Celebrating Togetherness: Barnard Communities of Color
As a young Filipinx woman who grew up in majority Asian immigrant, Pacific Islander communities in Hawai’i, I experienced quite a bit of culture shock moving to New York City and meeting Barnard College, a predominantly White institution. What can “belonging” look like here? Over the 4 years I’ve navigated being a student of color here, I’ve found the answers to this question in the community that is so intentionally constructed and nurtured. That community care, built by and for the amazing folks of color at Barnard, is exactly what I wanted to highlight through this project series.
Through conversations with friends and campus partners following the university’s shift to virtual operations and among all that has happened this past school year, we all knew we had to do our best to make sure prospective and incoming students could still experience the warmth of our Barnard community. We also reflected on the importance of centering students that come from underrepresented backgrounds. This was and will always be my personal commitment working within higher education.
The Alumni of Color dinner, an annual feature within our Admissions Office’s pre-Open House programming to celebrate admitted students, was something we felt needed to be creatively reimagined. At this special dinner, students of color would get to sit at roundtables with Barnard alum of color from many different generations, a beautiful introduction to the type of community our campus offers. My and many others’ favorite part of this dinner was conversation, especially the passionate sharing of testimonials. The alums would take a moment to pass a mic around the room and talk about their own experience and encounter with revolutionary Barnard love. And it was always powerful to hear people like former Dean Avis Hinkson ‘84 and Trustee Frances Sadler ‘72, among many others, reflect on how they navigated the ups and downs of college.
This is a project series dedicated to the legacy of bold Barnard alums& students of color, celebrating the power of inclusive communities on campus. We asked a few current students to name an alum who has impacted them and/or their communities at the college, and then asked those amazing alums to share a few words reflecting on their experiences of being a Woman of Color at Barnard. Hoping to give a sneak peak into the networks of support we’re able to have here, I curated this project and am now happy to present the amazing thoughts of a few of my brilliant Barnard friends.
Of course this category of “Woman of Color” is so broad and doesn’t quite capture the breadth and depth of individual community experiences and the many intersections of our own identities. But, when it comes to being self and socially aware, this is definitely a start! We can and will always continue to explore and redefine WOC.
If you take away one thing from this blog post, please let it be this: you are not alone in your college process. Though your individual experience will always be unique and something only you can own, there are so many caring people within our community that are down to extend support and share in both your struggles and victories when needed. This active allyship is what, I think, makes Barnard Barnard. - Athena Abadilla ‘20
"Barnard is quite honestly the best decision I have ever made for myself. I remember before being admitted, I’d troll the Tumblr pages (throwin it way back to 2014 y’all) of current students trying to better understand if I'd fit in as a Barnard student. Who is the typical Barnard womxn?? It’s a frequently asked question, and to put it simply: it’s you. We are an eclectic community of forward thinkers, climate conscious activists, architects, bibliophiles with ambitions of being the next Jhumpa Lahiri ‘89, PhD pursuing physicists, and student DJs who love streaming Hot Girl Meg at 11 pm on a Wednesday. Quirky? We got you. Worried about if your post quarantine blue hair is ‘too much’ ? Don’t be, you won’t be in the minority. The type to roll into class in sweats? Same here sis, all throughout my short-lived premed career. Love to wear thigh high boots in the fall? You better show ‘em sis!!
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but you belong here. Every aspect of who you are — timid, loud, inquisitive, headstrong— deserves to take up space in our little haven at 117th and Broadway, and we’d be so fortunate to have you if you do. Congratulations to you and your family on this major milestone!
But I do have one last question for you.. are YOU ready to be a Barnard Womxn?" - Aku Acquaye ‘18
”I met Aku when she was campaigning to be VP for Campus Life. I was in the dining hall and saw her sitting with a bunch of students just sharing her platform. It was an uncontested election but she still decided to actively engage with the student body. She sat with me and shared her story as a student leader on campus. She inspired me to take risks and to challenge myself in creating positive change. Now, I serve my community as president of student government!” - Kim Samala ‘20
"Family Dinner — hosted by the Barnard Organization of Soul Sisters — was my favourite college event. It was so beautiful to be reminded of the fact that there is a legacy of a black Barnard community, and is filled with alums who once stood in your shoes felt your same feelings. It’s a night to connect with new faces, reconnect with familiar ones and I always left feeling less alone and proud to be part of such a powerful, resilient, fun, brilliant, BOSS community!" - Alicia Simba ‘19
”I met Alicia working at Tompkins hall I think and we had a lot of mutual friends. She was always so kind and approachable. And spoke of words of encouragement to me as a little baby first-year” - Maria Adetunji ‘20
“It's often around this time that I reminisce about my senior spring; most memorable being diversity graduation. My little sister stood in front of the room and announced that "before Barnard, Jada was mediocre," but upon completion I was something to be proud of.
While many found humor in her words, four years later I look back on that moment and see the honesty.
I arrived in New York afraid of who I was and who I could be. I was never shy, but growing up as a Black woman in this country, I wasn't confident. In four short years, Barnard helped me find my voice and in turn taught me to be bold and to be fearless.” - Jada Hawkins ‘16
“Jada’s work with the Athena Digital Design Agency has made it possible for a lot of non-CS majors like me to pursue basic coding skills at no extra cost in a low-pressure learning environment” - Cynthia Welinga ‘20
Barnard taught me that the strength of your community lies in the diversity of thought, backgrounds, and experiences of the individuals that make up your community - that challenging each other’s ideas and pushing each other to be the best versions of ourselves is what makes our community unique, and the love and care between students, alumnae, faculty and staff is what ultimately makes Barnard an unparalleled place to spend your 4 years. - Surbhi Lohia ‘19
"I think I found my identity and community as “woman of color” only at Barnard. I didn’t really think about my identity in such language before college. And it’s a powerful one. I’m extremely grateful to have had that community at Barnard. My four years at Barnard helped me to develop my WOC identity, both as a member of the greater community and as an ally (as there’s a spectrum in the WOC community) given my privileges as a non-black woman of color. Just a very nuanced part to my identity that is so central to who I am now, and as a person post Barnard that I carry in all my endeavors, professionally and personally. From Women of Color office hours at Well Woman, to the WOC support group, to just the friendships I made, and the identity I developed at Barnard was so central to my experience." - Aashna Singh ‘19
“Surbhi taught me never to be ashamed of my opinion, success, drive and identity. She helped me realize my capabilities and pushed me to become more involved in the Barnard community.”
“Aashna challenged me to think about my identity as a woman of colour. She took me under her wing, ensuring that I felt confident and comfortable on the Barnard campus. Her smile was a ray of sunshine on campus and I miss her dearly.” - Anya Murphy ‘22