When a group of Clark Atlanta University students decided to forgo a lavender graduation in favor of a prom celebrating LGBTQ students, they put a special twist on the night, according to Capital B Atlanta.
BLAQ, Clark Atlanta's LGBTQ+ student organization, was started to create safe spaces, foster community, and provide resources for queer students within the Atlanta University Center. This week the group hosted the Noir After Dark Masquerade Prom for around 20 students.
"It was a decision if we were going to have a lavender graduation or a prom, and we decided on a prom because we wanted to have an event of celebration and just a space for everybody to enjoy themselves and have a good time," BLAQ President Raniah Corrian told Capital B Atlanta.
Students were encouraged to wear whatever made them feel most comfortable. The dance floor saw the Wobble (with its updated Gen Z choreography), the Tamia shuffle, and the Flex. "It's basically just meant to be a celebration of our culture in general, just giving everybody a space to be themselves before you go out into the world, separating from each other," said Devonte Brown, a 21-year-old senior from Seattle who is majoring in psychology and serves as Mister BLAQ.
For senior My'ah White, attending Clark has helped her expand her horizons. "When I first got to Clark I didn't really immerse myself into the queer culture here," White said. "I really started last year, going to events, and that's when I started to feel like I had a community."
BLAQ was founded by Jasper Brooks in February 2022. The Atlanta University Center, which sits on the western edge of downtown next to the West End, has been one of the most consistent producers of Black LGBTQ student leadership in the country, and BLAQ continues that tradition for Clark Atlanta specifically. The Noir After Dark Prom is the kind of event that builds the kind of senior-year memory that lasts.
