The University of Wisconsin-Madison student government, Associated Students of Madison (ASM), unanimously passed legislation to establish the Black Affairs Committee Nov. 13 following testimony from Black student groups.
The committee will work in collaboration with the Black Cultural Center and student groups such as the Black Student Union, National Pan-Hellenic Council to “ensure that the needs and voices of black students are represented in decisions about cultural programming and student services,” according to the legislation.
“A Black Student Affairs Committee would create a dedicated space to address community challenges that Black students face,” said Ashley Green, a representative from Leaders Igniting Transformation, an organization focused on young people of color leadership and political involvement. “By establishing this committee, we create opportunities to improve protection, foster leadership and ultimately help shape the university.”
The Black Affairs Committee will hold open meetings “regularly” and submit reports to ASM on a quarterly basis to discuss any challenges or updates on campus Black affairs.
“This committee will create a campus culture that sees Black students not as statistical anomalies, but as essential to the life and the mission of this university,” said bill sponsor Rep. Farhiyo Ali.
The effort comes after a September report by the Ad Hoc Study Group on the Black experience recommended a “proactive and strategic approach” to address long-standing issues Black students and faculty still face on campus.
One of the recommendations proposed by the study was the creation of a Black student council responsible for “elevate[ing] the needs and concerns of these councils to the relevant campus governing bodies or administrative units.”
The Ad Hoc Group was formed in response to the release of a video in which a UW-Madison student used racial slurs, and campus groups including the Blk Power Coalition organized large-scale protests calling for increasing funding for Black student organizations and required programming for first-year students that covers racial bias.
Awa Phatty, a representative for minority pre-health organization AHANA-MAPS, told ASM representatives it was “a crucial time to make sure that marginalized students, especially Black students on this campus, feel heard and feel like the faculty actually care.”
The bill initially stated the committee will be composed of 15 individuals from the Black campus community with 11 positions reserved for representatives from Black student organizations and four “at-large positions” available to Black students.
After debate, representatives amended the committee to include 10 seats by omitting reserved seats for representatives from the Blk Pwr Coalition, the Somali Student Association, the Caribbean Student Association and the Ethiopian-Eritrean Student Association and one at-large seat.
The Blk Pwr Coalition, the Somali Student Association, the Caribbean Student Association and the Ethiopian-Eritrean Student Association did not respond to a request for comment.
