UC Berkeley Resources for Black Community
The Fannie Lou Hamer Black Resource Center is a space for Black students to safely gather on campus and benefit from dedicated academic, social, and cultural services. Located at Hearst Field Annex, the Center is open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on most days.
The Center opened in 2017 as part of the UC Berkeley African American Initiative and was named for the civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer. The Center is dedicated to enhancing the Black student experience in all aspects at Berkeley and enriching Black student life.
I recently visited the Center for the first time, and it has quickly become a place I find myself going back to often.
Resource board in the Fannie Lou Hamer Resource Center
Academic Services
It can often be difficult to find open space on campus to sit and work. I think many of us can relate to doing laps around the Student Union trying to find an empty seat. The Resource Center provides this space with plenty of couches, tables, and seating for Black students to work comfortably. Additionally, the Center provides many academic services including computer access, free printing, testing materials such as scantrons and blue books, and access to the Center’s library.
Study space and work tables at the Black Resource Center.
Social Space
The Center also provides a social space for Black students to hang out with each other. They provide snacks, drinks, and activities all year long. When I visited on Valentine’s Day, they had a DIY Valentine’s station as well as holiday treats.
The Valentine’s Day station
It’s also a great space to relax and unwind. With a massage chair and games (like board games, a Nintendo Switch, a VR headset, and a Playstation), the Center is a great place to go if you’re looking to take a break from classes and just have fun!
Equity & Community
I had the opportunity to talk to Charlotte Petty, a student employee and Partnerships team member at the Resource Center, about what the Fannie Lou Hamer space means to her and why it is so important to have it on campus.
Rachel (left) and Charlotte (right)
Rachel: Why do you think it’s important for Black students to be able to have this space on campus?
Charlotte: I believe that this space is for us to have a more equitable educational career. It is a resource for us to feel comfortable and relate to other students here on campus.
Rachel: What is the best part about working here?
Charlotte: The best part–well I’m a commuter student so I don’t really get to go out much outside of random events, so I really love and capitalize on the fact that I can talk and reach out to the community on a more daily basis.
Rachel: I love that! And then finally, what does community mean to you? I know you touched on that, if you just want to expand a little bit.
Charlotte: Community means to exist in a space of comfortability and relatability–and that’s something that we need in the Black community here at Cal, so it is great to have this space in order to form that community and build what is like another family.
Cultural Hub
A networking event put on by HUBBA and hosted by the resource center.
The Resource Center also provides a space for Black student organizations and clubs to meet on campus such as HUBBA, the Haas Undergraduate Black Business Association. I had an opportunity to attend one of their professional networking events, and the Resource Center provided the perfect space for them to host it. It opened with icebreakers and networking time with the business professionals that came to present, and wrapped with a business career panel where we could ask them questions!
The final Black Wednesday of Black History Month
The Center also occasionally hosts Black Wednesdays. Black Wednesdays are an opportunity for Black students to socially gather on campus. Typically held just outside of Golden Bear Cafe from 12-2 p.m. on Wednesdays, they are sometimes hosted at the Fannie Lou Hamer Resource Center depending on weather or special events. I attended the final Black Wednesday of Black History Month which included a Samba class and catered BBQ. I found this event on the African American Student Development Instagram which shares upcoming events and activities for the black community on campus, most of which are held at the Resource Center.
I’m so happy I found this space and community on campus. The resources and the connections to Black culture provided by the Center are truly invaluable. I hope every Black student at UC Berkeley takes advantage of this space.
The Fannie Lou Hamer Resource Center, named after the Black voting rights activist and civil rights leader, serves the academic, social, cultural, and political needs of the campus’ Black community! It’s a fun space to make friends, study, and just relax! 😌
#ucberkeley #ucberkeleylife #collegelife @blackatberkeley @berkeleydiversity @brrc_berkeley @black.lives.at.cal
Rachel Holmes is a second year at UC Berkeley majoring in media studies with a minor in theater & performance studies.
Want More?
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- Explore Black history on campus with this Black History Audio Tour.
- Discover other Black Student Organizations on campus.
- Learn more about the BRRC and Black@Cal.