Purpose
Renamed to represent a hub of community and collaboration, the Mbongi Spot (formerly the Bird Nest) offers a space of congregation for all LMU community members while being themed in celebration of Black and African cultural tradition. The Mbongi Spot is designed to provide space for LMU students, faculty, and staff to gather for collaborative work sessions, mentoring meetings, or informal socializing. This community space features lounge furniture and also offers free access to computer stations and printers.
Our Pillars
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The Mbongi Spot offers space for LMU students, faculty, and staff to convene for experiences designed to promote student success. Acknowledging the importance of holistic health and spiritual wellbeing, this tranquil space is available to reserve for study sessions, mentoring meet-ups, and other experiences related to the mission-based “education of the whole person.” Communal Engagement
Committed to the success of all students at LMU, this shared space is designed to reflect the Black and African cultural traditions of collectivism and collaboration. Featuring indoor and outdoor space, the Mbongi Spot is ideal for communal experiences such as collaborative work sessions, team-building experiences, and small group retreats. Social Justice
The Mbongi Spot represents a space in which members of the LMU community can convene in an informal, communally inspired space to engage in dialogue and action related to “the service of faith and the promotion of justice.” In support of the LMU mission, priority for space reservations will be given to events specifically designed to educate and/or engage the LMU community around issues related to local and global justice, particularly as they intersect with the service of faith.
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In this space we outline our legacy, make room for our ancestors to be known, and live out our own cultural customs specific to our experience as Black people. We know that without those who have come before us, our efforts would not be as tangible. In this space we will uplift and support our collective, reaching within to establish community for all Black people at LMU. With this pillar we also seek internal collaboration with external entities, providing us the opportunity to connect and engage with the Black community in the greater L.A. area.
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We are committed to actively challenging LMU in pursuing its mission statement of being an institution founded on the pillar of “service of faith and the promotion of justice” as it specifically pertains to the Black community at LMU. LMU should consistently strive to not only identify white supremacy in its practices, but also to eradicate any areas of marginalization on this campus.
Ethos Statement
- In this space we honor our ancestors, our heritage, and ourselves.
- In this space our humanity is sacred and protected.
- In this space we lead with love, intention, and respect.
- In this space we don’t pay mind to trivial things such as gossip and pettiness, we instead choose protection of our energy and healing.
- We affirm, codify, and integrate common cultural experiences, values, and interpretations that cut across the Black diaspora.
- We see each other as extensions of the same root, ones we are tasked with watering and cultivating and uplifting.
- We are a collective that believes in an inclusive and spacious movement toward true freedom and excellence.
- We also believe that in order to succeed and bring as many people with us along the way, we must move beyond the narrow mindedness and internally perpetuated marginalization.
- This space values and supports the entire Black community at LMU - regardless of gender, identity, sexual orientation, religious/spiritual affiliation, or political opinion. Oppressive and harmful behaviors and language are dispirited with the ethos of the space.