The University of New Hampshire is consistently striving to increase enrollment of students of color, which is currently 6.0% out of 14,996 undergraduate and graduate students. This percentage includes the African American, Native American, Asian, and Latino populations combined. There are only 55 faculty of color. Furthermore, as a result of the university’s recruitment efforts, many of the homes of students of color are located out of state and/or in urban areas with varying socio-economic situations. This makes it difficult for minority students to develop strong ties between student life and home life. This may also be a reason why there is not much representation of people of color within the Parents Association..

Any combination of the above factors creates a climate of alienation for students of color and their families, and impedes the development of the entire UNH community. The Black Student Union would like to bridge this gap with an event that welcomes everyone to honor and celebrate students of the Black Diaspora, their homes, their families, and their culture.

Black Family Weekend is a chance for the parents of students of color to form and strengthen ties within the broader UNH community. In addition to creating a successful event that promotes diversity, one of BSU’s goals is to strengthen our relationship with the Parent’s Association in hopes of forming future collaborations. We believe that Black Family Weekend does not perpetuate the separation of students; rather it unifies the campus with an already marginalized culture. Other institutions of higher learning, such as Boston College, University of Ohio Wesleyan, and University of California at Santa Barbara, successfully host both a Parents’ Weekend and a Black Family Weekend. We hope to set such a precedent here at the University of New Hampshire.

We are also hoping that Black Family Weekend will excite parents of students of color to become more involved with the Parent’s Association, and other areas of the UNH community. Equally important to this vision of involvement are future students of color who will attend the University of New Hampshire. We will involve potential incoming students of color in the weekend. We believe that this inclusion will create a positive and influential first impression for the students’ academic futures as well as the presence of a welcoming and diverse community. In this way, our vision displays an investment in both the present and the future of UNH.

Sponsorship Information:

For more information on how to sponsor Black Family Weekend, please contact:.

Jacquesline Walker
unhbsu@gmail.com
Memorial Union Building rm 145
83 Main Street
Durham, NH 03824
603.862.4780 (office)
603.862.3952 (fax)