BSA provides soul food

On Thursday, February 18, the Black Student Alliance (BSA) hosted one of their main events, Soul Food Dinner, in Pierce Hall.

The event was catered by Sodexho; some of the items from the menu included cat-fish, fried chicken, hush puppies, macaroni and cheese, and for dessert, sweet potato pie and peach cobbler. It was a way for the Franklin Pierce community and the members of BSA to come together and experience African American culture. 

“I think the Soul Food Dinner was a great way to celebrate Black History Month, and to get the Franklin Pierce community involved in cultural experiences,” said the Katlin Wasmanski, senator of BSA.

The meaning of soul food has evolved over time. Traditionally, soul food was thought of as food that soothed the soul and brought the comfort of good memories. In America today, we have a different meaning for it: African American cuisine. It consists of traditional foods of Africa that were healthy and satisfying. Often, there were huge gatherings for meals, with stories and memories to share. Nothing was ever wasted. They used stale bread for bread pudding, each of the pig parts had their own dishes, and liquid from vegetables was used as gravy or a drink. The slaves invented a small fried pie that they could take out to the fields for when they were hungry. Sundays would be the day that everyone came over from one's family to share a meal. 

According to Sherese Ponder, the president of BSA, a lot of planning and hard work went into the event. “We talked to Kim Knox, the food director of Sodexho, to cater, and they agreed. We also had to budget and propose our idea to SGA (the Student Government Association). It was approved, and from there we advertised through Facebook, emails, flyers, and even texts. I think it got a great turnout and was successful.”

Bill Beardslee, associate director of campus ministries and attendee, said that he “thought the event was great, but not as well attended as I hoped it would be.”

According to BSA, the Soul Food Dinner was a success despite the smaller turnout because those who did attend were eager to participate.