Halima Osman | Black Penn faces an uncertain future

Columnist Halima Osman considers how the end of affirmative action may harm Black student life. Credit: Ebunoluwa Adesida

Before coming to Penn, I never expected such a rich and diverse student body, especially within the Black community. I thought my experience would mirror many of the stories I had previously heard about Black student life at predominantly white institutions. I had mentally prepared to feel like another face in a sea of students — where Black students are barely seen. But when I first stepped onto Locust Walk, my experience was far different. I wasn't just met with the faces of other Black students; I was also met with the dynamic community that is Black Penn — people who instill confidence in me, uplift me, and can empathize with the challenges I face daily. 

Despite my initial excitement for the existence of this community, I was reminded of the United States Supreme Court's decision to overturn affirmative action last year, the effects of which are slowly showing up on our campus. 

According to Penn Admissions data on the Class of 2028, there was a 2% drop in the number of admitted students from historically underrepresented races and ethnicities in higher education. Additionally, the Wharton School of Business has seen a 19% drop in the same category for the Class of 2028. 

Any decline in the admission of underrepresented groups also means that there is likely a decrease in the number of Black students admitted, especially given the fact there is no exact way to know what the decrease in Black students is since the category is generalized as “underrepresented.” 

However, with the Black community at Penn being dubbed “Black Penn,” this community has become a safe haven for Black students.This includes events held by the Divine Nine fraternities and sororities, such as step shows, cookouts, or even debate watch parties. On the flip side, beyond purely social activities, we engage with vibrant extracurricular activities like the Black Pre-Law Association, Black Wharton, the Black Student League, and many more. These spaces allow Black students to find community, see representation, and take advantage of resources that would otherwise be harder to access. 

With the looming threat of diversity in Penn’s student body declining, we must stop and think about the effects it will have on Penn's culture.

"It makes it really difficult when the group of people you have to draw from is dwindling, and that kind of has exponential effects on what it means to your chapter to uphold your chapter long term,” stated Grayson Grigsby, College junior and member of the historically Black Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. “We've already seen it short term." 

It is already hard for Kappa Alpha Psi to recruit new members given the lack of awareness and acknowledgement within the Penn community. Thus, a dwindling Black population at Penn will only make it harder.  

For the first time in my Penn experience, I am scared. I am afraid that the richness of Black Penn will disappear, and the depictions of Black excellence that I look to for inspiration will be few and far between. 

Penn won't be the safe haven that I know it to be; instead, it will be a place where I have to just survive. Black Penn as I know it — a community with richness and diversity and vital to my college experience — will cease to exist. It may not happen entirely right now or even during my time at Penn, but my understanding of Black Penn — the vibrancy, richness and diversity — will be drastically changed.

Beyond just Black Penn, the effects will impact other underrepresented groups: They will also lose the robustness of these spaces to find their own communities within Penn. 

These communities aren’t just about finding a home away from home. They provide resources that enrich the academic and professional experience at Penn. The cultural centers such as Makuu, La Casa Latina, and the Pan-Asian American Community House allow students to attend conferences, tutoring workshops, network with alumni, and access job opportunities. 

These opportunities will be greatly diminished if entities like Black Penn shrink over time following the overturn of affirmative action. This, in turn, will exacerbate the already-existing separation and isolation that Black students may feel attending Penn. 

It is a sobering reality that the future generations of Penn students won’t be able to experience the communities that I was fortunate enough to. This rich community is unfortunately a privilege and no longer a part of the status quo. 

Now, with the Black enrollment declines at Penn and beyond that have come in the wake of affirmative action being overturned, it is evident that there is a crack in the community that has given me and many others a sense of belonging. 

HALIMA OSMAN is a College sophomore studying political science and communication from Boston. Her email is [email protected].