CSUN’s Black community gathered on Thursday, Sept. 10, at the University Student Union Northridge Center for Welcome Black, a cultural welcome that celebrates Black students, organizations, clubs and other resources.
Welcome Black was hosted by the Black House in collaboration with the USU Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work team. It’s part of a series of welcome events that celebrate diversity on CSUN’s campus. Other cultural welcomes include Bienvenida, Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Welcome and Native American Welcome.
Tari Hunter, associate executive director for the USU, shared the importance of events like Welcome Black for Black students at CSUN.
“We really think it’s important that Black students understand that there’s a Black community here for them,” Hunter said. “We want to be intentional about helping them connect to what will help them be successful.”
CSUN recently became one of 31 colleges and universities in California to be recognized as a Black-Serving Institution (BSI). Hunter highlighted the significance of the designation and the resources it could provide for Black students.
“As a campus, we’ve always been committed to Black student success,” Hunter said. “But elevating us to a BSI really helps to amplify what we can offer for our students, as well as give the additional support our students need to be able to graduate on time and be successful.”
The event featured more than 20 clubs and organizations, including the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi), which promotes mental health awareness in the Black community while also supporting Black psychology students.
“We’re pushing mental health and the psychology major towards our Black students,” said Darielle Jones, a representative for ABPsi. “It’s very important to reach out to the community and let them know that we are here.”
Other clubs and organizations at Welcome Black included CSUN’s majorette team, East African Students Association, Black Campus Ministries and more.
Students were given encouraging speeches from both faculty and student leaders, including Ryan Mason, senior coordinator of the Black House. Mason gathered the crowd’s attention with a series of call-and-response phrases familiar within the Black community, emphasizing the strong sense of unity and familiarity among those in attendance.
Associated Students President Hermoni Douglas encouraged Black students to get involved on campus and support students who look like them.
“Who’s going to care for us without us?” Douglas asked. “We need to be there for each other and always do stuff for each other.”
As the night progressed, students filled the stamp cards they were given when they arrived, joined each other to perform line dances and shared a meal that included fried chicken, sweet potato cornbread, baked mac and cheese, crispy cauliflower and banana pudding. Several Black sororities and fraternities later took center stage to perform their stepping and strolling dances.
Occurring once each semester, Welcome Black provides a space for social and educational connections among Black students, faculty and staff.
For CSUN student Tokio Aghedo, Welcome Black offers a sense of belonging and community that he doesn’t always experience on campus.
“You don’t really see Black students around campus,” Aghedo said. “This is like home. It feels like I’m in a Black community.”
