In the past, I have often found myself trying to ignore the questions all Black people in predominantly white towns have had all of their lives. Having a limited amount of people that look like you can have more of an effect on us than we may realize. In classrooms I was often the darkest person there. I would get microaggressive comments that at the time, I was not even aware of. Comments like “Can I touch your hair?” or, “look, I am almost as dark as you.” Comments like these coming from other children can be seen as harmless, however they have more of an impact than we know. Black children deserve to feel valued and represented, without constantly having to ask the same questions.
“Why are there so few Black people?”
Followed up with, “Am I the only Black person?”
Or the occasional looking around to see if we spot another Black person. I used to make excuses and pretend it was not a very big deal, but the longer I ignored the truth, the more prevalent it became. Being in these situations, I would always look for my community and different organizations with people who may feel the same as I. As I continued to find the community I was once longing for, I was met with numerous like minded Black women which opened a space for me to obtain a level of comfort that was once a distant feeling. However, one question still lingered on my mind.
Why are there no Black men?
Growing up as a Black woman I struggled a lot with my identity. Having little to no representation of people that look like me, act like me, or even have similar experiences to mine played a major role in this struggle. While there still is a major lack of representation for and of Black women in today’s society, I believe we are fighting to be shown more and more with each day that passes. And as this happens, that once lonely, out of place feeling starts to and continues to decrease more and more. I mention this because although I cannot speak for Black men entirely, I do notice that their representation especially in STEM or educational related settings are extremely deficient.
As I continue to be more involved on campus I want to bring to light the importance of representation for all Black individuals, regardless of gender, sexuality, disabilities, hobbies, etc. On campus we have numerous established safe spaces for Black individuals however they mostly comprise of Black women. And while having a surplus of Black women is a wonderful thing, it did make me reflect on the potential reasons for the lack of Black men? I soon realized it was not just in clubs and organizations where Black men were absent. While we as Black individuals already make up less than 10% of the population at The University of Chapel Hill, Black men make up even less. Making up around 2.2% to 2.5% of the population, Black male undergraduate students are one of the most underrepresented populations at UNC Chapel Hill. An unfortunate, but common mindset of many when they think of Black men in college is that they are a student athlete. While we have amazing Black student athletes we also have Black men that come to school for other reasons who deserve to be recognized just as much.
In June 2023, the Supreme Court ended race-conscious decisions. Starting around this time Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs were also prohibited, eliminating a large amount of both the Black population and communities available for Black students. Both of these issues caused a large drop in the Black population on campus and has been a very discouraging thing to witness. Currently, Black undergraduate students make up around 7.4% of the population, however prior to these rollbacks, Black undergraduate students made up about 8.6% of the UNC student makeup. Out of these percentages an estimated 5.1% of the total 60.2% of female undergraduate students are black and only an estimated 3.2% out of the total 39.8% of male undergraduate students are black.
I believe that our job as a community is to make the Black spaces we have available as comfortable and inviting as possible. Organizations like Black Student Movement (BSM), Historically Black UNC (HBUNC), African Student Association (ASA), and so many other clubs and organizations that we have here at UNC Chapel Hill were created to help and continue to help the Black population feel welcomed and comfortable as they embrace a new journey in their lives. The Union of Black Men (UBM) in particular, is a safe space for Black Men to express themselves and prosper among other black men.
These communities give Black students a voice in times when they feel as if they do not have one. Coming to college is already a major change in one’s life and can be challenging at times. It is even more challenging when we feel as if we are either stuck or don’t fit in. Being a minority and not a majority can be challenging however these clubs and organizations provide us a safe space to showcase our talents and interests. We belong at this school just as much as everyone else. The spaces we have fought for here, are and will continue to establish our existence.
Sources:
Analytic reports. OIRA. (2024a, October 18). https://oira.unc.edu/reports/
College Data Analytics Team Unbiased Factual Guarantee. (2026, July 16). University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Diversity: Complete Diversity Report. College Factual. https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill/student-life/diversity/
Moir, C. (n.d.). Black male enrollment at UNC hasn’t risen above 125 in a new class since 2009. The Daily Tar Heel. https://dailytarheel.com/324059/university/black-student-retention-0227/
