The co-chairs of the network say the aim is to honor Black culture in all its forms and share an openness to all members of Northeastern’s community.
One of Ubuntu: NU London’s Black Network’s main aims is to celebrate Black culture in all its guises, according to its co-chairs. Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University
LONDON — Desmond Tutu, the South African Anglican archbishop and anti-apartheid campaigner, described a person with “ubuntu” as being “open and available to others, affirming of others.”
Hayaat Abdi-Aynab, an academic adviser at Northeastern University, says that ethos of “ubuntu,” a form of humanist African philosophy, is represented in a new Black network that she and three co-chairs have established on the London campus.
Ubuntu: NU London’s Black Network is about celebrating Black culture and is open to all staff and students, including those who are not Black, she says.
“Ubuntu is an ancient African word meaning humanity to others,” says Abdi-Aynab.
“It is often described as reminding us that, ‘I am what I am because of who we all are’ and it is this idea of shared humanity that we wanted to portray through the name.
“We want to make clear through the name of the network that this is not just for the Black community. It really is open to everybody to get involved, regardless of their background.”
The official launch of the network will take place at noon, Sept. 24, in Devon House, Room 121.
As well as setting out the network’s mission and aims, members of the Northeastern community are invited to contribute to a display that will depict the rich diversity of Black culture by bringing an item that they feel is representative. Abdi-Aynab says the object could be anything from a photo, a piece of clothing, a book, an artifact, a recipe, an artwork or anything else that holds meaning to the person.
She says the network’s main priority will be to act as a driving force behind campus community events during the U.K.’s October celebrations of Black History Month, while also hosting events during February, when the month is marked in the U.S.
The co-chairs, who include the careers adviser Busayo Abidakun and law faculty members Fayokemi Olorundami and Balgiisa Sheik Ahmed, also plan to provide a mentoring and professional development service as the network progresses, according to Abdi-Aynab.
The idea behind the group originated after a cohort of staff members came together last year to host a series of events to mark October’s Black History Month, which included a West African drumming experience, film screenings and interactive zine-making.
There was also cross-campus collaboration, with a virtual global network conversation between London, the John D. O’Bryant African American Institute based in Boston and members of the Oakland community that focused on last year’s theme of “reclaiming narratives.”
“It was lovely,” recalls Adbi-Aynab. “Everyone got to share what reclaiming narratives meant for them and how they do that on a day-to-day basis where they work. It was very nice to hear the American perspective as well as the British voices.”
With the network established, Adbi-Aynab says the ambition is to celebrate Black culture in all its forms.
“We want to be open in that way and welcome everybody to come with their own definition of what Black culture is,” she says.
“Black culture looks different in Africa than it does in America, for example, and in different parts of the world. But we can all unite in having that connection with our culture and being open in accepting different ways of looking at it. The network really wants to emphasize that.
“One of our aims is to celebrate Black culture, whatever it means to people, whatever it looks like to people — to just really showcase the talent and the successes of our Black community here on campus.”