At the start of every school year, Dr. Brenda Stevenson meets all the freshmen in her “Interracial Dynamics” General Education cluster and counts the fellow “brown faces” in the room.
“I was pleased to see there were a lot more this year,” said Stevenson, chair of the interdepartmental studies program in Afro-American studies.
On Tuesday evening, the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies hosted its fourth annual Black Convocation. This year’s theme was “Reclaiming UCLA,” in response to the rising number of black students here.
Darnell Hunt, director of the center and professor of sociology, was among the primary organizers of the event. He said that the Black Convocation is primarily a chance for the black students, faculty and alumni to get to know one another.
“It’s designed to bring the entire black community together on campus, as well as a chance for people to network with each other … it’s like a town hall meeting,” Hunt said.
Ronald W. Johnson, director of financial aid, came to meet some of the students that he and his colleagues had assisted.
“I came to the event because it’s a wonderful opportunity to see some of the students (we helped) … in a more social setting,” Johnson said.
“African American students and low-income families face additional (financial) challenges. We transacted funding that came in for many of these scholars,” he added later.
Releana Griffith, a fourth-year black studies student, came to the convocation to welcome the new students.
“As a fourth-year, it’s one of my responsibilities to usher in the new generation,” Griffith said.
Representatives from many groups came to support students and the event, including the African Arts Ensemble, African Women’s Collective, the Afrikan Student Union and the Black Graduate Student Association.
Kimberly Taylor, a fourth-year psychology student, was there as a member of the black community and of Nommo, a publication that focuses on issues important to black students.
“I’m here not only to represent our community but on behalf of Nommo. I feel it’s important to show our presence,” Taylor said.
Speakers at the event highlighted some important advancements in the community over the past year. Claudia Mitchell-Kernan, the vice chancellor of graduate studies, said numbers on incoming black students were promising.
“We were successful last year in almost doubling our numbers of undergraduate programs,” Mitchell-Kernan said, adding that graduate school numbers were expected to jump about 28 percent.
Other speakers noted a 25 percent increase in black transfer students and that students new to UCLA this year represent 40 percent of the overall black population at the school. The interdepartmental program in Afro-American studies is also proposing a doctoral program.
Hunt praised the new holistic admissions practice as one of the reasons for the increase in black students.
“I am confident that we are making progress, although we still have a lot to do,” Hunt said.
Cynthia McClain-Hill, a UCLA alumnus and the university’s first black student body president, had words of advice for the students as the keynote speaker: “Pursue your passion. Take people up on their offers to help. Do your part. What we share is a commitment to each other, a commitment to our people,” she said.