Holding the premiere at Harvard
is "a way to bring all the different groups on campus together and discuss the issues that were brought up in the movie, including racial tension," Williams said.
Organizers had teased the event for days in e-mail messages to the BSA list, urging students to come to last Friday's general meeting. The occasion would be, the e-mail messages said, "the biggest event the black Harvard community has ever seen."
According to BSA Treasurer Brandon A. Gayle '03, 154 people had paid their dues and were entered into the lottery as of 8 p.m. Sunday. (Last year Gayle noted, "roughly" 37 people paid the money.) The lottery closed at midnight this morning, and the lucky 100 will be notified soon.
BSA leaders said they hope the movie premiere will kindle an ambitious year of programming.
"We have a lot of energy going on in the organization right now and we hope that people will continue with that," said Williams. "I think this is going to be a good year."