United Minorities Council

Established in 1978, the United Minorities Council is a coalition of minority student organizations at the University of Pennsylvania.

The UMC strives to amplify underrepresented voices, facilitate intercultural communication, and generate a healthy dialogue on how Penn can best serve its minority students. 

The United Minorities Council was founded in 1978 as an intercultural coalition of students who fight for equity and access to resources for students of color at Penn. Among UMC’s earliest accomplishments is staging sit-in protests that led to the establishment of the Greenfield Intercultural Center (3708 Chestnut Street) in 1984.

UMC Board 2025

Chair: Tyasia Cannon C’26 tyasia@sas.upenn.edu 

Vice Chair: Beza Mersiehazen C’26 bezamers@sas.upenn.edu 

Political Chair: Zainab Adeoye C’27 zaheoye@sas.upenn.edu 

Finance Chair: Avi Talsania C’28 avital06@sas.upenn.edu 

Programming Chairs: Areebah Ahmed C’26 areebah@sas.upenn.edu and Erina Chowdhury C’28 erinac1@sas.upenn.edu 

Admissions and Outreach: Jenaya Chambers N’27 jenayac@nursing.upenn.edu 

Marketing Chair: Justin Benitez C’28 jusben@sas.upenn.edu