Issue date: 2/3/09 Section: News

Ava Coleman, a senior history major, watches a YouTube video titled "Barack and Michelle's Love Story" play on a screen at the "Yes We Can," event on Monday in 7th Street Underground. (Karolina Strack/TheDaily Eastern News)

Students reflected, sang, read poems and watched YouTube videos at "Yes We Can: A Celebration of History in the Making," in the 7th Street Underground last night.

The celebration kicked off the African-American Heritage Month, which helped celebrate Barack Obama's presidency and his mark in history.

It included a variety of videos from YouTube and student's reactions to the videos and Obama's presidency.

"To see where we are going makes me proud," said Ava Coleman, a senior history major.

Students read poems; some that were self-written, some previously-penned. Stephen Tyler, a corporate communications major, wrote one of the poems, "The Motivation of Proclamation."

Robert Hawkins, a junior at Charleston High School, shared his experience in Washington D.C. during Obama's Inauguration. He showed a PowerPoint presentation including pictures he took while there.

A few of the YouTube videos included "Homer Simpson Tries To Vote For Obama," "An Obama 'Love Story,'" and Beyonce's rendition of "'At last,' Barack and Michelle Obama's First Dance at the Neighborhood Inauguration."

EIU's Unity Gospel Choir performed where other students joined in and felt empowered and proud.

"It [the program] was very insightful because it displayed different views and opinions of our 44th president," said Shir'Mond Burroughs, a freshman business management major.

Khalan Todd, a freshman communications major, said the program was informational and that it had more emotion than just one speaker would imagine.




More African-American Heritage Month events:




Kristin Jording can be reached at 581-7942 or at kejording@eiu.edu.