Office of Black Student Affairs (OBSA)
Contact OBSA
Phone | (909) 607-3669
Email | obsa@claremont.edu
Office Hours | Monday – Friday 9 AM – 4:30 PM and by appointment
Office of Black Student Affairs
139 E. Seventh St.
Claremont, CA, 91711
OBSA Fact Sheet
OBSA’s Linktr.ee
Subscribe to OBSA! Sign up for our Monthly Magazine
Annual Programs and Events
Upcoming Events
Key Services
OBSA engages student artist communities at the seven colleges by:
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- supporting the development of a 100% student generated fashion, culture and lifetsyle magazine, Blaremont Mag, exploring Black student perspectives, personas and passions (all images and features are of Claremont Colleges students, by an OBSA fellow enrolled at Pitzer College).
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- Offering the annual Black Visionary Fund in collaboration with Blaremont Mag, a multidisciplinary award of $600 to student creatives. Must apply online and provide a portfolio for consideration. Application available on linktr.ee/obsaclaremont.
- Offering partial funding to student-organizations who plan community-wide art festivals, performances, workshops and more across media.
- Student artists are invited to apply and be provided a stipend to exhibit their unique works in OBSA.
- Following the fall gallery exhibition wine and cheese event, artists showing work in the center have work on view through May. Their work is also available to view online, with select items for purchase are available in the official OBSA Artist Brochure. To purchase an item or make an offer, email OBSA. All proceeds from the sale of art go directly to artists.
- Highlighting student creatives on OBSA’s social platforms and in newsletters
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OBSA partners with Benton Museum to offer artist receptions and talkbacks, a special salon series event during Black History month, and cross marketing Benton exhibitions, workshops and other events to OBSA’s communities. We have also partnered with Queer Resource Center, Scripps SCORE and Monsour Counseling Center for workshops centering artmaking and wellness.
OBSA partners with Monsour Counseling and Pyschological Services yearly to host weekly drop in hours with MCAPS Senior staff therapist, Dr. Adrienne Hilliard. We’ve expanded these wellness checks to include a series of workshops and wellness-based engagement events called “Wellness, for Us,” tailored to communities of African descent, that include:
- Emotional wellness workshops featuring art therapy and healing practices, co facilitated by Dr. A
- Physical wellness workshops including health education, yoga, relaxation, healing and meditation
- Financial wellness workshops facilitated by Claremont Colleges staff and faculty, in partnership with CLSA
- Participation in the annual spring Reclaiming Wellness: BIPOC Mental Health Celebration. This is an ongoing partnership with Pitzer Strive2Thrive, CAPAS, MCAPS, CLSA and QRC, featuring immersive experiences across multiple locations: beauty, personal care,and wellness opportunities from BIPOC businesses.
Stay up to date with OBSA by reading our monthly magazine. The publication updates communities across the colleges about OBSA’s upcoming events and facility features, local and national fellowships and jobs, OBSA’s special initiatives and partnerships, celebrates Black students’ academic and co-curricular accomplishments, and highlights a range of additional student-centered opportunities across the 7 colleges.
To read OBSA’s RECENT newsletters, visit our Linktree
OBSA publishes the biennial Black Book to assist students in identifying essential services and faculty and staff of African descent at The Claremont Colleges. The Black Book supports students in connecting to communities of African descent at The Claremont Colleges and beyond, including listings of local Black owned and Black Alumni-owned businesses. Students can easily locate and access health and wellness related services, as well as shared service resources across the colleges.
The book is updated every other year and shared online.
OBSA offers students, faculty and staff enrolled and/or employed at The Colleges permission to use the center after hours (swipe access is available M-F, 7am-11pm and reservations can be made for weekend use). The OBSA main house is open to the public M-Th, 9am-12pm and 1pm-4:30pm.
OBSA’s bungalow (back house) and patio are available by card swipe access for students, faculty and staff after hours by request using our access form. It can also be reserved for private 1 -time or standing meetings, courses or events here
The general public may not use OBSA’s facilities without written request to obsa@claremont.edu, certain conditions apply.