The Black Student Union, an educational organization at Grand Valley State University, will host three major events to celebrate Black History Month this weekend.

While the organization’s main purpose is to educate students and showcase the importance of the African community to GVSU’s population, it wants to do so in an entertaining way.

“We strive to be ‘edutaining’ — educational and entertaining,” said Cecil Johnson, BSU vice president. “Our organization helps to relieve our minds from school and relax. We do so even in our meetings, which are family-oriented, something that sets us apart from other organizations like ours.”

On Thursday, BSU will present the Celebration of Black Arts. Along with a speech on empowerment from Eric Stevenson, this event will exemplify the formation and evolvement of singing, dance and music throughout African American history.

“We will be time traveling back from the time of tribal African dancing and leading up to modern art forms, like stepping,” Johnson said.

The event will begin at 7 p.m. with dinner in the Kirkhof Center’s Grand River Room.

To continue the commemoration, Friday will be a night of laughter as BSU hosts a comedy show, to be held in the Grand River room at 9 p.m. The event, which showcases two comedians, will follow the history of leading laugh-getters like Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor. It will be showcasing two major comedians.

BSU will host “GV’s Got Talent” at 8 p.m. on Saturday, a vital component to the organization’s goal to entertain while educating. The show will feature acts of mind-blowing magic, joyous juggling and soulful singing.

On Sunday, the “wind down” will consist of a pool party at GVSU’s Recreation Center from 2 to 3 p.m. Following this, BSU will host a potluck and musical “Soulfest” at 48West.

“We want the campus to know we’re open to all races, ages and genders,” Johnson said. “Our motto is ‘Unity without Exclusion.’”

hmatro@lanthorn.com