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Established in 1967, the Black Student Movement came from an increase in the black population on UNC’s campus and dissatisfaction with the UNC chapter of the NAACP movement.
The group was originally started to create a political voice for students towards the end of the Civil Rights era. Ever since, the movement has been a leading voice for black students at UNC, boasting more than 400 members per year.
In December 1968, BSM famously released a statement to former Chancellor J. Carlyle Sitterson with 22 demands to make the climate better for black students at UNC. On the 30 year celebartion of the group, members presented former Chancellor Michael Hooker with a list of 22 new demands. They also rallied for UNC housekeeping and groundskeeping staff.
Through the years, BSM has also become a cultural center. Within BSM are several cultural groups that create outlets for black students to express themselves. Included are a Gospel Choir, the Opeyo! Dancers, the Ebony Readers/Onyx Theater spoken-word poetry group, Black Ink magazine and Harmonyx, an a capella group.
This year, students looking to participate in Black History Month have a single place to look. UNC will host more than 30 events this February to celebrate black heritage and culture. In an effort to encourage students to attend the events, the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs compiled a calendar of all the activities hosted on its website.
About $20,000 was appropriated to the seven organizations that came before Student Congress Tuesday. Funding proposals were brought forward by several organizations, including the Black Student Movement, Project Literacy and the UNC Longboarding Club.
A cappella powerhouses the Clef Hangers and Harmonyx are teaming up for a night of song, all in support of a good cause.
In an effort to promote change and voter participation within their community, the Black Student Movement on Wednesday took steps toward spreading political awareness.
Black Student Movement Week culminated Saturday evening, but group president B’anca Glenn said she hopes last week’s events were just the beginning of a strong presence on campus this year.
Glenn said participation on BSM Pride Day and in the election for Mr. and Miss BSM were signs of progress.
Since African Americans were first admitted as UNC undergraduates in 1955, numerous black professional, social and service-related student groups have formed at UNC.
It started out as a voice. Then it became a stance. Now the Black Student Movement has become an integral part of campus that is very much alive.
The Black Student Movement began celebrations for its 40th anniversary Sunday with a brief reception in the Upendo Room of the Student and Academic Services Buildings.
When the founders of the Black Student Movement first began organizing at UNC in 1967, they focused their efforts on increasing the power of the black voice.
Aug. 23 — Overcast skies and light rain didn’t stop the grand opening ceremony Saturday morning for the freestanding Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History — an event that marked the culmination of more than a decade of controversy, advocacy, planning and fund raising.
An array of entertainers in subgroups of the Black Student Movement expressed black culture through song, dance and drama at the organization's first jamboree Friday.
The event, which took place in the Great Hall of the Student Union, kicked off Black History Month festivities to be sponsored by the BSM.
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