The Black Literary Arts and Culture Creatives (BLACC) Introvert Gathering provided a comforting space for students while also bringing up the topic of accommodation in a unique way. In a university where community is a big part of life, accommodating different types of people is important if you want students to thrive. The African American Cultural Center (AACC), located in Witherspoon Student Center, was offered every Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.,students could walk in and swipe a card into a quiet get-together. Students can come and grab a warm drink to put their minds at ease. This event is currently on sunset with hope of bringing it back in the future.

According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®), a global sample from 2022 states that 56.8% of people around the world identify as introverts. On a large campus like NC State, it can be difficult for introverts to find spaces. The solution is The BLACC Introvert Gathering — a space where introversion is accomodated and valued.

Upon entering the center’s library, students will find many activities to entertain themselves. One table is dedicated to arts, another to games and two tables to studying or meditating. Students can spend time reading, solving puzzles, or writing in a journal. Students may also find themselves checking out a book during the peaceful hours of the event.
Introverts are often depicted as shy or passive, but introversion can take many different forms. According to Verywell Mind, there are four types of introverts: social introverts, thinking introverts, anxious introverts and inhibited introverts.

For students. Not many show up, creating the perfect environment for those who fall under the social introvert category. No one is pressured to talk, and activities are provided allowing students to participate in their own way.

Thinking introverts would take advantage of the activities and allow themselves to relax and enjoy a puzzle.

Anxious introverts experience introversion as a source of anxiety. At the BLACC, there’s no pressure to talk to other people; you can go at your own pace.

Inhibited introverts often spend more time making decisions than others. However, this event lessens the amount of decisions they have to make. Whether students feel a mix of all four types or only relate to one, they are all still welcome in this event. It’s a rare event that actually accomodates introversion.

With the rise of introverts after the 2020 COVID pandemic, there are ways introverts have benefited from the world’s changes. According to the Association for Teen Development (ATD), which took data from a Myers-Briggs talent development blog, after the COVID pandemic, workforces are also transforming into spaces where both introverts and extroverts can thrive. They created an article about how to integrate introverts more into the work field.
Every current NC State student has experienced the COVID era: from the days of being locked inside your home and having all classes online, to being jumped right back into school in person. Many students found they wanted to continue to go online. Some found themselves enjoying the time away from people. This brings us back to AACC providing students with the BLACC Introvert Gathering, which already shows that people are starting to accommodate more of those who identify with introversion.

There are many ways that communities express themselves, but how many universities accommodate introversion? When students are choosing colleges, many might look for colleges that create spaces to accommodate them. The Introvert Gathering was a space for students to discuss the arts and meet other introverts. While the event is sunsetting, it opens the door to more spaces like this — to bring students together.