Black Student Alliance (BSA)
The Black Student Alliance is a student-led organization that focuses on uplifting the Black community and promoting cultural awareness at Wake Forest. In recent years, creating inclusive spaces for all Black students on campus has been our main focus. Receiving the lounge was a step towards reviving the sense of community Black students enjoyed with access to a larger venue. However, forging a vibrant social experience for Black students at Wake Forest requires resources to construct these spaces in a way that feels both inclusive and intentional. With your donation, we hope to redecorate the interior and exterior patio areas of the Black Student Alliance lounge on Kitchin Residence Hall to create a hub for Black life on campus. We aim to create a functional and multipurpose space that can serve the Black community by bolstering the social experience. We hope to strengthen the sense of community and help foster a sense of belonging among Black students at Wake experience by creating a space that makes us feel at home.
Reasons to Give to BSA
Scaled to recent developments in the United States, we are collectively reflecting on what the equitable allocation of resources, access to space, and opportunities look like for Black students on the campus of Wake Forest University. Through this campaign, we hope to address the physical needs of the BSA lounge that will make the space more attractive for students to visit and feel comfortable. This campaign aims to ensure the Black Student Alliance is better equipped to help make Black students feel a sense of belonging on campus. We appreciate you donating to effectively impact the experience of your Black peers, students, family, and friends at Wake Forest. Last year the university opened funding streams to decorate the lounge; however, the furniture that is currently in the lounge was chosen and reclaimed from the WFU warehouse by BSA’s past leadership. With this fundraiser, our aim is to make the space more attractive and inviting in the future.
Reimagining the BSA Lounge
The social sphere for students with marginalized identities on the campus of Wake Forest University radically shifted after ‘The Barn’ (an on-campus event space) was closed in 2018. More specifically, many Black students were stripped of a locale that provided an outlet to casually unite in community with one another. While the lounge space cannot compete with a large party venue, redefinition and reimagination of this space can help cultivate better experiences for Black students at Wake Forest. Attending a predominantly white institution such as Wake Forest can make it difficult for students with marginalized identities to feel as though they belong. The ability to find community and occupy social spaces that are geared towards students with marginalized identities are challenges that many Black students face during their time at Wake Forest. In practice and this campaign, we acknowledge the social niches occupied by white students often look different than those occupied by students with marginalized identities on our campus. This fundraiser aims to address this dissonance by ensuring Black students have a social venue to convene and celebrate our culture.
Follow us on Instagram
@wfu_bsa