On Thursday, March 6, members of NC State’s Living and Learning Villages, Black Male Initiative (BMI) and Student Advocating for Youth (SAY), collaborated to speak with students at RISE Charter School. Their aim was to showcase positive Black male role models and empower Black school children. BMI members also spoke about what their village is and the impact it has, while engaging in fun crafts and activities with the children.
This event occurred just a day after students learned that NC State is set to dismantle BMI after the Spring 2025 semester, following the Trump administration’s directive to eliminate any diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Over the years, BMI has offered, “ Black male students brotherhood and a safe space where they can grow academically, professionally and personally,” according to the Division of Academic and Student Affairs. BMI is located in the Avent Ferry Complex, and the village hosts a variety of events like field trips and workshops to help build community and a sense of belonging on campus.
Following the news that BMI will be closed down, The Nubian Message got thoughts and reactions from its members on the lasting impact its shutdown will have on the Black community and particularly, Black men on campus.
Ryan Foster, one of BMI’s mentors, said, “This is still a very new thing to us and there is a lot of discussion happening.” He continued, “We don’t want to say too much about our plans and our next steps moving forward, but we know that we won’t be taking it sitting down.”
Foster explained that members and mentors within BMI will, “be looking into what we can do to keep the impact,” such as “working with other Black communities on campus, but adds, “We don’t have a full plan set up right now.”
Alcedos Vanderpool is a doctoral student in educational leadership, policy and human development and also the graduate assistant for BMI. He explained, “It is unfortunate, and we’re more focused on supporting our students, because this is a tough time, not being able to have the community or have that opportunity to get together with other members on campus.”
Vanderpool said, “I’m really focused on making sure that they feel supported in whatever they decide to do in the future, making sure that they have the resources and all the knowledge.”
Jakevious Pollard, a second-year majoring in criminology, said, “The next steps are — we’re gonna keep doing what we’re doing.” He added that, “we’re not gonna forget that we still have our brotherhood and our community and we’re not looking at it as a downfall or as a fall over. We’re gonna keep doing what we’ve been doing and support each other as much as we can.”
Caston Reaves II, a fourth-year student in aerospace engineering, said that he, “Kind of saw it coming a little bit.” He said he did his own research but thought BMI would be alright, “Hearing the news is very shocking, as a member that’s been here for a good while now, but the next step [is to try to] keep going.”
Reaves II said that people need to look at and evaluate the things that are happening right now, “Because things are changing every day.”
Paul Evans-Robinson, a first-year in exploratory studies said that he had wanted to join BMI his freshman year after seeing the sense of brotherhood that the members had with one another, the accountability that they prided themselves in taking and the ways that the village brought the community together. He was glad to have gotten the opportunity to finally join this semester, but says, “I had talked to Quashon about joining and I got accepted in. But I got accepted in last Friday, and this week, unfortunately, it got shut down.”
He explained, “My emotions have been everywhere, because that’s something I’ve been eager to join, and now it’s like I won’t be able to get to experience BMI.”
Evans-Robinson said, “I think it’s gonna affect a good amount of the men,” highlighting the hole that this village going away will leave in the Black community.
He asked, “What makes you think, it’s just BMI too?” He said that these federal anti-DEI efforts will likely impact Multicultural Student Affairs, the National Society of Black Engineers, the African American Cultural Center and the Black Students Board. He said it is sad to have these organizations and the sense of community they foster, “be taken away from us.”
BMI has been a critical part of the NC State experience for many Black men. While the formal structure of this critical community space is being taken away, members and mentors alike are determined to keep the spirit, legacy and impact of the initiative going for years to come.
