By Anthony Smith, The Seattle Medium
College can be an intimidating experience, especially for people who do not already have an established community of friends or peers on campus.
According to the University of Washington website, Black students currently make up just 5% of the enrollment population. This can make it challenging for students who are searching for connections with people who look like them.
Fortunately, there are several organizations on campus designed to support students of color find community, educational support and positive affirmation.
One of these programs is called The Brotherhood Initiative. Founded in 2015 by education Professor Joe Lott, The Brotherhood is designed to help young men of color build community and achieve academic success. The group provides classes, retreats, mentorship and other opportunities.
“It’s a cohort-based initiative designed to help people rise in educational environments that weren’t designed for them.” Lott sad. “You look at the UW, and institutions like the UW, men of color tend to have the lowest enrollment, retention and graduation rate.”
Lott was inspired to start The Brotherhood at a time when he noticed an increase in deaths of unarmed young Black men at the hands of police officers. He wanted to provide a positive place of community for young men of color, including his own two sons.
“Let me try to see what I can do for society, particularly with my boys.” Lott said. “I wanted to leave them a roadmap for navigating life.”
Over 200 undergraduate students are currently members of The Brotherhood. While open to students of any race or ethnicity, Lott says that the majority of the students involved tend to be Black, Latino, Asian American, Pacific Islander or Southeast Asian.
The Brotherhood recruits around 50 students per year. Interested students can apply for free at The Brotherhood website.
Another resource for Black UW students is the Black Student Commission, or BSC. This is an entity of the Associated Students of the University of Washington. Their mission is to provide students of Black/African heritage with a cohesive community at the University of Washington. They seek to create and maintain a positive environment with resources for the students to achieve academic success.
Nebiat Markos is a third-year student and the current director of the BSC.
“I serve as a liaison to all Black-identifying students and organizations including African American, African and Afro-Caribbean students, Markos said. “I’m really passionate about event planning and programming for Black students because I really like to cultivate community on campus.”
Markos will oftentimes initiate conversations with Black students on campus or at events, hoping to help them feel more at ease. Many of the students will tell her that they don’t have many connections, and she will guide them to BSC events, as well as other clubs, organizations or entities designed for students of color.
“I think that events are great for finding community on campus and finding friends, which is essential to the college experience.” Markos said. “We’ve done things like a Black History Month concert, Black education panels, and I’ve also just been trying really hard to foster collaboration across various parts of campus.”
A third resource for Black UW students is the Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center, located on the west end of campus. Established in 1972, the cultural center was a result of a sit-in protest led by the Black Student Union in 1968.
As of 2022, this building is the largest standalone ethnic cultural space in the country, according to UW News. It serves many purposes, but perhaps most importantly, it serves as a safe haven for students of color.
Veronica Rivera is a second-year student who has been working at the cultural center as a student resource coordinator for two years. She recognizes the importance of having a designated space for students of color on campus.
“I personally feel like that matters because growing up as a person of color, you don’t entirely feel like you belong in many places.” Rivera said. “Since we are in a predominantly white institution, on campus there aren’t a lot spaces, if any, where communities of color can feel like they are safe or they see their skin reflected in the people around them.”
The cultural center is also a great place to find out about any organizations, clubs or events, or meetups happening on campus among different cultural groups.
“The motto of the place is home away from home, and I think it significantly identifies with the building.” Rivera said. “In this building I think it’s really special that you can just feel safe.”
For all three of these entities, the best way to track upcoming events is to follow each of their Instagram accounts. The Brotherhood is @uwbrotherhood, the BSC is @asuwbsc, and the Cultural Center is @uw_ecc.
