“To me, Black joy is really just being yourself and being with Black people. Being able to unapologetically be yourself is the most joyful thing you can be,” said Khalia Fitzhugh-Crenshaw, Umoja retention coordinator and an organizer for the 2025 Black Joy Banquet.

Lead retention coordinator of Umoja, Khalia Fitzhugh-Crenshaw.

Umoja and the Black Student Union (BSU) joined together on the evening of March 1 to host this year’s Black Joy Banquet at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. Attendees dressed head-to-toe in glam, donning dapper suits and flowy, shimmering dresses to honor the ocean theme. Jamaican food from BackAYard Caribbean Grill was served, and diners raved about the crispy jerk chicken and rich mac and cheese. 

The food of the night was a huge hit!

After the dinner, attendees meandered through the empty museum and admired tanks featuring eels, ghostly jellyfish and camouflaged rockfish.

“It feels very majestic to see a bunch of Black people in a room, looking at jellyfish, touching hermit crabs, interacting with nature in that way,” Fitzhugh-Crenshaw said. “To have that event merge with nature and marine life and conservation efforts is really special to us.” 

Khalia Fitzhugh-Crenshaw (left) & Ariana Kosmides (right). 

Umoja member Janelle Harvey at the interactive tank (middle).

Daniel Castaneda pets a hermit crab.

The banquet happened to coincide with the end of Black History Month and was intended to celebrate Black excellence. 

“There were people from other communities as well who were there to celebrate, which I really liked because regardless, we’re still reflecting on the month that is dedicated to us,” said Janelle Harvey, a Umoja member. 

Carlia Woods, a second-year UC Santa Cruz student majoring in global and community health, spontaneously decided to come to the event because it was one of the few big events for the Black community on campus that she’s seen.

“[Black joy] is a sense of community you have when you go into a Black space,” Woods said. “It’s a sense of relief in the community you have when you step in.” 

Around 9 p.m., organizers put a speaker in the middle of the open-floor area of the aquarium.

“No one was on the dance floor for a full five or ten minutes,” said Ariana Kosmides, Umoja member and event organizer, “and then ‘The Wobble’ came on and everyone started dancing.” 

People dancing!

Attendees from left to right, Stephanie Sanchez Toscano, Jazmine Noguera, Damaris Lopez, and Kailyn Burdine.

At the end of the night, a lottery was held for attendees. Winners received merchandise from high-end, Black-owned businesses, whose products were specifically created for Black people.

Fitzhugh-Crenshaw noted that although the banquet was a once-a-year event, Black joy can be found in any place where community comes together.

“We could always get together and have Black joy, we don’t even need a room,” Fitzhugh-Crenshaw said. “If Black people are together, we can make something joyful happen, and that’s joyful in itself. That’s a revolutionary act in itself, that Black people can be here when they’re not supposed to.”