‘A showcase of Black excellence and Black joy’: The annual Ujima fashion show
Bringing awareness of African, African American, and Caribbean cultures to the campus and local community is Ujima’s mission. In March, the student club held its annual fashion show. Organized entirely by students, the campus tradition (which goes back to the 1990s) is a celebration of Black talent and creativity. Luna Peralta ’23, a senior studying environmental science from the Bronx and Ujima’s club president, described her experience directing the 2023 show.
Ujima is one of the oldest multicultural groups on campus.
“Dedicated to support and sustain the Black community both on and off campus, we're a community of love, support, and celebration. I say Ujima will always and should always be a safe space for those in need.
Ujima also creates a great space for people who want to be future leaders by being a part of our yearlong executive board positions. I have been on this e-board for three years in multiple roles.
Luna Peralta ’23, who directed the 2023 show.
We have various events on campus, but spring semester is our biggest semester with events during Black History Month and of course the Annual Fashion Show.”
Ujima’s fashion show has become a tradition for the club and 91.
“These shows are meant to mark the end of our Black History Month series. The show dates all the way back to the 1990s, and it is a staple for our club to host it.
Farah Abdullah ‘25
Due to the pandemic, many people in my class and below did not get to experience a full-on fashion show until last year when our past co-president Erica Smith '22 held the first fashion show since 2019 called ‘Infiltrate.’
The dance group the Extrava-Gemz: (from left) Oluchi Dike ’26, Kendrice Roc ’23, Ari Dean ’26, Aminah Hopewell ’26, and Deidri-Ann Mckenzie ‘26.
Luckily, this year our show got more models and more performances so now people are aware of how amazing our fashion shows can be. I am overly grateful to have added to this tradition and to have been able to document it for future participants to see.”
The fashion show’s 2023 theme was ‘The Four Elements of Blackness.’
“This show’s theme was taken from the theme of the show that would have happened in spring 2020. The theme was created by alums Simone Hadebe '20 and Kadi Diallo '20, who granted me permission to adapt this show into my own vision during my planning stage.
The purpose of ‘The Four Elements of Blackness’ was to show Black beauty through various acts which are the four elements of nature:
Earth is meant to represent the connection to our roots in Black culture and the Pan-African diaspora.
Haja Trawally ‘26
Fire is representative of the summer cookout, which is a tradition in the Black community. (Ujima is hosting its own at the end of the semester.)
Air is representative of being a part of a more than human experience in connection to spirituality.
Water is just pure fluidity. The songs in the show connect to each act, which I tried very hard to convey when creating the mix for the show. For example, for the water act, the songs played were those that are typically meant to make people feel good about their own individuality.
My overall goal for this show was just to showcase pure Black excellence and Black joy.”
Directing the show required nearly two semesters of love and labor.
“As the director, my job was to organize many aspects of the fashion show including the theme, location, and participants. I started planning for this show in the fall and worked through my winter break and the majority of this semester.
I have done many things as the director, which have provided me with skills that I did not know I had: I choreographed and organized the walking sequences for each scene (my models got their walks down perfectly), and I got to practice my Photoshop skills in order to create the posters for the fashion show, which my photographer Jose Santos '23 and I shot together. Due to a time conflict, I had to mix all the music for the show on my own. I am proud of myself because I had never produced or mixed music before.
Thankfully I had amazing stylists, Djeneba Sanogo '26 and Elina Grooman '26, who took their roles very seriously in creating ensembles with thrifted items and clothing provided by the models. I am also thankful for my stage help, Yainy DeJesus Guzman '23 and Jennifer Carretero '26, who helped with decorations and the lighting of each scene. Lastly, this show would not have been possible without the help of all the models that practiced nonstop in order to get their walks down perfectly.”
The show is also an opportunity to highlight students’ passions outside the classroom.
Abigail Adeneye ’26, Jose Brito ’25, Daniella Mothersil ’26, Haja Trawally ’26, Kendrice Roc ’23, Farah Abdullah ’25, Cheimi Reyes ’24, Aminah Hopewell ’26, Ari Dean ’26, Ivory Gipson ’25, and Victor Miezah ‘23 (Photo José Santos ’23)
“Deidri-Ann McKenzie '26, a first-year student, has shown so much talent through her dancing and started the dance group the Extrava-Gemz. Our show was the Extrava-Gemz's first performance so I could not wait to see everyone's reaction.
Anesu Mukombiwa '24 sang a song, and her voice is utterly beautiful and can captivate anyone who is willing to listen.
Additionally, I am going into grad school for film directing and this experience solidified the reasons why I want to go into that field.”