The Black Student Union hosted the first of many events called "Black Tuesday" on Malcolm X Plaza yesterday afternoon. The events are scheduled to unite the African American population at SF State along with other organizations, members said.

Starting with yesterday's event and continuing every first and third Tuesday a scheduled recording artist from Warner Music Group will do a meet and greet hosted by the BSU.

Event coordinator for the BSU, Melanie Eke, who interns for Warner Music Group said she is able to bring artists on campus to match them with their target audience.

The BSU members displayed a table set out with dominoes and cards while other members turned a jump rope to garner a crowd around the popular school yard game of double dutch.

Oscar Edwards, a senior BECA major, played popular hip-hop and pop songs for the audience from his laptop.

Recording artist Janelle Monae came from Los Angeles for the event with her producer Nate Wonder, guitarist Calendo and drummer Young Pete. And Talia Taylor, a graduate student from SF State, performed a spoken word poem--moving the crowd from the outskirts of the grassy area to in front of the stage.

BSU members say they borrowed the idea for Black Tuesday from University of California at Berkeley who have a Black Wednesday, where black organizations get together.

When several members of the BSU approached Edwards to start playing some of Monae's music the crowd went from jumping rope to standing still waiting for the unknown.

"This is the most black people I've seen in the quad all year in one location," said senior and open forum coordinator for the BSU, Coby Obiesi.