Micah SpeedN.C. Central is back in full effect. On Thursday, August 19, the Student Activities Board held its first 10:40 at night of the year. The event hosted a plethora of iconic HBCU party songs, a surprise artist, and a great kickoff to the academic school year.
The night began with light chatter among the students in front of the main stage. DJ Young Icee led the crowd with old school and new school jams that filled the Greek Bowl with good vibes.
As far as the eye could see, people were laughing and dancing, trying to make up for the last year and a half of time lost as a result of COVID-19. Lashai Jarrell, a Senior here at N.C. Central, was overjoyed that she had the opportunity to take part in the HBCU experience before graduation.
“It just feels great to be back in person,” Jerrell said.
Although the pandemic is not over, party promoters like Party Boy and Q. Mac encouraged students to wear their masks while continuing to have a good time.
Later in the evening, De’Ja Bunyan, Co-editor for the Campus Echo, had the opportunity to interview guest rap artist and Fayetteville native, Morray.
Famous for his hit song “Quicksand”, which has nearly 50 million streams on Spotify, the North Carolina native showed excitement when performing. This moment in time was sentimental being that this was Morray’s first time doing a concert for an HBCU.
“It’s just inspiring to see so much community and so much togetherness”, Morray commented in an interview with the Echo.
It was apparent that the student body enjoyed the performance. Another Senior at N.C. Central, Octavius Brown, enjoyed her time at 10:40.
“I had a great time, I feel like it was very engaging. Everybody came out, which was non-existent a month ago,” Brown said.
Essentially, the After Dark 10:40 extravaganza was nothing short of an amazing experience for the students, bringing hope and excitement back to the Eagle nest. However, this event would not have been possible without the help of the Student Activities Board.
Alexis Harp, president of the Student Activities Board, spoke about the hard work the organization put in behind the scenes.
“So, a lot went into this event. One, we had to keep in mind that although the outside capacities do not have any restrictions, we had to remember that we are still in a trying time,” Harp said.
Harp then began to also express the importance of having fun but the priority of COVID-19 safety remained the number one priority.
“We had to make sure our student body was safe, but we also wanted to give them a good time,” Harp said.
The most exciting aspect of Thursday’s festivities was that it is just the beginning. There is little doubt among the students at N.C. Central and the Student Activities Board will continue to make this school year fun, safe, and memorable.
