Black Student Success
Black Student Success
Black Student Success (BSS) is a CREDE initiative that aims to enhance the Black and African American collegiate student experience by supporting their academic achievement, personal development, and overall well-being. The Black Student Success team aims to educate the Elon community on the culture of the African Diaspora population in the United States and abroad. We offer a variety of programs that range in focus whether it is a social, educational, or cultural program. Contact Simone Royal (sroyal2@elon.edu) or Abdul-Malik Harrison (aharrion16@elon.edu) for more information.
Some programmatic initiatives for Black/African American students include:
Black Table Talk
Black Table Talk is a monthly town hall gathering in the CREDE where we will hold informal discussions around a variety of topics that affect Black/African American students, and students of the African Diaspora; both here on campus and in the larger society. The town halls are a safe space to learn from one another and will help foster a system of support and skills that will help you traverse your journey at Elon University and in life beyond.
Black Solidarity Day Conference
Black Solidarity Day began in 1969, due to the work of Brooklyn College professor Dr. Carlos Russell, as a demonstration of Black liberation. In 2014, Black students at Elon University implemented their own Black Solidarity Day as a form of protest, an act of solidarity among Black students, and a call to action for the university campus.
The Elon University Black Solidarity Conference aims to unite Black-identifying students, faculty, and staff by providing an avenue through which Black identity, Black intersectionality, and building solidarity are explored in addition to creating space for the entirety of the Elon community to dive deeper into matters of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The conference is designed specifically for Black and non-black participants who want to learn more about anti-blackness, power, privilege, and ways they can be better allies with Black communities.
Black Student Union (BSU)
The Elon University Black Student Union is a student organization whose primary objective is to cultivate a continuous relationship with the administration, Black faculty and staff, and Black students on campus. The BSU’s mission is to engage Black-identified undergraduate students and enrich student life at Elon university culturally, intellectually, and socially; to ensure the full ongoing administrative commitment of fair, equitable policies; and to strengthen and support the bonds of community between Black Elon students and the larger Elon and Burlington communities. See more information about the BSU.
S.M.A.R.T Mentor Program
The Student Mentors Advising Rising Talent program is designed to ease the transition from high school to college, both academically and socially, for first-year and transfer students. The SMART Program centers on the experiences of the ALANAM community through a Community Cultural Wealth Model. First-year students learn from upper-level classmates who are trained to provide guidance and support to make Elon University a more welcoming environment. See more information about the SMART program.
African Diaspora Club
The mission of the African Diaspora Club at Elon is to celebrate and positively portray diverse cultures of the African Diaspora, by encouraging and supporting academic excellence, building community, promoting networks, being engaged as global citizens and fostering life-long ties to the continent. By doing this, members are fostering growth, encouraging development and changing our campus one student at a time. The club’s Vision is to help to create a community both here and abroad, in which all African ethnic groups, who are members of the Diaspora experience peace, love, stability and human rights. These conditions are bridges to true liberation.
Phillips-Perry Black Excellence Awards
The Phillips-Perry Black Excellence Awards Banquet started in 1993. At the awards ceremony each spring, black students who have shown excellence in academics and the Elon Experiences are recognized. This banquet serves as an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of the black community and as an incentive for all black students to continue to excel academically. See more information about the Phillips Perry Awards.
Wall of Fame
Created as an opportunity to educate students, faculty, and staff about the major achievements of African American students and organizations that foster African American culture at Elon, the Wall of Fame is the centerpiece of Elon’s African American Resource Room. The exhibit traces the accomplishments of African Americans at the University from the first black graduate to the first black Greek organization.