The Institute of Black Intellectual Innovation hosted “Grounds for Black Joy” last Wednesday at Pollak Library to celebrate and share local Black owned vendors and businesses in honor of Black History Month.
Natalie Graham, the associate dean for faculty at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, currently serves as the director of IBII which started back in 2019 and was officially sanctioned on campus in 2020.
“Grounds for Black Joy” was IBII’s first event of the spring semester, following their Kwanzaa event back in December and Black Book Chat in the fall.
The social networking event’s intention was to spread awareness for small Black-owned coffee and pastry businesses. Taking place on Pollak Library’s top floor, the meeting offered pastries and coffee from the businesses being spotlighted through a slideshow playing for all in attendance to see.
“Grounds for Black Joy is an idea that we had last year,” Graham said. “One of the things we recognized is that there’s a long history of coffee-making and brewing in Africa, so there’s this historical resonance, current resonance to coffee-making and brewing, but we don’t see that translation into Black owned businesses.”
With Orange County having very few Black-owned coffee shops, IBII took it upon themselves to promote what they could of the Black community’s successes.
Having done “Grounds for Black Joy” last year, IBII wanted to continue their streak of support through bringing people together to highlight both the county and nation’s Black-owned businesses from pastries to coffee-makers alike.
“Really IBII is about creating community,” Graham said.
Rayshuna Thomas, the program coordinator for IBII, has been with the group since June of 2023 and believes that every event’s main goal is to connect and network.
“Even with our Black Book Chats it’s mostly us connecting and listening and having a panel with our authors,” Thomas said. “We still have the opportunity to connect with them. Maybe there were vendors that were showcasing or even those within different colleges that you would never talk to.”
Throughout the morning event, IBII emphasized that supporting Black-owned businesses doesn’t necessarily require traveling far, local retailers like Target, Albertsons, Sprouts, Whole Foods or online websites carry brands like Partake and BLK & Bold.
IBII advocates not only for the financial strength that the Black business community could have with more awareness, but also for the importance of strength in numbers.
“I think it’s really about recognizing that you’re not alone,” Graham said. “People can feel very isolated, people can feel very marginalized, and I think there’s also just a long history of aggression and micro-aggression against Black communities in Orange County.”
Furthermore, Graham also recognized the importance of providing a space for Black students on campus.
“So what we wanna do is say ‘Hey, there’s a space for you at Cal State, Fullerton, you don’t have to go off campus to experience the feeling of community and connection and belonging.”
IBII’s message transcends coffee beans and mini muffins. By taking these necessary steps towards gaining a larger following from their fellow CSUF students and faculty, IBII has a promising and inspiring future as both a promotional and transformational arm of the Black community.