Student Association’s (SA) “This Is Us” is a multicultural performance night happening on April 21 at 9:15 p.m. in the Iles Gymnasium.
Spearheaded by SA President Phillip Warfield, the storyline consists of a Christ-like, mentor figure pulling the hero of the story into a TV and taking him on a journey to collect pieces of the armor of God. Along the way, the hero, representative of Southern, will learn cultural and spiritual values that he did not previously understand. According to Warfield, the hero will be journeying through Asian, Latin American and Black culture through the lens of pop culture.
At the start of the event, the gym will be featuring different cultural booths and foods. Warfield compared the experience to Disney’s Epcot--where an individual goes around the park and collects “bite-sized pieces” of different cultures. The cultural performances, combined with elements of pop culture, will present a lesson about unification and acceptance.
Warfield has been working on this project since last summer.
“‘This Is Us’ started because I know that Southern has a dark shadow in its past,” Warfield said. “This is us today. This is the new Southern culture. It is not reflective of the horrible past that the school has had. This is a place for all people to be a part of.”
Freshman nursing student Hannah Hoey said “I really hope this does bring us all together in some way. The way things have been lately, Southern could use a little more unity.”
Junior Rhidge Garcia and SA President Elect said “‘This Is Us’ will be a ground-breaking, heart-wrenching, mind-blowing, culture-defying experience, at the very least. The skits, stories, and ideas Phil has shared with me are revolutionary. Something that once was an idea has now become so palpable that it would be an injustice for Southern not to experience it. Now one question remains: SAU, are you ready, Big Fella?”