Executive Director Deztine Carter (left) and Concert Series Manager Beth Eden (right) welcoming attendees of the festival in front of the Glenn Miller Ballroom. (Ethel Yagudayeva/CU Independent)
The University of Colorado Boulder’s Program Council presented the first Black History Month Festival in CU Boulder history on Feb. 21, 2025. The celebration honored Black voices in the Boulder community through the arts, speaker presentations and more.
Hosted in the University Memorial Center’s Glenn Miller Ballroom and Aspen Room, the “Our Black is Beautiful” event featured artists and speakers such as That Brutha Trenell, DNA Picasso, Tiger Chazz and local Pan-African drummers. CU Boulder’s Tanya Ennis and Nii Armah Sowah were also present at the event.
Deztine Carter, the executive director of Program Council and the organizer of the event, has been preparing for the festival since August, reaching out to local Colorado talent to secure the lineup.
“Being a Black person is a big part of my identity, so I wanted to do something that celebrated and showcased the Black community,” Carter said.
She said that finding talent in Colorado was easy, “you just have to look in the right places.”
It may be Carter, a fourth-year student’s, last year in Program Council, but Special Events Manager Cole McDaniel is preparing to take on Carter’s role and legacy as the nominated executive director for the next term.
“The passion for everything here is not going to stop,” promised McDaniel. “I just want to do so much more for (Program Council), whether that’s putting it in an even bigger venue or having more people come.”
The event began with CU Boulder professor and DJ Shawn Trenell O‘Neal, also known as That Brutha Trenell. O’Neal is the assistant director of the university’s Laboratory for Ritual Arts & Pedagogy, as well as an executive committee member of the Center for African and African American Studies. His energetic introduction to the event was his very own musical talent at the mixing table.
Tanya Ennis, the university’s DEI Director in research, creative work and innovation, was the first keynote speaker of the event, with her presentation of “Holistic Black Beauty,” an interactive perspective into what a Black community stands to be through family, tradition, emotion and culture. Her finishing touch was a fun masterclass on the “Wobble,” a classic dance in the Black community, according to Ennis.
Dr. Tanya Ennis giving her presentation of “Holistic Black Beauty.” (Ethel Yagudayeva/ CU Independent)
The next performance was a collaboration between local artists DNA Picasso and Dominique Christina, a rap and vocal duo who performed a selection of songs from their new conjoined album. Accompanied by musical producer Josiah Humphrey, otherwise known as Siah Rain’n, the collaboration was their first-ever performance at CU Boulder.
Dominique Christina (left) and DNA Picasso (right) performing one of many songs in their shared album, “LAWLESS: A Love Story.” (Ethel Yagudayeva/ CU Independent)
“It’s my first time performing at CU Boulder but we used to party here all the time,” said DNA Picasso.
He said that he was thankful to be invited by Carter into the programming and wishes to “continue to create and spread [his] wings and fly.”
The second keynote speaker of the evening was Nii Armah Sowah, an associate teaching professor of dance.
Having taught at CU Boulder for 26 years, Sowah is retiring this spring. His main philosophy incorporated into both dance and teaching is his hope for an interconnectedness of society and a culture without hate.
Professor Nii Armah Sowah, wearing a traditional, handmade North Ghanaian tunic called a “Fugu,” coupled with a traditional cone-shaped hat from the same region. (Ethel Yagudayeva/ CU Independent)
“We need to reimagine society, we need to reimagine education, we need to reimagine our interconnectedness with each other, rethink our attitude regarding success,” said Sowah. “A lot of our ideas about success sometimes associate with hurting others.”
His presentation at the festival started with a choral interaction of attendees, composing rhythms and singing with the audience. Sowah said he was grateful that the Program Council was able to offer such a generous environment to celebrate Black culture.
“I feel that this festival is an opportunity for us to bring forth some of these conversations that many of us are having in our little pockets,” he said. “My hope is that this festival will get to a level where thousands of people are here, and I would like to see more Black people here, because that is what it would take to actually turn the ship around.”
Sowah also expressed other wishes for the future of the community.
“I’d like a world where we don’t have to have Black History Month,” he said. “We were intertwined with the system, so why do we have our separate history? Because the truth has been denied for so long, been twisted.”
Tiger Chazz (left) and Brittani (right) performing their favorite songss on stage at the festival. (Ethel Yagudayeva/ CU Independent)
After Sowah’s presentation and another round of spirited singing and dancing, Colorado Springs-based singer Tiger Chazz performed a repertoire, with songs from her albums and her own personal favorites. Accompanied by her backup singer Brittani, Tiger Chazz left the crowd singing along with her.
The festival came to a close with lively, sweat-inducing dancing and singing led by the Pan-African drummers Nii Okai Aryeetey, Maputo Mensah and Selasee. The ensemble performed their collections of songs from their West African arts troupe, Logo Ligi.
(From left to right) Selasee, Nii Okai Aryeetey and Maputo Mensah opening their performance. Together, the three perform as Logo Ligi. The band name means “to tickle, play or excite.” Many of the songs performed come from their album “Apke.”One of the instruments featured is the drum, Kpanlogo. (Ethel Yagudayeva/ CU Independent)
Much of the audience was former dance students of Sowah and have collaborated closely with the drummers in the past. By the end of the show, Sowah joined his fellow artists on stage and invited all of his students onstage to contribute to the fun. The energy was limitless and infectious.
Mensah and Sowah collaborate onstage to start a call & response chorus with the audience, accompanied by the African drum band. Soon after, students of Sowah joined onstage to showcase their skills in African dance, singing and dancing along to the rhythm of the drum band.(Ethel Yagudayeva/ CU Independent)
“It’s so critically important to have space now set aside for that and for people to really lean into this opportunity to learn and to share,” said Sophie Kvaratskhelia, a student at CU Boulder.
She noted the impact that Sowah’s dance class had on her.
“It’s not just a dance class,” she said. “It’s a philosophy class, it’s international relations, it’s political science, it’s religion, it’s ethnic studies, it’s anthropology. It’s everything, because African dance is embodied philosophy.”
Overall, the festival was a success, with artists and students alike enjoying the talents and contributions of one another.
“I just want to continue to make this whole thing grow,” said McDavid. “I think all this hard work has paid off.”
Student Cara Racenstein said she is energized to share her passion with the Boulder community. She also noted that much of her dedication is a result of enrolling five times into Sowah’s various classes.
Racenstein also shared her thoughts on the importance of community conversation and interaction.
“Remain kind to your community members, remain open to diversity, and remain open to hearing people’s opinions and perspectives that may differ from yours,” she said. “You may grow and you may learn and become a better human.”
Cara Racenstein on stage accompanying the drummers and showing her dancing skills after many years of attending Sowah’s classes. Towards the end of the performance, students danced across the stage in pairs, mirroring each other and inviting more people to join.(Ethel Yagudayeva/ CU Independent)
As Black History Month comes to an end, community members are encouraged to continue supporting Black talent in Colorado and beyond by attending performances, streaming music and helping the CU Boulder community reach the oneness it deserves.
Mensah admiring and cheering on a young guest during the dancing performance. The young girl was highly participative and a quick learner. After the performance, Mensah praised the young girl for her enthusiasm, calling her a “true global citizen.” (Ethel Yagudayeva/ CU Independent)
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Ethel Yagudayeva at Ethel.yagudayeva@colorado.edu
