Penn State Zetas honor female entertainers
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., held its second annual “Tribute to Female Entertainers” with a variety of student performers on Thursday night to conclude its female empowerment week.
In the West Study Lounge, the Mighty Mu Eta chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., celebrated female singers, dancers and poets from its and other National Pan-Hellenic Council sorority chapters. Oni Hawkins, president of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., said she wanted tonight to be a great end to the week of empowerment.
“We wanted to promote building up women like we have the rest of the week,” Hawkins (junior-health and human development) said. “We also wanted to make sure we honored women from other sororities.”
The night began with a tribute to female singers with a performance by Germeen Greene (senior-accounting). Greene, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., has sung back-up for artists such as Mary J. Blige, Fantasia and Kelly Clarkson. She also preformed an acapella version of “Kissing You” by Beyonce.
Following Greene was Camille Parchment (junior-nutritional sciences), who performed a musical interpretation of Maya Angelou’s “Phenomenal Woman,” a poem about women’s rights. Dancers were also honored beginning with Latrise Graves (junior-communications sciences and disorders). Graves, a member of Alpha Nu Omega, did an interpretive piece about women laboring in Africa to “Pearls” by India Arie, using an orange scarf and pearls as props.
Members of Urban Dance Troupe performed to a mix of hip-hop songs followed by another interpretative dance piece by Deidra Mckenzie (junior-advertising and integrative arts). Mckenzie, a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., has been dancing professionally since the age of 10. She did a modern piece on what she called “getting back up when we fall down.”
“I am exploring dance through how you’re feeling at the moment,” Mckenzie said.
Amid females was a lone male performer, William Dennis, a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Dennis (senior-energy, business and finance) read “Her eyes” and
“She Seduced Me With Her Eyes,” two poems he wrote about females’ impact on him.
Mckenzie did a second performance, this time reading three poems she wrote. For one of her poems, “You Bring Out the Jamacian in Me,” she put on a Jamacian accent, which elicited laughter from the crowd.
After each set of performances was finished, a short history was given of a few accomplished female performers. Alicia Keys, Ruby Dee and Hattie McDaniel were all honored. Some students were excited to see the African American female performers of the evening.
“I came because I wanted to see more black events,” Chelsey Harris (freshman-health policy administration) said.
