In this commemorative issue of Black Ink, we seek to bridge the past and the present. You will find recreations of vintage photos from BSM’s archives (courtesy of Wilson Library’s Special Collections) and insights from notable alumni on what BSM taught them, and what the organization meant to them during their time at UNC.
This issue is dedicated to the legacy of BSM’s founders, BSM’s leadership, and BSM members past, present, and future.
All current photos are courtesy of Jacqueline Hada (’18) and Mariah Warner (’20), Staff Photographers
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Greetings, Welcome to Black Ink’s November 2017 issue, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Black Student Movement. On November 7th, we celebrate a half-century of community and progress on UNC’s campus. This feat represents the legacy of a vision brought to life long ago. In a place where being Black felt, and sometimes still feels, like a burden, the creation and the staying power of an organization like BSM is so important. Founded during the rise of the Black Power Movement out of a desire for a more active, more Black power-focused alternative to the campus NAACP chapter, BSM has always created and recreated a tradition of Black student innovation and self-sufficiency. I can personally say that without BSM, my time at Carolina would be incomplete and I am grateful for the opportunities it has given me to grow as a leader, to find my voice, and to gain a family of students who look like me. Although BSM’s focus has shifted throughout the years, it still holds true to its original mission:
“to strive for the continued existence of the unity among all its members, to voice the concerns and grievances of its members to the University, to offer outlets for expressing Black ideals and culture, and finally, to ensure that the Black Student Movement members never lose contact with the Black community.” Here’s to 50 years of growth, innovation, tradition, and freedom through revolution. And here’s to 50 more.
Uhuru Ni Upinduzi, Dominque Brodie (’19) Editor in Chief
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Q&A with Katrice Mitchell, Class of 2016 By: Jana Henson (’19), Copy Editor
How were you involved with BSM? I was a part of Black Ink, I was editor-in-chief my senior year. My junior year I was the PR coordinator. My senior year I was also one of the Celebration of Black Womanhood co-chairs.I was [also] publicity co-chair for BSM. How did that involvement impact your time at UNC? [BSM] gave me a lot of experience with publicity, marketing and social media management...and experience [with] graphic design. Learning how to properly market events also helped me in my career.
What lessons/ wisdom did you learn from being involved with BSM? Time management and quality. The quality of your work is very important and not necessarily the quantity.One big thing I've learned that's really important is how to juggle having a work study job, two internships plus other stuff outside of BSM. So the main important thing was to give each thing that I was doing the same amount of energy. I would always give everything a hundred percent, and I think that's what helped to get Black Ink back in the forefront my senior year, with the release party, and two issues, and Where are you now? I used to work at one of the largest hospital systems on the eastern seaboard and through that I did a lot of stuff with the [Charlotte] Hornets. Now, I've been doing...branding consulting, social media consulting and strategizing, and I write for an online platform.
Do you still use any of the lessons/wisdom from BSM in your life/job today? One big thing that I learned from BSM was community. Coming in as a freshman I really wanted to be a part of Black Ink and all that stuff but I was so shy. And it was just because I wasn't super sure about myself. But from watching different people in leadership like Trey Mangum when he was here and president [of BSM] and Alexis Davis, DJ Latham‌[Getting] to know them kind of helped me come out of my shell and not be intimidated in different settings. Because they are the kind of people that really want to help you, and help you grow. And at the time, as a freshman, I wasn't really in tune with that. But as I got older and deeper into my undergraduate career I saw that there were people that did support my ideas and what I thought.
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Veronica Joseph, 2017
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Q&A with Professor Bernard Bell, Class of 1986 By: Jana Henson (’19), Copy Editor
How were you involved with BSM? So when I was in college, I actually was membership chairman. I ran for Black Student Movement chairman and lost. I was on basically the business side and the governing side, I wasn't on the creative side How did that involvement impact your time at UNC? BSM gave me an opportunity to lead long before any other organization did on campus, and it prepared me for leadership skills in corporate America.
What lessons/ wisdom did you learn from being involved with BSM? Number one, how to build and manage relationships. Number two, how to engage with others and make it about what's important to them, and number three, how to identify priorities and structure your strategy around them. As the current head of the entrepreneurship minor at UNC, can you speak to how far you've come since being a part of BSM, career-wise? My first job out of college was selling for IBM. I was a sales rep for IBM, and I think being in Chapel Hill in a leadership position gave me the confidence to excel in my first job. BSM gave me the opportunity to be an organization lead. It changed my life. Do you still use any of the lessons/wisdom from BSM in your life/job today? As an entrepreneur, one of my daily tasks is to be able to meet people and engage them quickly because we're always pitching ideas, building brands and so forth, and having to walk across campus [as membership chairman], reach my hand out to people that I've never met before and get them engaged quickly [developed] a cross-referenceable skillset that I use today as an entrepreneur.
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Q&A with Tamera McLeod, Class of 2017 By: Dominque Brodie (’19), Editor in Chief How were you involved with BSM? During my first year, I was a part of FCC. My second and third year I was a co-chair for the Service & Education Committee. During my senior year, I was Miss BSM. What did that mean to you?/What lessons or skills did you gain from your time in BSM? BSM was the first place I was able to call home at UNC. The place where I found people who had similar backgroungs and interests. When I became co-chair of Service & Education it was the first time the committee was active in about 5 years. This gave me the opportunity to create something from the ground up with my other co-chairs. We created a tutoring program and it taught me a lot about networking and organizing in the education realm. As Miss BSM, I put on a production of For Colored Girls and it was so powerful to be able to use theatre as a means of expression for women of color and to have BSM be the driving forces of that. It was a way for me to say thank you to everyone who came before me and created this organization that so drastically shaped my college experience. What do you do now? I’m an English teacher with Peace Corps Macedonia. How do any of the lessons/tools you learned from your involvement with BSM help you in your work now? BSM taught me how to be proud of my culture and history no matter where I am in the world. Macedonia is a European country and the only black people I see are the ones who were on the plane with me coming here. Because of BSM, I’m not afraid to be my authentic self and share my culture with anyone who’s willing to listen (and especially to those who aren’t willing if we’re being honest). BSM taught me how important it is to have a place to call home where you feel safe, loved, and protected and how important it is to have a community who is truly interested in uplifting and supporting you. Being in a space where no one looks like me, it means so much to have the tools and skills to stay motivated and driven and I thank BSM for that.
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Blackink 2017-2018 EXECUTIVE BOARD: Dominque Brodie, Editor in Chief PK Krentsil, Managing Editor Jana Henson, Copy Editor Q Lesesne, PR Coordinator Brianna Brunson, Business Manager
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