<p>I am african-american and i am an admitted (yet still undecided) student of amherst. just wondering, do people feel like the black student union is effective? is the black community comfortable at amherst?</p>
<p>My daughter is a third year African American from California. The Amherst Black student community is extremely diverse (students from everywhere as well as many Africans and students from the Caribbean). They come from diverse social and economical backgrounds. You will definitely feel very comfortable race-wise and there is an active BSU as well as an African and Caribbean Student Association. I hope some AA students log on about their perceptions. have you visited Amherst? You definitely should. Congratulations on your admissions. It’s a wonderful college and has been a perfect fit for my daughter. She’s studying abroad this semester.</p>
<p>Hello, I am African-American.</p>
<p>I have visited Amherst twice before, once for an overnight stay, and once for a tour. Based on what I have seen, there are no issues race-wise. There are plenty of black students, from all places, and several black faculty members.</p>
<p>Also, as someone coming from a diverse part of the United States, I was pleased to discover that most people of other races did not have problems talking to me. Everyone was friendly, and I was approached by many, diverse peoples. </p>
<p>As for the BSU, specifically, they appear to be very popular on campus. From what I understand, they throw pretty great parties, that everyone, across all races, loves to attend. I think you, and I will be comfortable there.</p>
<p>BSU parties are definitely well-attended by persons of all races, and by Five College students too.</p>
<p>There’s the Charles Drew Memorial House, one of the most beautiful dorms on campus, a theme house whose residents are dedicated to promoting awareness of black culture on campus.</p>
<p>All throughout Black History Month, there are catered film screenings. Throughout the year, there are popular cultural events such as Caribfest, and plenty of group discussions on contentious socioeconomic and race relations issues.</p>
<p>There’s going to be a special alumni event, “Sister Talk/Brother Speak,” where alumni/ae are invited to return to campus to talk about their experiences as black students at Amherst and as young black men and women working in “the real world.” So, plenty of networking opportunities too.</p>