Community gathers for BIPOC Brunch

By Francisco Omar Fernandez Rodriguez

Arts & Features Editor

A BIPOC Brunch was hosted by the Division of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement and the Office of Alumni Relations on Oct 18.

Jeffery Coleman, vice president of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, welcomed everyone to the brunch.

“This is our second annual BIPOC alumni, student, faculty, and staff brunch, and so we’re hoping that this will be another opportunity for us to build community with one another,” he said.

President Nancy Niemi thanked everyone for coming and said she couldn’t miss the brunch.

“The work that the CIE does and that the division does is part of our DNA. It’s the essential part of who we are at Framingham,” she said.

She added that leading the University is easier when so many people share this commitment.

“It infuses the spirit of equity and justice … and it only gets better each year,” she said.

Niemi said she was thinking of “all of the folks who work daily to make equity and justice part of our work.”

She also told everyone to enjoy the food. “If you don’t leave here feeling like you gained five pounds then there’s something wrong,” she said.

Jerome Burke, director of the CIE, asked everyone to pair up with someone they don’t know and get to know them.

He said the brunch is a place where anyone from the community can connect with each other while enjoying food, and that it recognizes BIPOC.

“It’s really a space celebrating and recognizing those from our community who, for years upon years, were told that they couldn’t be at these types of institutions,” Burke said.

He said it also celebrates the growing BIPOC representation on college campuses across the country.

“Even here at FSU, we’re becoming a way more diverse student population. And we want to recognize that, want to create space to celebrate that,” he said.

The event is also a space where students can connect with alumni, staff, and faculty, he said.

He added that Niemi and the provost were talking and “mingling” with students and alumni.

“That’s also something I think that we don’t get to do on an everyday basis,” he said.

“This is a great time to unwind and really remove titles and just focus on real authentic human connections,” Burke said.

He added that people were moving table to table to get to know each other.

“Success for me is someone talking to someone that they have not connected with before,” Burke said.

And, he hopes these events continue to grow.

“I’m hoping that there will come a year when we have to do something like this in the gym,” he said.

He said whoever didn’t come this year should go next time.

“There’s great food, there’s great opportunity to connect, and this is something that should definitely be marked on your calendar,” Burke said.

Coleman said the brunch is a way to build community and to help students connect with alumni.

The brunch is an opportunity for alumni “to share what kinds of events they like to participate in, to engage with the FSU community,” he said.

It’s also a chance for students to share what alumni-related events they’d like to see, he added.

He said creating “communities of support for students,” is always a great opportunity.

He said there’s research that shows students are more likely to stay in college and eventually graduate when they feel a sense of belonging.

About 66 people RSVP-ed, which was encouraging, he added.

Emma Laurie, the program coordinator for the CIE and Class of ’22, said she would have attended the brunch even if she wasn’t working there.

There was a better turnout this year than last year, she said.

They did more outreach to students and alumni this year, and the weather was nicer, she added.

Victoria Adeyemi, an administrative assistant for Campus Events and Class of ’21, said she was invited by a professor who used to teach her when she was an undergrad.

She added she was also working at the brunch, though she’s usually not at many events.

She met someone new at the brunch and they discussed accessibility on campus, she said.

It was nice to see the staff supporting the event, she said.

Junior ASL major Eli Onyeabor said he was invited by Burke.

He’s been going to events hosted by the CIE and has “gotten to grow closer with the people of the CIE,” he said.

The food was diverse and good, he added.

He said it’s important to recognize Black and Indigenous people on campus.

“Stay Black and stay beautiful, y’all,” he said.

Graduate student Fabiam Barracks said he was invited by Burke and thought it would be a good opportunity to meet other students.

He does most of his classes online, so this was a good chance to socialize, he added.

“I think this is a great space for us to just exist and celebrate each other, especially in these difficult times,” he said.