The Black Student Union (BSU) held their annual Jazz and Poetry Night in the Melton Student Center Ballroom from 6 p.m. to 9. pm. on Feb. 26. During the event, students drank mocktails and watched peers perform in a transformed ballroom decorated with lights, balloons and more.
The theme of the night was “Juke Joint,” named after the juke in Ryan Coogler’s popular film “Sinners.” Attendees’ outfits were inspired by Coogler’s film, which took place in the Mississippi Delta during 1932. According to Olivia Luke, assistant director for the event and junior in human development and family sciences, BSU’s committee chose the theme because of the film’s impact and focus.
“I feel like this is a really good theme we’ve had in a while,” Luke said. “The movie 'Sinners' is kinda what it’s based on, and that’s really around a Black story. I hope that we really have fun with it.”
People mingle at the BSU's mocktail bar during Jazz and Poetry Night on Feb. 26, 2026.
Luke emphasized that although the BSU focuses on Black students and culture, events like Jazz and Poetry Night are open to all students.
“I really think that it’s important to just make sure that regardless of that it’s Black Student Union and Black History Month, this event is truly open to everybody that goes here,” Luke said. “We really want to make sure that we’re promoting that and encouraging that. We really want everyone who goes to this school to come here and just have fun.”
Before the main event began, attendees stood at the entrance where they could drink mocktails. Attendees could pick between two drinks: Red Velvet Rhythm, which was made from cranberry and pomegranate juice, grenadine and sprite, or Blue Note Breeze, which was made of lemonade, blue raspberry syrup and soda. The bar also had cherries, lemons and blueberries for garnishes.
At 7 p.m., attendees filed out of the entrance area and mocktail bar through a balloon archway to the main area of the event. There, they sat at tables to wait for the night to officially start.
Once everyone was seated, the night kicked off with a poem by Kennedi Maddox, a sophomore in computer science. Her poem reflected on her experiences as an Auburn student balancing school with Graves’ disease, depression and anxiety.
“It was just so emotional,” Maddox said. “It just felt like if I was to do this [poetry] in life, this is how I’d want to do it, to start it off.”
Then, attendees went to get their food from caterer Pannie-George’s Kitchen. After getting their food, attendees sat back at their tables to listen to people play music and sing.
A student plays the keyboard during BSU's Jazz and Poetry Night on Feb. 26, 2026.
For many students, Jazz and Poetry Night represents a celebration of Black art and community. Kennedi Maddox transferred from Alabama A&M University to Auburn last semester, so the transition from a historically Black university to a predominantly white one often leaves her as the only Black woman in her computer science classes.
“I think this is the most Black people I’ve seen on campus,” Maddox said. “It feels so welcoming. I know I probably wouldn’t have felt comfortable doing this or even going up there if it wasn’t the people that are apart of BSU.”
Maddox also said the event gave her a chance to connect with other Black students.
“It felt like a community,” Maddox said. “I felt heard and seen, and it just feels really real. I think this is going to be a special place in my heart, and I’ll never forget this.”
Two students sing a duet together at BSU's Jazz and Poetry Night on Feb. 26, 2026.
Once the student performances were done, the band Souled Out Groove performed for the event on a stage looking out over the tables and dance floor. The band played several popular funk and R&B songs like “Get Down On It” by Kool & the Gang, “Keep On Rollin” by King George and “This Is How We Do It” by Montell Jordan.
Throughout Souled Out Groove’s performance, students danced and sang together. Later on, the singers came down from the stage to line dance with the attendees. Some students engaged in a dance-off, and another student was given a microphone to sing along with the band. Once the band finished up their set, the crowd cheered for them.
After the band began packing up, the remaining students said their goodbyes and filed out through the balloon archways.
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