The Carl and Deborah Thomas African American Opportunity Endowment Fund

The Black Male Initiative originally developed from a need to help support and retain African American male students. Graduation rates for African American men were as low as 34%. In response, the Black Cultural Center, in collaboration with faculty, developed strategies to support these students, from their first year through graduation. The initiative includes a tutoring and mentoring program, and structured discussions of current events, both on campus and off. Other topics of concern, such as micro-aggressions and police violence, are also discussed. Students also learn time management and study skills, as well as relationship and conflict management.

True Racial Understanding Through Honest Talks is a program from the campus Diversity Peer Education Team, a peer-to-peer diversity training group of students who work with other students on issues of diversity and inclusion. This group initiated T.R.U.T.H. Talks, a popular monthly event that has been adopted on other campuses. T.R.U.T.H. Talks create an environment where students can ask questions they would normally be afraid to ask. Topics have included hate speech, discrimination, police brutality, interracial dating, immigration, politics, and the history of the “N” word. Events have become a productive way of discussing race in a non-threatening environment.

The biannual Civil Rights Tour for Berea College faculty and staff is a relatively new tradition. The tour includes important sites of the Civil Rights movement in several states, including Alabama and Tennessee. The purpose of the tour is to create opportunities for faculty and staff to connect with each other and their work as Berea College educators, as well as to build community and appreciation for the work and the need for interracial education.

The Black Student Union (BSU) serves as a welcoming leadership body for African American students. BSU members plan to coordinate educational, cultural, and social events for the benefit of all Berea College students. One popular event is the annual BSU Scholarship Pageant. Held during Homecoming weekend, the pageant highlights outstanding African and African American students who are actively engaged on campus and in the community.

The goal of F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S. (Fierce Appropriate Beautiful Unique Love Outstanding Understanding Serious) initiative is to assist Black female students in their transition to Berea College. Through activities and scheduled programs, participants gain a better understanding of what it means to be a woman and explore their own identities as Black female college students.

Since 1969, the Black Music Ensemble (BME) has been sharing music with the Berea College campus and surrounding churches and schools. The music, written by African American composers or in the African American tradition, includes spiritual, gospel, anthems, and other sacred music. In addition to supplementing religious life and expressing Christian love, the BME is dedicated to fostering a fellowship of brotherly love. This group includes members of different races, ethnic background, religious denominations, and perspectives.