Cultivating Black Joy at Pitzer’s Black Market Flea

Discover local businesses and Black joy with Pitzer College’s Black Student Union (BSU) on November 14. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pitzer BSU is hosting their biannual Black Market Flea on The Mounds on campus. 

Los Angeles boasts a multitude of Black-owned businesses in cuisine, beauty, fashion, jewelry, and more. Every fall and spring semester, Pitzer BSU invites many of these businesses and student vendors from The Claremont Colleges and other universities to the Black Market Flea. 

Christian Boyd ’28, a co-president of Pitzer BSU, has collaborated with other students on the club’s executive board to organize the event for fall 2026. According to Boyd, the Black Market Flea is a source of togetherness for Pitzer students and the broader community to celebrate Black arts and culture.  

“It really does bring everyone into community here,” said Boyd. “There aren’t a lot of Black students here currently. So why not bring the Black experience here and take up space on the Mounds, which is a pivotal part of Pitzer? Joy is the thing we’ve been trying to bring to Pitzer for the past couple of Black Market Fleas.” 

As a first-generation student from a low-income, predominantly Black neighborhood in Illinois, Boyd is passionate about sharing Black identity and culture. Black Market Flea is one of many manifestations of Pitzer’s core value of intercultural understanding, through which students broaden their perspectives and learn across cultures. Boyd said Pitzer introduced him to a new experience and way of life, and he wants to introduce other students to exciting, joyful experiences as well.  

Black Market Flea: Fall 2026 Edition 

Highlights include: 
Free Tote Bags and Meal Tickets (first 50 attendees) 
Henna Artists 
Food/Dessert 
Clothing 
Jewelry 
And More! 

Pitzer’s Black Market Flea is open to all. “Black Joy” is the theme for the fall 2026 edition of the event. The first 50 attendees will receive a free tote bag designed by Xavier Johnson ’28, a media studies major and social media coordinator for Pitzer BSU.  

“You’ll have a design by me that’s supposed to accentuate Black joy, using the ideas of nature, animals, and plants to create this idea of positivity and kindness,” said Johnson. 

Boyd said Pitzer BSU modeled their event after the Black Market Flea that was founded in Los Angeles in 2021. Hannah Chimpampwe ’26 established the event on campus in 2023.  

Boyd, a double major in Biology on the pre-med track and Africana Studies with a minor in Chemistry, considers the Black Market Flea a valuable outlet for imagination. This is true for the business owners and the students organizing the event. 

“There is a lot of creativity that goes into being the Black business owner yourself and also the students planning it, making the tote bags, making the promotional advertisements, making the fliers, all these things,” said Boyd. 

Follow Pitzer BSU and Pitzer Black Market Flea to stay updated on this and future Black Market Flea events. 
 

See a selection of vendors visiting this year: 
 

• Pitzer’s Black to Nature Class (Lemonade) 
• EazyLovesYou (Clothes) 
• DD's Chick and Cat Shack (Food) 
• Zuniias (Jewelry/Waist Beads) 
• Asé Illuminations Herbal Apothecary LLC (Herbs, Teas, Oils) 
• Assiba (Henna tattoos)