By Lacie Blankenship
The Owen Black Students Association (OBSA) and the Owen Black History Month Working Group are hosting a series of programming throughout February to commemorate Black History Month 2025. Read below for more information on OBSA and the upcoming events, which are open to all members of the Owen community.
What is OBSA?
OBSA, or the Owen Black Students Association, is a student organization at Vanderbilt Business that strives to meet the distinct needs of Black students while creating a culture of belonging and fostering the advancement of students of African, West Indian, and Caribbean descent. All Owen students are welcome to join OBSA and participate in events the organization hosts.
The current leaders of the organization are Abdul-fatai Adetula (MBA’25), President, and three Vice Presidents, Emmanuel Oluwagbade (MBA’25), Ifeloluwa Adefolaju (MBA’25), and Masala Thomas (MBA’25). Vanderbilt Business staff advisors for OBSA include Sylvia Boyd, Program Manager, MBA Recruiting and Admissions, and Anand Samuel, Associate Director of Student Life.
What is the Black History Month Working Group?
Image from TPAC Step Afrika public ticket page
The Black History Month Working Group came out of a working group initiative led by MaKaila Knight-Allder, Assistant Director of Student Life, Community and Belonging, at Vanderbilt Business. This overarching initiative prioritizes community and belonging for all members of the Vanderbilt Business community by allowing faculty, staff, and students of all backgrounds to join forces to create engaging events to celebrate the various identities in the community. Since its creation, the working groups at Vanderbilt Business have planned programming including Hispanic Heritage Month, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi American Month, Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month, and Native American Heritage Month.
The Black History Month Working Group includes MaKaila Knight-Allder, Chris Wszalek, Executive Director, Academic and Student Affairs, Gabrielle Lopaino, Assistant Professor of Management, Jalen Brown, Assistant Director/Lead Diversity Recruiter, Recruiting and Admissions, and Jen Riley, Senior Lecturer of Marketing.
What is Black History Month?
National Black History Month was created to commemorate the contributions and struggles of Black people in the United States. While Congress officially designated the month in 1986, its origins date back to 1915. Black History Month serves as a time to reflect on the experiences and contributions of Black people in the United States–from the 17th century to today.
Black History Month 2025 at Vanderbilt Business
OBSA Closing Bell
OBSA will host the Closing Bell on Thursday, February 6, at 6:00 PM at Management Hall. As always, Closing Bell is open to all Owen community members and their friends and families.
Guest Speaker: Eric Nyamor
Image from the Black History Month Working Group
Nashville author, illustrator, and entrepreneur, Erihii (Eric) Nyamor will visit Management Hall as a guest speaker on February 7 at 2:30 PM. The session will be held in Averbuch (Room 209). Nyamor will speak on his artistic journey, how he promotes his work, and his collaboration with the Nashville Predators to design a custom Black History Month fan jersey. Professor Jen Riley will moderate the conversation.
In addition to hearing insight from Nyamor, all students who attend the event will receive a discount code for the Saturday, February 8 Predators game. The game will honor Eric as a special guest for Black History Month. Students can find more information on the event on Anchor Link and must tap in at the event to receive the discount for the game.
Step Afrika
Step Afrika will perform at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) on February 7 at 6:00 PM. Vanderbilt Business students interested in attending the event should contact OBSA leadership for tickets. Tickets to the event are sold to the public on the TPAC website.
OBSA Trivia Night
On February 19 at 6:00 PM, OBSA will host Trivia Night for Vanderbilt Business students in Management Hall, Room 125.
In addition to the programming hosted at Owen, the Vanderbilt community is invited to celebrate Black History Month 2025 through campus and local events. The Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center has compiled a list of local Black History Month events, ranging from a Soul Food Luncheon to a symposium on how Black churches engage with AI.
