Some Black students find community through campus organizations, affinity spaces

From football games to book clubs, charitable service to cultural celebrations, a common theme arises across Black student organizations at the University: community. 

At a predominantly white institution like UNC, a sense of community is coveted. Without it, sophomore Nicholas Williams said being a Black student in an overwhelmingly white environment can feel discouraging.

The Union of Black Men at UNC provides a safe space to help students see the different capacities of what it means to be a Black man at a PWI. The organization’s motto states that it’s a space “made of Black men, by Black men, for the prosperity of Black men.”

“[The UBM is] pouring this amount of time to make sure that we have these spaces where we can be ourselves,” junior Tyler Coffee said. “Why would I not want to be a part of that?” 

The organization provides many opportunities for Black men at UNC to get involved, from various community service projects and an annual 3v3 basketball tournament to upcoming book and run clubs.

“It’s a community of people that really want you to succeed and are there for you every step of the way,” junior D’shawn Thomas, UBM's strategic officer, said. 

Similar to UBM’s mission to unite Black men on campus, UNC Sis2Sis is about creating spaces to serve undergraduate Black women, the organization’s Co-President Ava Wharton said.

“Having a community in a space where you can explore your ideas and where your identity is validated is really important and especially for Black girls,” Wharton said. 

Wharton said institutions have failed to support diverse and cultural groups across campus. She said it is important to listen to the voices of all minorities, but especially Black women who stand in a unique circumstance of being at the intersection between gender and race.  

Every fall, Sis2Sis hosts an annual Powder Puff football game, which raised over $2,000 in 2024. Other ways to get involved include community events like a back-to-school cookout and student career fair. 

Other organizations on campus hold their own events to provide a space for students of color amidst a predominantly-white environment. 

Ebere Udeogu, the UNC African Students Association’s social media coordinator, said the connections she’s made within ASA inspire her because sometimes the community can feel out of reach if someone is one of the only African or Black people they know. 

The community ASA creates helps connect UNC students, some of whom eventually meet in Africa after building relationships on campus. 

In March, the organization hosts an annual Africa Night that brings ASAs from various universities together to celebrate their cultures through performances, traditional clothing and dancing. 

Udeogu said ASA allows students to be the best versions of themselves.

“It feels kind of like a second home,” she said. “Like a home away from home.” 

These organizations extend past just students on campus.

The Carolina Black Caucus serves Black faculty, staff and graduate students, to make sure their wider communities have a unified voice. 

Vice Chair of the CBC Donovan Livingston, who also serves as a teaching assistant professor in the UNC music department and the Director of College Thriving for the University, said the CBC has always had a symbiotic relationship with Black student organizations. 

“[This relationship] creates a beautiful opportunity for mentorship and connection,” he said.

Livingston summarized the sense of belonging the variety of Black organizations at the University strive to create for their members. 

“I think we exist because of the beauty that we try to exude and bring to the world,” he said. “And it is my sincere hope that in a moment like this, organizations like ours and other cultural organizations feel empowered and safe and affirmed in their capacity to exist, to speak up for themselves, hold space for one another and learn from one another as well.”

@_dylanskinner

@dailytarheel | university@dailytarheel.com