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The arena was packed as me and the Gray and Gold sat only a few rows from the court.
I didn’t think so many people would come out, but I guess it was only right to show up for the first home game.
This was one of my favorite parts of being a member of a sorority in which we were respected.
We had all eyes on us. The first couple of days were crazy being in Covana, but this was a highlight.
As the music grew louder, I stood and began one of our line moves, and my sisters followed.
The Deltas and AKAs showed their moves, and they, too, were on the same side, but in different sections.
The Greeks owned the HBCU campus, and everyone knew it.
As the arena grew more packed, we chanted, threw up our hand signal, and ended it with a clear, crisp. “Yee-ee-oop!”
The Gray and Gold rocked our bodies cutely to the music as we were showing off. We swerved our hips, rocked our hands, and did dainty stomps in between.
“Yee-ee-oop!” We repeated.
It was the moment that each sorority and fraternity the school had to offer showed out in some way.
It was the hype the basketball team needed, being that their star player, Xavier, was going to be sitting on the sideline the entire game.
I watched as his face showed how irritated and envious he was not being on the court.
As the game was about to start, they announced who would be singing The Black National Anthem, and when they said Dean August, I almost cringed. I hope she can sing. Everyone stood as she walked out proudly onto the court. She glanced around the arena, taking in every single section inside.
She cleared her throat and belted the first few lines of the song, and it started off well, until her voice cracked.
I watched as people were trying not to laugh, and the basketball team snickered at her voice.
The girls and I looked at each other, and to make her feel good, Reagan blurted. “You’d better sing, Dean August!”
That really boosted her confidence, and her eyes closed as she went to town.
Her off-key crooning sounded jazz-like. Although it was embarrassing to us, I knew to her that the moment felt like everything.
It made me wish I could turn an embarrassing situation into something good so easily.
Dean August had something about her that I loved and hated.
She was the definition of doing what was right.
She provided this line of ethics that we all should have been following, but we were young.
Some were ready to take accountability, and some were not.
I was caught in the middle. My hope was to get the intern position and learn more from her.
However, until then, tonight was about enjoying what TSU had to offer and the games with school pride, shit talking, and battles of which sorority does it the best was all I could focus on in the moment.