The Black Student Movement established the Upendo Lounge on UNC’s campus in the 1970s.

“Although open to the whole campus, it will serve as a center where black students can gather…or socialize in a predominantly black atmosphere,” a 1973 article from the Daily Tar Heel reads.

In September, leaders of the Black Student Movement say they learned they would no longer have access to the lounge.

The university confirmed the decision came amid DEI policy changes trickling down from the federal government to the UNC System.

“As a result of these changes, it can only be reserved by the administrative units in the building,” a statement to WRAL reads.

The UNC System Board of Governors voted in May 2024 to replace its policy on DEI, which has led to the elimination of diversity-related positions, programs and grants at universities across the state, including UNC-Chapel Hill. 

In July, the U.S. Attorney General sent a memo addressed to “recipients of federal funding,” which lists segregation in facilities and resources as unlawful discrimination.

“Even if access is technically open to all, the identity-based focus creates a perception of segregation and may foster a hostile environment. This extends to any resource allocation-such as study spaces, computer labs, or event venues that segregate access based on protected characteristics, even if intended to create ‘safe spaces,’” the memo reads.

“It’s been chipped at for years; this was their edge to take it away,” said Adam Sherif, President of the BSM. “This space is utilized by several non-black students and other organizations, too.”

Another BSM member, Samuel Scarborough, said university leaders said the space would be turned into a conference room.

In a statement, the university acknowledged the possibility.

“The room always served as a conference room as one of its functions,” a spokesperson wrote in an email to WRAL.

The university pointed the organization to other spaces on campus.

“The Black Student Movement can reserve any spaces in buildings around campus that are available to all student organizations and groups, consistent with the System policy and federal guidance,” the statement reads.

According to the organization, the Upendo Lounge first opened in 1973 in Chase Dining Hall before moving to SASB (Student and Academic Services building) North in 2003. Upendo is Swahili for “love,” as the BSM said it symbolizes the centrality to the academic, social and cultural life of Black students.

Students listed multiple demands for school leadership:

• Stand up to federal government pressures & restore Black Student Movement co-ownership.
• Place a plaque outside the door of the lounge, written by BSM.
• Maintain the name of the lounge.
• Keep copies of the original artwork in the space/BSM.

The school did not explicitly address those demands.

“The Upendo Lounge was never just a room; it was a living, breathing symbol of resistance, resilience, and community for Black students at Carolina,” Sherif said. “Its removal is not only a loss of physical space, but a profound dismissal of the longstanding history between the university and the voices of Black students who fought tirelessly for a place to call their own.”

According to the organization, the Upendo Lounge first opened in 1973 in Chase Dining Hall before moving to SASB (Student and Academic Services building) North in 2003. Upendo is Swahili for “love,” as the BSM said it symbolizes the centrality to the academic, social and cultural life of Black students.