By: Jessica Farley

At Soul Food Night celebrating Black History month — there were collard greens, sweet potato pie — and plates full of puposas and quesadillas.

Quesadillas?

“[There is] a rich African cultural history in Latin America, from Afro-Cuban dance to the large African populations in Brazil,” explains Wendi N. Manuel Scott, a professor of African and African American Studies at George Mason University. “In fact, there were more enslaved Africans in Brazil than in any of the Americas.”

So, Black History History Month ended with about 60 people eating both Latin and African American soul food.

“Everyone loved all of the food, and we had a blast,”  said Christine Gonzales, 21-year-old president of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, who is majoring in Integrative Studies. “This event was a really fun way to share our cultures with other people.”

Her sorority as well as Zeta Phi Beta African American Sorority organized the event for the second year — but it was the first year the dinner was officially part of Black History month. Sorority sisters helped prepare the food, along with Sodexo (GMU’s campus food provider) and local restaurants, such as El Buen Gusto  in Fairfax.

With plans to incorporate their bi-cultural exploration of food and dance into next future Black History Month’s events, Gonzales says she hopes for an even larger turn-out in years to come.

“With free food, lots of dancing, and great music, I think ‘Soul Food Night’ will continue to be a success,” predicts Gonzales.