Many students of color feel a sense of isolation when faced with navigating student life at the University of Denver. At a school that is 67.5% white, it isn’t very difficult to guess why. The various affinity groups on campus are constantly working to resist this isolation. DU’s Black Student Alliance (BSA) is no different. BSA seeks to achieve this goal by putting additional emphasis on fostering cross-cultural connections across the wider DU community, all while providing a place for Black DU students in which their voices and experiences are heard.
Estevan Lee, a second-year business major and president of BSA, explained that “Not having a lot of people of color in one room is kind of frightening in a classroom setting. But when you have these external sources like BSA, LSA and ASA… you know there are other people out there, versus, like, ‘Oh, I’m the only Black male in my business class.’”
BSA’s primary mission is “having an open, safe space for people of color –– specifically, Black students –– to come and have discussions about what they experience, meet new people and have fun, but also to just make it a safe space for everyone in the community,” Lee explained.
The Alliance often promotes these values through the many events they host throughout the year. These events can range from movie nights to sports events, and while several events are limited to only Black students and members of BSA, many events are open to all students.
Beyond connecting Black students at DU, the Alliance also seeks to form connections with other communities. When speaking about recent collaborations with other affinity groups such as LSA, BSA publicist and second-year film major Sophia Holt remarked on the benefits of these connections.
“It felt really cool to have [cross-cultural] conversations with people who didn’t have the same experience, but had shared similar experiences,” Holt said, regarding the recent Identity Jubilee held in collaboration with LSA.
Moving into the future, BSA seeks to foster even more of these connections. In order to educate and promote understanding, BSA leadership is hoping for higher attendance at open events from non-Black students, despite an apparent, widespread reluctance.
“It’s kind of like they’re a little afraid of coming to a BSA event because they don’t want [to] overstep,” said Holt. “Which is like yeah, it is our space but also I feel like everyone is welcome and should be welcomed, regardless of your ethnicity.”
“I wish the whole community understood that it’s not only exclusive for Black students. Anyone’s welcome to come,” Lee said.
To learn more about DU’s Black Student Alliance, upcoming events and how you can get involved, check out their Crimson Connect and Instagram pages. To learn more about affinity groups across the DU campus, see DU’s page on DEI for students.
