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The Caribbean Student Association collaborated with The Link to put on “One Love: A Tribute to Bob Marley” in Columbian Square Thursday night.

The tribute served to honor not only Marley, but also the spirit of black heritage and history through poetry readings and musical performances from both student and local groups.

“We just wanted to inform the GW community about Bob Marley and Black Heritage” said Sean White, treasurer of the Caribbean Student Association and primary organizer of the evening’s event.

The show featured performances interspersed with monologues and information about prominent black figures, black history and the Caribbean region in a laidback, inviting atmosphere.

Some of the performances included popular, well-known songs by black artists such as “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Ray, and “Mercy Mercy Me” by Marvin Gaye, while other performers sang original works. The Troubadours, the GW acapella group, attended the event and sang Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song.”

All of the performances focused on a common theme of empowerment and the speakers stressed the ideas of peace and love throughout the night, which were important themes in Marley’s life and music.

While discussing various key points in black history, speakers and presenters also discussed the nonviolence movement of Martin Luther King, Jr. and paid tribute to Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa, Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to Congress, and Kenneth Chenault, the CEO of American Express.

The event ended with a performance by the local reggae band Lucky Dubs, which played a number of popular Marley hits.

As the event progressed, the audience quickly grew in size with the addition curious onlookers.

“We had a great turnout,” White said after the show. “More than a hundred people showed up, and that’s pretty much what we were going for, so I’m happy about that.”

Students in attendance at the event said the tribute lived up to the goals of the Caribbean Student Association.

“It was a really great event,” sophomore Nomi Kaplan said. “It was amazing to see how many fellow students are so talented.”