The Haitian American Student Association brought its annual Charity Date Night to the University of Massachusetts on Friday, as the Campus Center Auditorium was filled with vibrant music, dancing and food.

The student association, chartered in 1985, focuses on providing a community for Haitian students as well as raising money for their community service initiative Progressive Efforts for the Advancement & Change in Haiti, or PEACH.

The event was free of charge but accepted donations, with all proceeds going to PEACH. Neesha Firmin, a freshman biology major, described the event as “kind of like an auction.”

“There are mysterious contestants that you can be put on a date with,” Firmin said. “Then you can go on an actual date with them or spend time with them.”

“Usually we choose 12 to 14 contestants maximum. Seven boys and seven girls,” added vice-president of HASA Ania Amedee. The auction was meant not only to raise money, but to also get people interacting.

For many of the attendees, one of the highlights of the night was the dance performances by HASA’s dance group Kompa. Kompa choreographs and performs dances to traditional Haitian compas music, a style similar to méringue.

Kompa dancer and freshman Bertovah Michel shared, “My favorite part about dancing is the fact that I’m connecting to my people and culture.”

“The HASA dance team is just beautiful,” Amedee said. “It’s so smooth and sensual. It just makes you want to participate.”

The event was not only about community service, but also about celebrating Haitian culture on the UMass campus. For freshman economics major Maelle Pascal, being Haitian means being connected to her cultural heritage and uplifting her values and traditions throughout everyday life.

“I do not feel like my culture is represented on campus,” she said. “So, it is only within these small groups that you might encounter Haitian culture.”

According to Pascal and Michel, the event is incredibly important because it gives them an opportunity to celebrate their heritage with their community and friends.

“It means the world to me because it shows me that we are being represented,” Michel said, “and it also shows that we are important, and that I’ll always have the support of my people on a campus that is a primarily white institution.”

 President of HASA Divine Kamba shared a story of what she thought was the best part of the night.

“There was a battle between two guys. One was actually her boyfriend and one was just a competitor. The boyfriend won, he paid $400. It really livened up the crowd and that’s the whole point of the charity.”

Maria Elena Little Endara can be reached at [email protected].