When Khalil Munir attended the University of Vermont in 1970, he was one of 13 African American students on a campus of 8,000. "It was a cultural and ethnic wasteland," he said. Since then, things at his alma mater have improved, Munir noted. About 11 percent of the current undergraduate cohort is from multicultural backgrounds, and the campus has a greater appreciation for diversity. On Saturday evening, Munir, now a policy analyst based in Washington, D.C., was among 200 people who attended the Soul Food Social in UVM's Grand Maple Ballroom. The annual event typically takes place over Homecoming Weekend. Organized by the Black Student Union, it's an opportunity for students of color to gather, share a meal and feel welcome on campus, said BSU publicist Daneil Whyte. "It can get lonely walking around this campus [when] you don't see someone who looks like you." This year's Soul Food Social had the theme "Reclaiming Our Time," a reference to U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters' (D-Calif.) viral response to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. The gathering started off with a networking session to help students and alumni such as Munir connect. "I've gained an appreciation for what this event is, the work and the spirit that the students throw into preparing a meal," said Munir, who sits on the board of the university's alumni association. Bernard Palmer, a fellow board member from the class of 1975, agreed. When he was at UVM, he said, "We didn't even have this kind of event, because there wasn't a lot of us here." Why soul food? "A lot of people come from New York, Chicago or somewhere far away, and they don't have the food [here]," explained Whyte, a second-year student. "So, even though we can't bring you back home, we bring a little piece of home to you." The students took two days to whip up a hearty meal of traditional soul food such as fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and corn bread — plus less traditional offerings such as vegetable curry, tossed salad and flan. Having budgeted, shopped and cooked for the event, they were on hand to serve the food, too. "They told me one drumstick per person," one student server apologetically told a guest. "It's like in the Bronx," exclaimed a student to a friend as they headed back to their table, each with a brimming plate. Amid the sea of…
When Khalil Munir attended the University of Vermont in 1970, he was one of 13 African American students on a campus of 8,000. "It was a cultural and ethnic wasteland," he said. Since then, things at his alma mater have improved, Munir noted. About 11 percent of the current undergraduate cohort is from multicultural backgrounds, and the campus has a greater appreciation for diversity. On Saturday evening, Munir, now a policy analyst based in Washington, D.C., was among 200 people who attended the Soul Food Social in UVM's Grand Maple Ballroom. The annual event typically takes place over Homecoming Weekend. Organized by the Black Student Union, it's an opportunity for students of color to gather, share a meal and feel welcome on campus, said BSU publicist Daneil Whyte. "It can get lonely walking around this campus [when] you don't see someone who looks like you." This year's Soul Food Social had the theme "Reclaiming Our Time," a reference to U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters' (D-Calif.) viral response to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. The gathering started off with a networking session to help students and alumni such as Munir connect. "I've gained an appreciation for what this event is, the work and the spirit that the students throw into preparing a meal," said Munir, who sits on the board of the university's alumni association. Bernard Palmer, a fellow board member from the class of 1975, agreed. When he was at UVM, he said, "We didn't even have this kind of event, because there wasn't a lot of us here." Why soul food? "A lot of people come from New York, Chicago or somewhere far away, and they don't have the food [here]," explained Whyte, a second-year student. "So, even though we can't bring you back home, we bring a little piece of home to you." The students took two days to whip up a hearty meal of traditional soul food such as fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and corn bread — plus less traditional offerings such as vegetable curry, tossed salad and flan. Having budgeted, shopped and cooked for the event, they were on hand to serve the food, too. "They told me one drumstick per person," one student server apologetically told a guest. "It's like in the Bronx," exclaimed a student to a friend as they headed back to their table, each with a brimming plate. Amid the sea of…