The 12th annual UMOJA Step and Stroll Exhibition and Competition was held on Friday, March 7, 2025 in the Alma Thomas Theatre. “Umoja” is a word meaning unity, something not only being strived for on campus, but also  demonstrated at this event. Although ‘stepping’ and ‘strolling’ are traditionally from African American culture, they have expanded to become a more multicultural activity. 

As the MCs explained, the Southwestern Step and Stroll was founded as a multicultural event to bring together Greek life, non-Greek organizations, and other organizations in central Texas. At this event, there were two teams from Southwestern University (Black Student Union [BSU], and Kappa Delta Chi), and two off campus teams (The Epsilon Iota Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, from UT Austin, and Nyoka, from Dessau Middle School). 

Stepping is a style of dance that uses bodies to create percussive sounds and synchronized movements. Strolling is a more fluid dance that is usually done in a circle or line. Each Greek organization has signature strolls, which are specific and synchronized movements. Both stepping and strolling originally evolved within historically black sororities and fraternities, and symbolized pride and unity.

This event was sponsored by multiple organizations. One was Nia, which means ‘purpose’. It is an organization on campus to promote the interests of, advocate for, and foster a sense of community for black women. Another sponsor was UPC, the University Programming Council at Southwestern University, which helps to plan important events like this one. EMPIRE, Established Men Promoting Intelligence, Respect, and Efficacy, is another campus organization that advocates for the success of black men on campus here at Southwestern. The student activities office at Southwestern also sponsored this event.

The four MCs of the night introduced the performers and gave more information about the history of the event, as well as the teams performing. They told jokes and provided segues between the performers. They also held a roll call, letting the organizations demonstrate their signature and unique calls. Southwestern’s own fraternities and sororities were also called out, and members of the audience responded. This created a way for the audience to get involved and feel connected to the performers. 

All of the competitors were judged by a panel of judges from the Divine 9 (a council composed of nine historically African American sororities and fraternities). The judges were all from HBCUs, historically Black colleges and universities established before 1964. In fact, most of the Divine 9 organizations were founded at HBCUs. After the first performance, each of the judges was called out by the MCs and stood so that the audience could recognize them with a round of applause. 

Introduced by the MCs, all of the performing teams provided a brief history of their organizations during their performances. Epsilon Iota chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, a fraternity from the University of Texas at Austin, took to the stage first. Originally established for African American men in 1906, the fraternity is now open to all races. They first danced to music and then incorporated more percussive elements.  Performing second, Nyoka, the Dessau Middle School step team, displayed a stunning performance. The crowd roared with cheers for them, with many people shouting out the names of individual members in a way of encouragement. Third, the Southwestern University Black Student Union (BSU) took to the stage . They also gave a brief history of their organization and its foundation throughout the performance. Kappa Delta Chi, the Latina-based sorority at Southwestern, performed as well. KDChi aims to empower women and focuses on community service. 

The judges voted and tallied scores while Alpha Phi Alpha performed one final time. The teams were judged based on ten different factors, which include showmanship, originality, spirit, and crowd involvement. Before the winners were announced, the MCs thanked the volunteers, sponsors, judges, and Dr. Alicia Moore for their contributions to the event. 

At the end of the night, the MCs announced the winners. The first place prize went to Black Student Union, with second place going to Kappa Delta Chi. They received the $300 cash prize, which was split for their philanthropy of their choosing.