CSUN Black Scholars Matter is hosting a karaoke funk night on Feb. 24 from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Thousand Oaks Room in the University Student Union. This is BSM’s first event of the year, and students are welcome to celebrate their favorite Black artists by singing their songs and sharing information on how these artists have impacted the Black community.

BSM is an expansion of CSUN’s Bridge to the Future scholars program directed by sociology professor David Boyns. The program was created to provide students from Canoga Park High School with a tuition-free CSUN education and additional help, removing numerous obstacles to academic success, according to CSUN Today.

“[The program] is a great opportunity for young scholars,” BSM public relations and marketing manager Bryan Arevalo said to CSUN Today. “As a CSUN alum, this is something I wish I had when attending college — support that is offered in the mental, intellectual, physical, and spiritual realm.”

The BSM program, directed by Africana studies professor Theresa White, builds on the success of the Bridge to the Future program to create something more focused for the Black community at CSUN.

“There aren’t many Black-oriented spaces on CSUN’s campus, as less than five percent of students are Black/African American. This is a unique program that serves to support and increase the pipeline of Black students at CSUN,” said Patrick Anderson, the BSM creative media editor, in a text to the Daily Sundial.

The program is funded in part by diversity, equity and inclusion grants. Every Friday morning, workshops for the scholars of the program meet on campus.

Deeja Ray, BSM outreach coordinator, told CSUN Today that the support the program brings has profoundly impacted kids in the Black community by giving them a chance to develop in various areas throughout their lives.