Food trucks, vendors, live performances and Clemson University organizations filled Clemson’s amphitheater as the Clemson National Association for the Advancement of Colored People hosted its first annual S.H.I.N.E. Festival on Feb 18.
The Sharing History, Inspiration, Narratives and Excellence Festival celebrated aspects of Black history and culture, featuring local Black-owned businesses and restaurants, to highlight the “the relationship between culture and economic contribution within the Black American community,” according to the event’s official listing.
The evening began with performances by Clemson’s Gospel Choir and Hip Hop Club, followed by a speech from South Carolina superintendent of education candidate Sylvia Wright. Later, there was a trail ride from the Death Valley Steppas with artist Producedby1k.
The event featured food trucks like Everything Egg Roll and O’ Taste & See Hot Mini Donuts, among other vendors, with a strong focus on Black-owned businesses.
“It feels amazing to have so many creative people, like-minded people who advocate for our community. The people that vend out the stuff that they make, it really makes us feel like home, to be honest, in Clemson,” Jada Poindexter, a sophomore criminal justice major and public relations chair for Clemson NAACP, told The Tiger in an interview.
Around 300 students bought tickets to the inaugural event, Poindexter told The Tiger.
Raleigh Tramaine Rush, author of 15 years, was at the S.H.I.N.E. Festival for a book signing for his newest children’s book, “Kaleigh: Dancing is My Superpower.”
A Florence, South Carolina, native, Rush shared that his experience and work as a Black writer have been inspired by his family’s legacy.
In 2009, Rush discovered that his great-uncle had been a Darlington County statesman responsible for writing legislation that democratized education, making it free for all county residents.
“There’s a school now named after him in Florence called Alfred Rush Academy. And so knowing that, it gave me more confidence to deal with writing and education,” Rush told The Tiger in an interview.
“I’m also a pastor, which puts me in a position where I feel like I’m an advocate for children,” Rush said. “Average children that need help, they get help. Children that are very gifted, they get recognition, but sometimes fall into cracks. So I wanted to write a book to encourage what I consider regular kids to let them know that there is a superhero in them.”
The festival also features new business owners such as Clemson NAACP member Madison Talia, a junior biology and psychology double major. Talia is also the owner of The Nail Lab, a business she opened to the public around two months ago.
The S.H.I.N.E. Festival was a group effort. Multiple different committees in Clemson NAACP helped put together the event, taking around a month and a half, according to Ivanah Johnson, a sophomore nursing major on the financial services committee with Clemson NAACP.
Clemson NAACP Financial Services Chair Trinity Charmont, a senior animal and veterinary sciences major, says she joined the organization because she “wanted to make a change or impact on the Clemson community,” a goal perfectly embodied by the S.H.I.N.E. Festival. Hopefully, the event will return to celebrate and share Black culture for years to come.
