Ujamaa

Ujamaa House was created as a concept in 1970 with a concentration of Black first-year and upperclass students living on east campus, and moved to its current location in 1976. Over the years, this African-American themed dorm has expanded its intellectual focus to include the entire African Diaspora. Their legacy of excellence is fluid and active with frequent speakers and visits by alumni such as college dean and physician, Hilda Hutcherson, actor Sterling K. Brown, writer Brit Bennett, philanthropist and Stanford Board of Trustee Chair, Jeff Raikes, and politician Michael Tubbs.

Find Ujamaa on the Stanford Searchable Map here

More About Ujamaa

Ujamaa focuses on the histories, issues, and cultures of the Black Diaspora. The name comes from the Swahili word for “extended family.” This house prides itself on fostering a sense of belonging for all residents by creating a safe environment for open, honest, and sometimes challenging dialogue. Weekly presentations by upperclass students allow residents to deepen their knowledge and understanding of themselves, their peers, and the world. The breadth and depth of topics ensures that Ujamaa is a true living and learning community. This house encourages intellectual vitality and emotion to collide, which leads to robust conversations filled with uncertainty, realness, and laughter. We hope you will join our family some time during your Stanford career.

No, we are not. We are a four class house. (frosh, soph, junior, senior).

Yes, they definitely do! Ujamaa has a legacy of upperclass students wanting to live in the house to serve as academic and personal mentors to the frosh.

Meet the Jan Barker Alexander Resident Fellows for Ujamaa

Resident Fellows, or RFs, are Stanford faculty and senior administrative staff who live in apartments or cottages adjacent to student residences and serve as leaders for their communities. Anne Charity Hudley and Chris Hudley are super excited to be joining the Ujamaa community!

Anne Charity Hudley (she, her; Black and proud) is the Associate Dean of Educational Affairs and the Bonnie Katz Tenenbaum Professor of Education at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. She is Professor of African and African-American Studies and Linguistics by courtesy. She is affiliated with the Center for Comparative Race and Ethnicity (CCSRE) and the Symbolic Systems Program. Her research and publications address the relationship between language variation and educational practices and policies for black students from preschool through graduate school. She teaches a course on African American English that welcomes both undergrad and graduate students. She has over 20 years of experience working with students, leading NSF programs for Black undergraduate students at HBCUs, and is dedicated to teaching and mentoring work. She has a particular emphasis on creating high-impact practices for underrepresented students in higher education. She wrote a book about undergraduate research that she’s excited to share with Ujamaa residents. Come find her to get a free copy!

Chris Hudley is an Associate Director of Finance & Administration in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. A leader in the biomedical revolution, Stanford Medicine has a long tradition of pioneering research, innovative teaching protocols, and effective clinical therapies. Chris supports the mission of focused patient care by eradicating cancer and other diseases through the provision of high-quality, cutting-edge, personalized radiation therapy.

Anne and Chris are the proud auntie and unc to Madeleine Charity ‘24 and Emma Charity ‘25. We look forward to sharing all that we have learned about Stanford with them with the Ujamaa community.

Anne is also the Principal Investigator (PI) of the Stanford Black Academic Development (BAD) Lab, located in the Graduate School of Education in Raikes 309. Her lab research provides insight into factors that affect the academic and professional retention and the quality of life of Black people throughout the teaching and learning lifespan. The BAD Lab’s research covers a wide range of areas, including racial diversity in the social sciences, criminal and legal justice, multilingualism in schools, Black queer language cultures, writing and youth literature, literacy and the arts, AI and digital technology, teacher support around linguistic variation, and survivorship care for Black cancer patients. The BAD Lab has an emphasis on undergraduate research and welcomes students, faculty, and community members from across the US to participate. One of the lab’s biggest projects is launching the Journal of Black Language and Culture, a new academic journal created for, by, and about Black life, language, and culture. There are always ways for students to get involved—whether that’s through the journal or other projects—so definitely reach out to her if you’re interested!

Anne is originally from Richmond, Virginia. She attended undergrad at Harvard University, earned her graduate degree at The University of Pennsylvania, and completed a dissertation fellowship at Dartmouth College. She’s taught at Dartmouth, the College of William and Mary, and the University of California, Santa Barbara. Anne loves to travel both around the Bay and farther flung. She lives her life at the intersections of nerdy and fun. She loves to throw events and parties. She swims about 4 days a week and lifts weights on the 5th. She also enjoys watching all kinds of TV and movies! She doesn’t miss a concert (some recent ones include Kendrick Lamar and SZA, Cynthia Erivo, John Legend, and Bruno Mars), so if you hear of a good one, let her know!

Before transitioning into a role in higher education, Chris had the pleasure of working in the financial investment industry at Capital Group in both portfolio fund accounting and fixed income valuation. Capital Group serves individual investors, financial intermediaries, and institutions worldwide through a broad range of products and services, including American Funds, which manages assets of more than $1.4 trillion. American Funds is one of the largest mutual fund families in the world.

Chris holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA, and an MBA in Corporate Finance, as well as a master’s degree in accounting, both from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA. In his free time, he enjoys exploring the nuances of barbecue, everything sports-related, and the chronological nature of the Drake versus Kendrick relationship.

About the Ujamaa Theme

Ujamaa focuses on the histories, issues, and cultures of the Black Diaspora. The name comes from the Swahili word for “extended family,” and this house prides itself on fostering a sense of belonging for all residents by creating a safe environment for open, honest, and sometimes challenging dialogue.

Ujamaa House was created as a concept in 1970 with a concentration of Black frosh and upperclass students living on East campus, and moved to its current location in 1976. Over the years, this African-American theme dorm has expanded its intellectual focus to include the entire African Diaspora. Ujamaa has created a legacy of excellence with frequent speakers and visits by alumni such as college dean and physician Hilda Hutcherson, actor Sterling K. Brown, writer Brit Bennett, philanthropist and Stanford Board of Trustee Chair Jeff Raikes, and politician Michael Tubbs.

Weekly presentations by upperclassmen allow residents to deepen their knowledge and understanding of themselves, their peers, and the world. The breadth and depth of topics ensures that Ujamaa is a true living and learning community that encourages the collision of intellectual vitality and emotion. And that leads to robust conversations filled with uncertainty, authenticity, learning--and laughter. We hope you will join our family during your Stanford career.

If your proposal is accepted, you will live in a single with a sink and be part of our vibrant community. By accepting our invitation to live in Ujamaa premium housing, you will:

Give a one-hour presentation on your topic, which includes Q&A
Attend a minimum of six theme programs each quarter
Attend a one hour Zoom Meeting this summer (we will provide multiple dates & times)
Attend a Retreat in the Fall
Register for UJ House Course for one quarter only pre assignees
Optional: attend a Special Dinner/Reception each quarter