E.M.B.O.D.E. (pronounced Embody) stands for Expressive Minds Bonding Over Diverse Experiences. This virtual communal space was created by Jalayna Lockhart, a Senior finishing her BFA in Graphic Design at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities. The idea for this space came about based on a personal need to connect with other Black students. The culture at PWI’s make it difficult to connect with other students who look like you or identify as Black because they are typically hard to find. There are many Black organizations that one can join and while some students find their home within these spaces, they do not always feel receptive or inclusive. 

 

​​In this virtual communal space, the single identifying factor that will allow people to truly connect is through the experience of being Black in a predominantly white space, but more importantly being Black in America. The fact is, that regardless of where we all come from, our position as a Black people in a white America makes us the same in more ways than one. In America, we are all Black, regardless of how one identifies. This space strips people down to that blackness (as represented with the faceless portraits) in order for people to connect without any intereference. The ways in which we connect through that experience is what will allow us to truly build community. Our similarities are greater than our differences.