At Black History Month’s close, UMD Honors College hosts Africana Market
By: Isaiah Woodley
The University of Maryland Honors College hosted its first Africana Market — a cultural event that highlighted Black research — on Feb. 28.
Rooted in African culture, the event housed multiple vendors, from Black-owned knitting shops to hair services, and even students who wanted to share their research about Black-history.
Freshman Abby Gosaye was excited that the market displayed her research. “I wanted to see my work come to fruition,” she said. “The market allows us to show what makes us unique.”
The Africana Market is a part of the new Mapping Our Black World initiative. The initiative is made up of UMD faculty, staff and students who look to shape the Black world, as well as uplift and inform communities about the Black experience on campus.
Jalah Townsend, the initiative's director of student research, believes that the Africana Market engages Black students to create close-knit relationships. “I was really excited about the opportunity to provide a space for our Black students to create community with each other,” she said. “This is a cool opportunity for Black students to explore their roots.”
Migdalia Maldonado, the Africana Market event director, mentioned that the event is a chance for Black students to discover themselves. “It’s to show support for each other and to show that there are people on campus that look like them, have their culture and are doing things actively,” she said. “It’s also motivating and energizing to see them doing their own thing.”
Maldonado plans to host the Africana Market again next year. “We may be able to make this a regular thing that we have,” she said. “We’re open to see how it goes with our vendors and if it was worthwhile for them.”