The third in this blog series on Living Black at University was written by Hillary Gyebi-Ababio, Vice President for Higher Education at the National Union of Students.
‘I was the only Black person in my halls.’
‘I didn’t know where to get my hair done or get cultural foods I ate at home.’
‘My flatmates keep touching my hair and commenting on my food, my clothes, my background.’
These are common things you hear from Black students about their time in university accommodation, settling into their new environment, surrounded by people they’ve never met. When students apply to university, they’re often met with glossy prospectuses showing hugely diverse student populations, and students looking like they’re having the time of their lives. For some students, this is a reality, but for many others, especially Black students, this is not the case.
