A student organization is bringing Black stories to the UCLA community year-round.

Black365 is a UCLA speaker series highlighting Black history and culture. Founded by fourth-year sociology student Runor Pinnock last year, the organization has hosted guests including Love Island USA contestant JaNa Craig and businesswoman Tina Knowles, the mother of Beyoncé and Solange.

“Our mission is to highlight the relevance and the prevalence of Black history and culture year-round,” Pinnock said. “Our main goal and priority is just to always highlight and amplify Black history and culture.”

Pinnock said the idea for Black365 began when she felt isolated during her first quarter at UCLA and struggled to find a community that reflected her interests. She added that she started cold emailing speakers she admired and was shocked when they responded.

Black365’s inaugural event, in collaboration with the Harambee Council at UCLA, featured Craig and took place in Ackerman Union on Feb. 18. The Love Island USA star encouraged listeners to say yes to unexpected opportunities, a message Pinnock said resonated with an audience of college students feeling uncertain about their futures.

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Hanae Noirbent, a fourth-year history student and former editor in chief of NOMMO, said she attended the event and noticed a crowd of mostly underclassmen and young Black women.

“It was really one of the first times that I feel like people felt that being a Black student at UCLA wasn’t just about being the minority at UCLA,” Noirbent said. “I was watching from the perspective of those younger Black girls in the room and being like, ‘This must be incredibly cool for them to be in this space right now.’”

Noirbent said she first heard about Black365 when she met Pinnock last year and heard about Pinnock’s initiative to create a space for stories that often go unrecognized on campus.

“(We’re) ensuring that Black history isn’t something that’s confined to the month of February,” Noirbent said. “That was kind of the big idea there – it was like, ‘How do we make that happen on campus?’”

The organization’s second speaker, Knowles, visited toward the end of spring quarter, said Asha Bailey, the co-secretary of Black365. Knowles spoke about mental health, Bailey said, and many students knew Knowles was a mother to celebrities but were not aware of her role in her daughters’ success.

Julia Perry, a third-year sociology student and the organization’s other co-secretary, said despite the age gap between Knowles and the audience, the themes highlighted throughout the event, including Black motherhood and resilience, proved impactful.

“Being Black when she (Knowles) was younger is a lot different than being Black is now,” Perry said. “But then there’s also things that are similar, that are still hard to deal with, that are still beautiful to deal with. So I think it was just very touching to hear from a perspective that you wouldn’t expect to relate to as much.”

Perry said the organization has made her more confident speaking with others and connecting with people she wouldn’t have otherwise, and she added that working with celebrity guests that are interested in speaking to students gives her a lot of hope.

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Noirbent added Black365 stands out because it centers storytelling rather than building resumes.

“You’re in a room, and you’re really struck by just how many community members you have with you,” Noirbent said. “That’s super empowering.”

The organization is hoping to expand beyond speakers, said Bailey, a third-year education and social transformation student. In her interview to be club secretary, she pitched a “hot topics” event where attendees could share hot takes on current events, which she said the organization ended up putting on in April. She is now working to compile Black cultural events and student activities across campus into a single calendar, she added.

Pinnock said she aims for Black365 to host more speakers and outlast her.

“We always want to prioritize Black voices and center them at the forefront,” Pinnock said. “But this is something that I think all students at UCLA can learn from, whether they’re Black or not.”