.

“We wanted to honor black faculty, staff and students on campus and in the community,” Scott said.

President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit Dara T. Munson served as the keynote speaker.

“I was personally inspired by it,” Allen said. “It made me feel really inspired just to be an African American … I don’t think we’ve ever had an event like this at OU.”