Black Girls Rock awarded five major honors including, the Community Change Award, the Social Humanitarian Award, the Young Black and Talented Award, the Shot Caller Celebrant Award and the Living Legend Award
Dresses of every color and fashion moved side to side as students and faculty moved their high-heeled feet with the beat of the music.
Sandwiched between rows of tables in the Student Center Ballroom, the dancers pulled out their best moves for the second annual Black Girls Rock award show, which was hosted by the National Society of Black Engineers.
Taylor Hargrove, sophomore in civil engineering, planned the event. Through raising money, organizing the performances and working out the minute details like a candy bar, Hargrove was able to make the event larger than last year’s.
“The purpose of Black Girls Rock is to recognize all the black women in the community and to be able to inspire other black women and women, in general, to excel and be fearless in whatever they do,” Hargrove said.
Njeri Bennett, senior in industrial engineering and president of NSBE, said Hargrove went above and beyond in the planning process.
The event went along with NSBE’s dedication to positively impacting the community through recognizing the double-underrepresented population of black women.
Emcee Leona Smith, a 2011 Auburn graduate, started the event of with a quote from Viola Davis.
“Dream big and dream fierce,” she said.
A presentation lit up the hall from the front projector, showcasing the faces and accomplishments of inspiring black women like Michelle Obama, Rosa Parks, Ursala Burns and Octavia Spencer.
Just as the faces on the screen represented change, Lindsey Lunsford, sustainable food systems resource specialist from Tuskegee University, was awarded the Community Change Award for her work with the Tuskeegee Leadership and Innovation program.
Following Lunsford, Bri Thomas, junior in political science was awarded the Social Humanitarian Award. Thomas said the event exceeded her expectations.
“I am awestruck,” Thomas said. “I never thought I would be getting an award for just being a good human. It feels really good to be recognized for things that you do for no recognition.”
Performances from Beverly Ceasar, senior in civil engineering; Aja Melton, junior in media studies; Devantia Jordan, senior in aerospace engineering; Bre Johnson, senior in international business; and Jamaya Jones, senior in industrial design, had the crowd focused on the stage, rather than their deserts.
Intermissions of dancing, photo shoots and visits to the candy bar were sprinkled through the night. Along with the main awards being presented, an Instagram contest led to the selection of the best-dressed man and woman of the night.
The Young Black and Talented Award was given to one of Auburn’s performing arts students, Teyonna Johnson, senior in musical theatre. She is from Troy and recently played in “Chicago.” She is currently performing in Auburn Theater’s “Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play.”
“I am so happy that this event is on Auburn’s campus because it is necessary and so appreciated,” Johnson said.
Chelsey Holland, senior in healthcare administration, said she didn’t think of herself as a Shot Caller, but nonetheless, she was awarded the Shot Caller Celebrant Award.
The award celebrates a black woman who founded a business at a young age, while continuously thinking about the community around her. Holland started the non-profit event, Runway for Hope, that benefits the Children’s of Alabama Burn Unit.
She has raised over $17,000 after starting the non-profit on behalf of her mother, who was burned in a car accident caused by a drunken driver.
“I’ve spent hours, days and years preparing Runway for Hope a true platform,” Holland said, “one that cannot be destroyed or dismantled.”
With a standing ovation and echoing screams from students and friends, the Living Legend Award was given to Cordelia Brown, senior lecturer in electrical and computer engineering.
Brown is from Macon Country, graduated from Tuskegee University and went on to Vanderbilt University. She currently serves as the Christian Education Director, trustee and Sunday school teacher at Little Zion A.M.E Church in Fruman, Alabama.
Auburn’s gospel choir moved to the sway of their words as the night closed out.
"[Black women] are the backbone of the black community,” Bennett said. “Sometimes we are just doing what we are doing because we know that’s what we are supposed to do, but we don’t get a thank you.”
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