Among the student populations at Chapman University, Black students make up one of the smallest racial or ethnic groups. In Fall 2022, Black or African American students made up 2.2% of the undergraduate student population. With this small of a population, it can often be difficult for Black students to be among peers who look like them.

Director of Black Excellence and Achievement Misty Levingston told The Panther that students may not see themselves in a classroom or walking around campus when explaining the experience that Black students have at Chapman. She wanted to find a solution to this problem.

“I wanted to create a community space where students and campus mentors could come together and have an authentic conversation, “ Levingston said. “This will help with a sense of belonging. It will also build community (and) help with getting a mentor-mentee situation where it’s not forced on you. It’s more of an authentic connection that students can build with their peers and with mentors — faculty and staff members.”

Levingston became the Director of Black Excellence and Achievement in July 2022. At the beginning of the 2022-23 academic year, she started discussion groups for Black students called Sisters Circle and Brothers Real Talk to create positive environments for Black students. 

Sisters Circle is a space for Black women and Brothers Real Talk is a space for Black men, both of which allow Black students to be part of communities of other Black students. Students, faculty, staff and administrators engage in discussions of their choosing that allow members to learn from one another. This semester, Sisters Circle and Brothers Real Talk will meet one Tuesday each month from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at the Cross Cultural Center.

Sophomore communications major Taya Good-Smith first heard about Sisters Circle last year from Levingston, who welcomed her to join.

“I knew that I wanted to be surrounded in a safe space with other Black people — or sisters,” Good-Smith told The Panther. “I decided to show up and see what it was about.”

Junior film production major Dusan Brown joined Brothers Real Talk last year to be among other Black male students with whom he can relate in ways that he cannot with his non-Black friends.

“I joined Brothers Real Talk to get more of a connection between the African American males that I could find that were on campus,” Brown told The Panther. “I started feeling like I had friends, but at the same time, it’s a little different when they don’t necessarily look like you, and sometimes, they might not relate to the certain things that might come up that are a part of the African American experience, especially when you’re at a PWI (predominantly white institution).” 

Good-Smith’s favorite discussion was on the book “Hood Feminism,” a book on intersectionality. Dr. Angelica Allen, the director of Chapman’s Africana Studies program, led the discussion. Brothers Real Talk also took part in the conversation.

“We were able to keep the books, and it impacted me a lot,” Good-Smith said. “I’m still reading the book currently, and it was really insightful.”

Brown’s favorite subject to discuss with Brothers Real Talk was about the online trend of Black men posting videos of themselves frolicking in fields as a way to display Black joy.

“Sometimes, it's kind of misunderstood and looked down upon — the ways that African American men might express their joy,” Brown said.

Both Sisters Circle and Brothers Real Talk align with the goals of Black Excellence and Achievement as well as Chapman’s strategic plan.

“These programs are completely in line with our goal to create intentional spaces and deepen the sense of belonging for Black students,” Levingston told The Panther. 

Levingston said that students in both Sisters Circle and Brothers Real Talk have told her that the programs strengthen their connections with other students as well as with faculty, staff, and administrators. Students like Good-Smith and Brown are two of the many students who have benefitted from Sisters Circle and Brothers Real Talk.

Sisters Circle has helped Good-Smith befriend fellow Black students and in a safe space for them at a university that does not have many Black students.

“It’s definitely helped me a lot with finding more friends — Black friends, specifically — on campus,” Good-Smith said. “A lot of times, at a PWI, you don’t really feel as comfortable. You don’t see as many Black people in a day. So, going to a meeting is like, ‘Ok, here we are.’ Because it will be a rare occurrence. I’d probably run into like three Black people a day, maybe. (It was a) safe space for me.”

Brothers Real Talk has helped Brown feel less lonely and more happy at Chapman.

“It definitely made it a less isolated place for me,” Brown said. “It definitely helped me to open up to my environment a little bit more and want to explore a little bit more and have a little bit more school spirit (and) get a chance to be myself around some people that I trust.”