Laughter and music filled room T160 in the Cesar Chavez Student Center, as Black Residents United in Housing (BRUH) kicked off their first event of the semester last week to welcome back students.      

The student-run organization advocates for black residents and offers a place to build stronger communities for students.

Ibory Moore, the president of BRUH, was very happy to see the turn-out for their first meeting of the semester. Moore hopes to get more students involved with the organization and make sure BRUH is providing the best housing information for black residents at SF State.

“We want to make them feel comfortable,” said Moore when discussing SF State housing and residency for black students. “So if they have any needs, they can bring them to us and we can get it to the right people.”

Due to past issues with lack of advising and leadership, the organization has not been consistently active on campus according to Moore. However, last night’s event was to let students know that BRUH is back with new board members. 

“We’re just really trying to build that sense of community for black people on this campus to let them know that we are here and that there is something for us,” Moore said. “We’re trying, but if we do these things and people don’t come out, it makes it hard.”

T-shirts were provided that showed the organization’s logo on the front and on the back read “To Be Young, Gifted and Black.” BRUH also offered food, drinks, board games and fun bonding exercises to  help students get to know one another.

“I love helping people,” Moore said. “I know there’s a big homeless and food inefficiency issue, and we have the money to make sure it’s going to the students who are paying all this money to go here.” 

Erin Fischer, housing advisor for BRUH, has been working with the organization since January. 

“It’s an intangible space for students to be in a community,” Fischer said. “I think it’s a great way to get involved especially for students that are interested in residential life. It’s also a great way to get connected and make friends.” 

Jennifer Taylor, a political science major, said it was a nice experience to be part of the event and come together as a collective community.  

“It was pretty fun and I wasn’t expecting that,” said Taylor. “It was nice to get to know everyone and it’s a place for black people to come together.”

Last year, Moore organized and hosted Soulsgiving with the Resident Hall Association in partnership with the Associated Students at SF State in November. The event provided food, group activities, and entertainment for students to enjoy for the Thanksgiving holiday. 

Moore said she is hopeful that more students will take advantage of the services provided by BRUH this semester to ensure a distinct presence of the organization on campus. The president also noted that despite the organization’s efforts, it all comes down to student involvement. 

The organization meets every Monday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the third floor of the Cesar Chavez building in room T160.