By Madalyn Watson | Staff Writer
Baylor’s Women in the NAACP chapter and the Pi Mu chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) hosted the The PreTea “pretty” Party: Delighting in the Beauty of the Butterfly on Sunday in honor of Black History Month.
The inaugural event, in honor of Black History Month, featured a speech from Dr. Tyhra Lindsey Warren, a clinical assistant professor of marketing. There was also a tea party at the Foster Campus for Business and Innovation at 3 p.m.
San Antonio senior Sydney Drake, the WIN chair for Baylor’s NAACP as well as a programming chair for AKA, planned the event that combined the two organizations.
“I wanted two historically black organizations to come together. I thought it would be great for us to celebrate each other this February,” Drake said.
Sugar Land junior Madelyn Gee, the Ivy Leaf reporter for AKA, said the purpose of the event was to bring everyone together to lift each other up and empower each other.
“For us to be able to come together through NAACP and through Pi Mu and be able to be in a nice, comfortable environment for us to be able to relax chill out but then also be able to empower one another,” Gee said.
Everyone dressed in their Sunday best, wearing nice dresses and some even sporting hats and gloves.
Attendants were charged $5 at the door of the event, and all of the money earned will be given as a scholarship to a high school student in Waco.
“We have an HBCU initiative, which is historically black colleges and universities, and basically all the money that we earn from this event will go to a high school student that’s going to an HBCU,” Drake said.
The event’s subtitle, Delighting in the Beauty of the Butterfly, was inspired by quote from Maya Angelou.
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty,” Angelou said.
Dr. Tyhra Lindsey Warren, the keynote speaker, referenced this quote during her speech titled, ‘Letting your light shine and How I learned to do so from my living legends.’
“Just like this beautiful butterfly, I have gone through a metamorphosis and as I look over my life, I believe I’ve experienced many metamorphosis and have more to live for, especially if you believe in life long learning,” Warren said.
Warren began her speech singing “This Little Light of Mine,” which was written by Harry Dixon Loes and was later adapted from the civil rights movement; she referenced the song throughout the afternoon.
“If you remember nothing from my message today, I hope you will always remember to let your uniqueness, your confidence, your beauty and brilliance shine in all that you do,” Warren said.
Warren shared a video of author and motivational speaker Lisa Nichols, entitled “How to let your light shine bright” with the guests that she typically shares with her students on their last day of class.
In addition to Warren’s speech, Lafayette, La., senior Kristen Mouton performed a poem of hers titled “Flower Work” inspired by a poem with same title by the poet, Nayyirah Waheed.
Also, guests discussed empowerment and inspiring black women in order to find a common ground among their peers.
“Empowerment to me, would be supporting one another through our differences, no matter what your background is,” Gee said.
