April 2022: The beginning of the reign
Honesty, it may have been an impulsive decision.
We didn’t quite know what we were getting ourselves into, but, determined as ever to reignite the flame in the culture of the Black Student Union (BSU), we applied to become co-presidents after being on the team for only a year (one of us was really only there for half a year). The BSU we walked into wasn't the one we saw portrayed on social media. We felt robbed of the opportunity to establish new connections and be a part of the small but unified Black community at UBC, largely because our first years of university were online.
Although the team at the time worked with what they had, we knew the BSU needed revitalization. On a beautiful summery day, we sat down and came up with a long list of goals we wanted to accomplish in the upcoming academic year, one of them being revisiting the idea of Black Collegia.
The idea of a Black Collegia was but a single bullet in the six-page-long BSU co-president transition document, but we took it to heart. When we asked about it, it was presented as a dream. Something that was practically impossible to achieve, something that we would not get to see in our time at UBC. However, the idea of a space for Black students, at a time when a safe haven was non-existent, was one that we could not let go without a fight.
June 2022: Taking the first leap
Being student advocates at a large institution, it was inevitable that to achieve a goal like this, we would need the support of various leaders at UBC. We reached out to the VP Students' Office, searching for guidance on where to begin. We were surprised to find out there was more history behind the initiative to create a Black Collegia at UBC than we knew. However, this history happened long before we began as students at UBC, and these conversations had been placed on the backburner shortly before our time. After reigniting the conversation, we came up with a plan to demonstrate the need and demand for a space for Black students.
September 2022: Weekly kickbacks — The start of a legacy
In English, kickback means “a sudden forceful recoil.” However, BSU’s Kickback has an entirely different meaning.
Kickback – noun
A weekly event organized by the BSU where Black students can unapologetically be themselves in a safe space filled with immaculate vibes fostered by laughter, a diverse community and the creation of memories.
Synonym – home away from home; the best part of the week
Kickback was started with the intention of proving that Black students would show up to a consistent physical space if it were provided. Before we knew it, over 50 people were showing up every week to take advantage of this temporary space we nurtured. Kickback has become a staple event of the BSU. Word of the event has spread beyond UBC and even reached prospective Black students. The joy and fun that Kickback brought made it more evident there was a need for a space that was permanent and available more than once a week. Facing capacity limits, stares from others walking past and noise complaints, it still felt like we created the right space but not in the appropriate place.
January 2023: Back to the drawing board
The success of Kickback demonstrated our need for a physical space. As our meeting with the VP Students' Office approached, we created a document of future goals based on the feedback we received, the issues we recognized and the future we hoped to see for Black students at UBC.
In this document, we reiterated the need for a space for Black students to discuss our experience of Weekly Kickbacks during the term. We researched other Black spaces at universities across Canada including McGill University, McMaster University and SFU — even touring the Black space at SFU with other BSU executives. We documented what each space had to offer and how this could translate to a space at UBC. We presented this document to the members of the VP Students' Office, and we were reassured that our needs were understood and that our dreams would become a reality.
Although there was no guarantee we would see this space come to life, it finally felt like we were moving in the right direction.
March 2023: Making moves — The first co-creation
After our meeting, the university contacted us to share information about a co-creation session for the development of a space with our members and community. For some, this may have seemed unanticipated. For us, this was an important moment that we had been working towards and hoping for since the beginning of our co-presidency journeys.
Passion, eagerness and big dreams filled the first co-creation session. We discussed how we, as Black students, would want to feel in a space dedicated to us, what we would want to see in the space and how we wanted to be able to utilize the space. It was refreshing and exciting to think about the possibilities of what a space for Black students could look like at UBC. We left this first co-creation session filled with many mixed emotions. We felt hopeful for the future, curious about when the next time we would hear news would be and nervous about the entire project. The idea of failure after we poured our hearts and energy into this passion project was hard to ignore but overwhelmed by the excitement, we patiently awaited what was next to come.
April 2023: A glimpse before tomorrow
It wasn't long before our members and community were invited to view a location that could potentially be ours. The entire process felt surreal — it was as if this long-awaited dream of ours was getting more and more real.
While visiting the location, we had one striking feeling — we felt heard! The space offered almost everything we had discussed during the first co-creation session and more. We were already envisioning how we could utilize the space, whether this meant hosting more Kickbacks or simply existing in the space. We discussed the ways we could transform the existing space into a place dedicated to and representative of us as Black students. We also thought about the importance of transforming the space into something that can be cultivated and changed over time. Although we knew that modifications were going to be made, the space already felt like it was meant to be. We were filled with excitement at the thought of being able to see the place before we left UBC, which was something that felt like a delusional dream at the start. With a projected timeline of opening sometime in the fall, we patiently waited in anticipation of this amazing milestone.
September 2023: The final countdown
At the start of the new academic year, we had a second co-creation session focused on what we could do as a community to ensure we all felt safe, welcomed and could foster a sense of belonging in the space. This meeting helped discuss the logistics that we were eager to learn about and to start planning how we, as the BSU, in addition to other Black student clubs, could transition to hosting some of our events in the new space.
Alas, we received the news: “Invitation to celebrate opening the UBC Vancouver Black Student Space.” This was the best news EVERRRRRRRRR! We were excited to see the final product, and we began to imagine what this magical day would look like.
November 2, 2023: The premiere
A day to be remembered.
The emotions of that day cannot be explained nor replicated. We went through our regular days in anticipation of this event. The energy within the Black Student Space was special. The warmth, happiness and gratitude could only be described as Black joy. The excellence radiated as student leaders like ourselves gave tours, speeches and words of wisdom to inspire and uplift the community. We felt incredibly grateful for everyone who had worked so hard to put it all together, and it was the greatest feeling in the world to be a part of this monumental day. A day that felt normal to most people on campus but for us was the start of a new legacy. It was a day that some Black students before us had hoped for but did not get to see and a day that others after us may never understand. It took some time to process, however, we can humbly say it was a day that was made even more memorable by the countless hours that we, as Black student leaders worked towards.
We had finally done it, and no one can ever take that joy away.
Black History Month 2024: Reminiscing
Reflecting on our journey and how far we have come, it is crazy to think that a year ago, articles were being written regarding how it was overdue for UBC to have a dedicated space for Black students, and now it exists. Since the Black Student Space has opened, it has been amazing to see it become integrated into the lives of so many Black students, across various years, backgrounds and faculties. It’s amazing to hear people regularly say things like “Are you going to the BSS?” or “Come to the BSS tonight for Kickback!”
As Black students come through UBC, the space will continue to grow and develop to reflect the population of Black students present at that time. That is one of the most beautiful parts of the space — that each group will be able to make it unique and a reflection of their intersecting identities. We all come from different backgrounds yet can relate and understand each others’ unique experiences and struggles. The differences and similarities that we bring, whether related to our cultures, music or languages help mold the space into the beautiful mosaic it is. It is a space where we are all welcomed and encouraged to be authentic and empowered to excel at UBC. That is the essence of the Black Student Space. It is a space where we can be ourselves, grab books from the shelves, come to chatter, speak about things that matter, come to eat, finish a worksheet, take a nap, listen to some rap, see a new face and just exist in the space.
This is part of the UBC Black Student Union and The Ubyssey's 2024 Black History Month supplement, titled Intersections. Read the full supplement here.