Ebony Weekend was a conference idea that grew from the annual Ebony Ball, which was an event hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Platteville’s Black Student Union since the early 1970’s. The original purpose of the Ebony Ball was to create an inclusive, celebratory space that was consciously designed with the comfort of UW-Platteville’s Black Student Union at the forefront of the event. While this annual, evening event granted Black students a celebratory space of their own, the majority of students and community members were from all backgrounds; they were encouraged to participate and engage in an environment that was not constructed specifically for their comfort. During these balls, an Ebony King and Queen were nominated and selected similar to the homecoming process. The practice of selecting an Ebony Queen and King began to fade as black students began to participate more broadly in campus life activities. The last year that the Ebony Ball existed as a stand-alone event was February 2004. This was the first year that the best-dressed competition was introduced and the winners were Melvin D. Williams and Artanya M. Wesley (Melvin was killed in Milwaukee four years later in June of 2009 while breaking up a fight, the best-dressed competition was named after him that point forward).
In preparation for the Ebony Ball of 2004, the Black Student Union members were charged with recruiting attendees from their respective communities to participate in the celebratory event. There was a competition created to enhance ticket sales in which more than 350 tickets were sold (the ticket price for the ball was $35 per person).
The event consisted of BSU family members and community members from Milwaukee, WI; Chicago, IL; Madison, WI; Dubuque, IA; and Gary, IN. There were 80+-year-old grandmothers down to 17-year-old seniors in high school (parental suggestion was advised for those under 17 as the comedian was for a mature audience). The night ended at 12AM and the over-whelming majority of participants complained that the event seem to go by too fast. The trans-generational interaction was very positive and encouraging and many noticed the elders engaged with the young people throughout the night.
The week after the 2004 Ebony Ball, the President of BSU introduced the concept of an Ebony Weekend to the BSU board. The Ebony Weekend planning phase began July 1, 2004. A chart was created to divide the tasks amongst the board members. The goal was to establish Ebony Weekend as a national conference focused on bridging the generational divide in the Black community. This divide was viewed on multiple levels, with age being a central focus, but included educational division issues as well as class division issues in the black community. It was decided to solicit as many black (still welcoming non-black) college students across the country to participate in this new conference initiative.
The BSU created evening phone trees (supported by the Multicultural Education Resource Center) reaching out to the black student unions at over 500 campuses throughout the United States. UW-Platteville Black Student Union members were encouraged to reach out to as many family members as possible to invite parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles, and cousins that would benefit from participating or contributing to the core intent of the conference. During our planning we surveyed potential participants to find out what they would like to see at the upcoming conference (This was an unusual model but people really enjoyed being heard prior to arriving rather than after leaving the event with hopes for a better next year). The resounding recommendation from those surveyed was that they really wanted the food to be awesome. The entire BSU board concurred with this assertion.
We met with catering and we determined that the meal cost per person would be approximately $45-$50 in order to achieve our goals of having spectacular food. We began to offer a choice for the plated meals during the ball event. The decision to charge $100 did not go un-debated as many felt it was too low considering the amount we were spending. It was ultimately determined that it was in the best interest of the community and the organization to keep this conference non-profit, so we went with the $100 per person and we received supplemental funds from MERC and we were able to use SUFAC funds as well as receiving assistance from UWP Foundation, Criminal Justice Department, Women’s Studies, Women’s Center, Ethnic Studies, Auxiliary Services, and Student Affairs. The first budget estimate for Ebony Weekend was approximately $31,000 including projected food cost although the food number was subject to change depending on amount of confirmed participants.
250 x $100 per Participant = $25000-($11,250 cost per person)= $13,750
The agenda for the conference was Friday evening, all-day Saturday, and Sunday morning until noon. There are three main goals created that were used to determine if the conference was a success:
50% Educational
25% Interactive
25% Entertaining
We felt we met and exceeded this mark.
The president created the original breakout sessions and presenters were located to present on that particular area. This was done to preserve the intent of the conference and to ensure that the content of the sessions were in line with the purpose of the Weekend.
We were able to attract students as far as California, New Jersey, Minnesota, Iowa, Boston, Ohio, Michigan, and UW’s Parkside, Whitewater, Superior, Stevens Point, Madison, Milwaukee, Marquette, and MATC. Including students, professors, staff members, and BSU family and community members 267 people participated in the first annual Ebony Weekend. The Event has existed annually since 2005.
Throwback
Here is a picture taken from the 1980 yearbook showing Joe and Kathy Lomax, our honored guest at the fifth Ebony Ball “A Walk through Paradise.”
"We have to talk about liberating minds as well as liberating society."