Photo courtesy of Hofstra University
Last year was a period of upheaval, especially for BIPOC communities. Following the killing of George Floyd by police, people all over the world rose up to fight adversity and stand for justice. In outrage at the lack of response, people everywhere spoke out, demanded change from those in power and took to the streets in protest.
Inspired by this, a new student-run organization, Black Leaders Advocating for Change (BLAC), was formed to make Hofstra University a more inclusive environment for students of color.
“Our purpose is to request from Hofstra different systematic demands,” said Morriah Johnson, a senior psychology major and member of BLAC. “To make Hofstra aware of the ways that Black students on campus need support and how they can give that to us.” Johnson believes that Hofstra is making “strides toward change” in favor of the BIPOC community.
“I think there are definitely more things to work on,” Johnson said, “but Hofstra has grown in many ways and shown that they do care about the BIPOC community.”
BLAC has worked with the university to accomplish an array of initiatives in the short time that they have been established. As of now, all the demands BLAC has made have been addressed by the university and put into action.
“We did not know how well our demands would be taken by the university or by other students on campus,” Johnson said.
One of these demands was to create a Living Learning Community (LLC) for BIPOC students. These communities are residence halls on campus that are geared toward specific majors, interests and demographics. “That will be in full function in the fall,” Johnson said, “so Black students will have a space on campus that’s specifically for them.”
BLAC has also worked with the university to set up a lounge in the Student Center for BIPOC students which will be constructed with the new offices set to go up in the new renovation. The Student Health and Counseling Center (SHACC) has just hired a new Black mental health counselor in response to their demands to have a person of color working in the SHACC, and they have also teamed up with campus dining to create more diverse food options.
Furthermore, BLAC is working with Dr. Veronica Akinyi Lippencott, director of Hofstra’s Africana Studies Program, to bring more exposure to the Africana program.
“Hopefully that can go from a program to a department, so that students who go to Hofstra have the opportunity to study Africana studies,” Johnson said.
With Black History Month in full swing this February, BLAC has shown their support for the many programs put on by Hofstra and the Black Student Union, another student-run organization that promotes empowerment of the Black community.
“We are just showing up and showing out,” Johnson said, “so that Hofstra sees the need for these programs and that they continue to have them.”
According to Johnson, BLAC continues to meet every other week with Hofstra administration to make sure that students of color on campus feel like their voices matter.
“We’re an educational institution, so we need to be educating each other,” Johnson explained. “It’s a great time to learn how to combat biases and how to grow as individuals, so that we can all be better in the professional world.” She urges students to use the university’s reporting system to report racial injustice on campus and show up to events coordinated by Black student organizations to hear what students have to say.
“Our demands [are] not just helping students of color, it’s helping all students on campus because we’re looking for an inclusive community,” Johnson said. “When the Black community does thrive, all communities on campus thrive as well.”
