Gannon University’s Black Student Union will be hosting a roundtable at 5:30 p.m. Thursday to discuss various issues in and around the Black community. 

The event will take place in Room 104 of the Center for Advanced Engineering. 

BSU President Marian Collin Franco said the organization has been involved in similar events in the past, and she thought it was appropriate to have a roundtable on Gannon’s campus for Black History Month. 

“The BSU has been known for hosting very influential roundtable discussions and I just wanted to bring that tradition back to campus and restore its glory,” said Collin Franco. 

A variety of topics will be discussed during the roundtable event, but the main focus will be on Cultural Appropriation vs. Appreciation. 

Heidi Noyes, the BSU adviser, defined cultural appropriation as “when a majority group adopts cultural elements of a minority group in a disrespectful or stereotypical way.”  

Such action, Noyes said, “can be extremely hurtful.” 

Collin Franco said there is no doubt cultural appropriation is something many cultures experience.  

“We will be providing observations and experiences we’ve had related to cultural appropriation,” she said. 

 During the discussion the BSU will dive into the definition of both these topics as well as how it has affected many Black Americans individually and in the community as a whole. 

Members of the BSU panel and a moderator will lead the conversation overall and the audience is free to ask questions at any time to all the panelists or a specific panelist. 

The reason that cultural appropriation vs. appreciation is going to be the main topic is because of the attention it has been receiving, whether that be from different social media platforms or different conversations in person.  

“Cultural appropriation has been a topic that has been circulating around social media for a long time, especially on TikTok,” said Collin Franco. 

The BSU wants to be able to provide a safe space where people of the Gannon community can ask questions and speak freely, while maintaining respect for one another. 

“The main goal of this roundtable is to get Gannon students and members to come together to converse and learn about issues affecting the Black community and to provide insight and a different perspective than what another race may think about the topic,” said Collin Franco. 

The BSU is hoping to get a good turnout for this event, because it is not just for them. It is for the Gannon community to learn and be educated on these issues that go on in the world, and not just focus on these issues during Black History Month. 

BSU Treasurer Dominique Booker said she is hoping that everyone who goes and participates in the roundtable takes what they hear home with them. 

“We are hoping that the majority that are on campus learn and understand the difference of cultural appropriation and the appreciations,” said Booker. 

This roundtable is one of many events that the BSU will be hosting during Black History Month and also throughout the rest of the semester to educate the Gannon community and to get these issues talked about more. 

CHLOE PALMIERE

[email protected]