A Year in Gatherings: Brown Girl* Society’s First Year of Community

As Brown Girl* Society (BG*S) wraps up its very first full year as an official society at the University of Edinburgh, we’re filled with immense gratitude, love, and pride. What began as a dream between a few hopeful friends almost three years ago– to carve out a space for Brown women and non-binary folk to exist in community– has grown into a steady presence in the lives of so many.  

From the outset, our goal was never to overwhelm or over-program. We worked with a tri-weekly schedule of events that varied in time commitment and ‘vibe’, from low-key movie screenings and gallery visits to chai socials and consciousness circles. The idea was to allow for life to breathe within the society; creating moments of connection without pressure. Our very first social in September—a chai night in a committee member’s flat—set this tone. We took to an age-old South Asian tradition of sitting in a living room with homemade cups of chai, shoes off, and getting to know our new members with aimless conversation. No agendas, no formal introductions, just ease– that feeling has stayed with us throughout the year. 

Collaboration has been at the heart of our first year. Many of our committee members are also involved in other societies, and this multiplicity is reflected in how inherently multicultural our community is. We’re proud of how seamlessly we’ve built bridges—whether by co-hosting our Galentine’s Brunch with Black Women at Edinburgh, or by teaming up with Book Lovers Bookshop to celebrate South Asian romance literature, or by working with long-standing feminist groups at the university like the Feminist Society, Girl*Up, Sex on Campus, Sexpression, and Amnesty Society to co-organize the annual Charity Ball. 

The Charity Ball was a standout moment for us—not only because it exemplified cross-society collaboration, but because it showed what intentional, intersectional feminism can look like in practice. The funds raised were donated to Amnesty’s Palestinian campaign and to Blood:Water, a charity addressing the linked water and HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa. It was a night of joy and music, underpinned by a collective purpose, reflecting our society’s purpose.  

Throughout the year, we’ve held fast to the ethos that brought us together in the first place: the desire to be in community where our shared cultural identities are felt without needing translation. In a university environment where whiteness remains the norm, our existence often invites excessive discussion. BG*S has been, and will continue to be, a space where we can simply be. 

Finally, the moment that brought us the most collective joy: being awarded the Edinburgh University Student Award for Best International/Multicultural Initiative. For a society only in its first year, this recognition was deeply meaningful. It affirmed to us that the space we had nurtured mattered not only to us, but to the wider university community, reminding us that BG*S is a powerful act of community care. 

As Wardah, one of our Co-Presidents, reflected, “Without having been put in a room with other South Asian women for a workshop, I would never have realised how universal our experiences in this city were.” That moment of recognition—that our individual stories echoed one another—sparked a collective effort that would eventually grow into BG*S. The Student Award was not just a celebration of what we’ve done, but a moment where the work and love we have poured into this community was reflected back to us. It was a moment of recognition that felt deeply affirming—not simply because of the title, but because it reflected back the work we’ve put in, the love we’ve poured, and the community we’ve built. 

As we reflect on this first full year, we’re reminded that success isn’t only measured by how loud you are, but also by how deeply you listen— to your community, to each other, and to yourselves. Thank you to everyone who showed up, shared a story, laughed loud, and helped make BG*S what it is today. I cannot wait to see all the places it will go!