Mory Diakite, a senior architecture and design studios major from the Bronx, New York, felt like the entire Howard student body was in the backyard of his row home, just beyond the College Hall South dormitory.
Standing at the top of the balcony, surrounded by six of his Gentlemen of Drew brothers, Diakite said he felt euphoric being able to control the “motion” of the party.
This event took place during his first spring semester in 2022 when he hosted his “coming out party,” the first event he organized after joining The Gentlemen of Drew Social Club Incorporated.
The Howard day party was called “Remember the Times,” held at an off-campus house, and it went viral on social media.
On TikTok, a post garnered 103,800 likes as of April 30, for showing an older woman emerging from her home to dance with the students.
“Someone granny came to the darty,” the caption read. The term “darty” refers to a college day party. The term was popularized in the early 2010s and has since become a staple of the collegiate lifestyle at Howard.
Diakite wasn’t just a partygoer at “Remember the Times,” he was running the show.
Just a few weeks prior, five seniors, all men from Charles R. Drew Hall’s dormitory, handed him and his friends the party promotional group, Rebel Events. The group is currently operated by seven senior Howard men, all from various academic disciplines.
Founded in 2018, Rebel Events has over 5,000 followers on Instagram as of April 30, and was voted the Bison Choice Awards Favorite Party Promoter four years in a row.
Promotion groups are prominent in Howard’s party culture, with notable ones including The Collective, Howard Hub and Rebel Events.
In the Howard community, Rebel Events is known for catering to the university’s freshman demographic. Since 2019, they have hosted a lineup of parties for the annual Bison Welcome Week and have continuously collaborated with nightclubs to facilitate age 18-and-up events.
“There’s probably freshmen right now looking at a bunch of videos of some of our parties, and they’re gonna come and expect to see that experience,” Diakite said.
Julian Winbush, a senior finance major from Pittsburgh, California and CEO of Rebel Events, believes that since their first party, the promotional group has emerged as the leading force for on-campus parties.
Winbush said that numerous factors influence the group’s event planning. The seven men ensure that they balance their academics with their business ventures by creating committees within their organization.
“We always try to make sure we’re delegating tasks to people who are gonna do it the best,” Diakite said.
Four of the seven seniors are School of Business majors. They said their case studies often apply to the real-life business problems they face in Rebel Events. Diakite works primarily in graphics.
“I’ve always been a very creative guy, so I use my creativity in Rebels, whether that’s rebranding the logos or making flyers or even helping out marketing events with memes. Most of the stuff you see, I probably posted it,” Diakite said.
Winbush primarily handles the finances of their operation, stating that his background in finance and internship experiences have enabled him to oversee budgeting, negotiations, venue pricing and profit.
The group has generated approximately $250,000 in revenue over the course of four years, Winbush said.
“We make a little money doing it. It’s cool, but it’s a passion of ours too,” Winbush said. “We’re passionate about creating memories for everyone to look back on 20 years down the road. Like, ‘Oh, remember that one time we was in college? Remember that darty we went to?’”
Every spring at Howard, students await the first darty to kick off the season as videos depicting the parties gain thousands of views and likes.
As the seven senior men’s graduation in May approaches, Diakite and Winbush still plan to pursue party promotion as a side endeavor to their professional careers.
Instead of passing the business down as it was given to them, the Rebel seniors plan to extend their reach beyond the university’s gates. It aims to build a regional and, eventually, nationwide brand that targets the age 21-and-over crowd.
Diakite is spending another year at Howard, finishing up his five-year professional Master of Architecture program. Meanwhile, Winbush has plans to travel to every major city, aiming to grow their brand and business on a national level.
“We’re definitely gonna throw some stuff in D.C., but not specifically catering towards Howard students,” Winbush said. “It’s kinda weird to throw 18-up parties when you’ve already graduated. We gotta grow up.”
Copy edited by Anijah Franklin
