By Kiara Jones-Ford
Icebreakers, food, and good company: the Women of Color (WOC) Club at Brooklyn College hosted a game night for students to enjoy this trifecta on Sept. 20. Held at the Student Center, the sunset allowed plenty of sunlight to stream into the room as people walked into the room full of chatter and laughter.
Wisdom Obadofin, BC senior and the president of the club, began the night by handing out red raffle tickets to attendees so they could get ready to begin competing. For Obadofin, the event served as an icebreaker for those who were unfamiliar with the club.
“When we began discussing our first event of the fall semester, we knew that we’d want something lighthearted. Many students weren’t yet familiar with the new e-board members and we also wanted to reach students who are new to BC campus life,” said Obadofin. “Game night would be our buffer. We wanted all who attended to at least meet one or two new people. As we begin to step into the more rigorous parts of the school semester, students just want to breathe, relax, eat, and laugh a little.”
The first game to get everyone’s adrenaline rushing was “A Warm Wind Blows.” The game functions similarly to the rules of musical chairs, except instead of music and everyone moving, you only get up if you fall under a category. For example, someone can say, “A warm wind blows for anyone currently wearing blue.” If you aren’t wearing blue, then you stay seated. But if you are wearing blue, then you must get up and go to another seat. The last person standing after a prompt is the one who gives the next prompt.
The game promoted a scene of fun and chaos, with people pointing out those trying to hide, others running for the last few empty seats, and the determination to not be the last one standing. A relatively low-stakes but exciting icebreaker was the perfect start to prepare for the next game – a game in the style of “Simon Says” in which you must perform an action when an associated word is called, and the last one standing was the winner. Following that came a series of challenges produced by a wheel of “fate,” and the human knot, where two groups tangled themselves by their hands and competed to see who could separate themselves faster.
Rhema Mills, the treasurer of WOC and a senior at BC, added that the goal of the game night was to build camaraderie between new and old members. “We really wanted to engage with the newest members of Women of Color so they could not only get to know us, but also what our club is about. It was really important for us to showcase both while also having a good time and I think doing a game night was the perfect thing for it. I had fun and it was really nice to see old and new members interacting together. It’ll hopefully be the first of many amazing events that we get to host for you guys,” she said.
The night saw all walks of life on campus come and participate. There was a game that everyone could enjoy, no matter the level of competition. After the games were played, dinner was served in the form of dinner rolls, macaroni and cheese, chicken wings, and other options that one would see served at a potluck or get-together with friends.
“We have a lot in store for the student body these next few months,” said Abigail Edouard, vice president of WOC and a junior at BC. “We love having fun, but we also do love to educate. We’re looking forward to learning and help teach others the nuances of domestic violence and also spreading Breast Cancer Awareness throughout the month of October. We are also looking forward to throwing a few celebrations these upcoming months.”
Interested students can follow WOC on Instagram @womenofcolor_bc for updates on future events and connect with WOC leaders and members.