On April 19, the African American Cultural Exchange (AACE) will host a roller skating event at Moonlight Rollerway alongside students from Loyola’s Black Student Union.

AACE is an identity-based affinity group for Black students at Marlborough. The group provides a space for students to connect and build solidarity with one another. The concept for the roller skating event was curated by AACE leaders to connect members with students from outside of the school community, while simultaneously partaking in an exciting activity. This gathering is the first time AACE and Loyola’s Black Student Union will come together in an organized meeting, and offers an opportunity for members of the two groups to interact. 

As an AACE co-leader Cassidey ‘24, stresses the equal importance of discussing relevant problems and facilitating connections with one another.

“I feel like a lot of the time with Black groups of people it is tasked on us to just talk about issues,” Fralin said. “As much as AACE wants to build a sense of solidarity through talking, another way to build that is to have close friendships and fun with each other.”

The idea for the event was formulated after a party AACE hosted to commemorate the end of the first semester. At this event, students came together to watch a movie about roller skating called “Roll Bounce,” which directly inspired the  roller skating activity.

“We are all super excited about it,” Maniya  ‘26 said. “It’s a great way for Black and African Americans to bond and have fun before the hectic school year is over.”

AACE plans to coordinate more group bonding events in the future with groups such as Loyola’s Black Student Union.

“We would love to have a good mix of in-school and outside-of-school events,” Cassidey said.