Inspired by the film of the same title, the National Society of Black Engineers hosted their annual Love Jones event in Lamberton Hall on Valentine’s Day. Students were encouraged to read poetry, spoken word or perform music based upon the themes of romance and love.
“Even though over time we will add new things, see new faces and try different styles of presentation, at its core, it is still and will always be Love Jones,” said Freddy Coleman, ’17, member of the National Society of Black Engineers.
The Love Jones event has served as a tradition to bring people together and encourage them to try new things. It has also served to foster relations between the National Society of Black Engineers, the Black Student Union and the African-Caribbean Culture Club. The event is not held to raise money or awareness for a cause, but simply to allow people to have a good time and enjoy Valentine’s Day.
“We have been doing this longer than I have been here, and I have always enjoyed it because Valentine’s Day is for everyone to kick back and have a great time,” said Bruke Mammo, ’17, president of the National Society of Black Engineers and director of the Love Jones event.
Mammo said that collaboration is what makes this event a success.
“People who did not even sign up to help are helping anyway,” he said, “which shows how much joy Love Jones brings.”
Tiffany Montgomery, ’16, the president of the Black Student Union, said she has volunteered for the event every year while she’s been at Lehigh. She said she has noticed that Love Jones and Lehigh overall are becoming more collaborative.
“We are building events with other people and fostering beneficial relationships to create bigger and better events,” she said.
“I can’t believe the amazing turnout,” Janysa Morales, ’16, said. “The performances were raw, passionate and appealed to emotions. Even if going up on stage was a little bit embarrassing, I still had a great time.”
The doors opened at 7 p.m., and guests were encouraged to socialize among themselves and enjoy the food and drinks that were provided. Lamberton was decorated with red, pink and white streamers, with pieces of candy and chocolates on the tables.
The event started with performances by students who showcased their talent through either spoken word, poetry or songs about love. After these performances, there was a competition to see who could say the best pick-up line. The winner received a prize.
Spoken word performer Johnathan Gonzalez, ’19, said he spoke during the event because his friends suggested that he go up and perform.
“I enjoy being up on stage expressing myself,” Gonzalez said. “My piece is titled ‘True Love Answer,’ and it is inspired by the feeling of wanting to be more than friends with someone else.”
Round two of the romantic games consisted of a newlywed game, where couples or best friends were encouraged to come up on the stage and attempt to guess how well they knew each other.
At the end of the night, there was a final best-dressed competition for singles, where winners were chosen based on the audience’s applause, as well as an open mic performance.
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