Black Student Union leaders focus on community and inclusion on campus
Photo by Senior Photographer Morgan Kiehl
The Black Student Union is celebrating the 46th annual Black History Month as they transition into new leadership roles and focus on initiating a more connected community at Lee.
“I know for this team, I really want us to stand in the gap,” said James White, president of BSU and junior psychology major. “Especially when it comes to diversity clubs, Greek clubs or just clubs in general at Lee, people tend to find what they are comfortable with. They find their own clique and stick to it, and don’t really branch out. What I want for our team, and not only our team but our club, is to get used to the idea of being comfortable with uncomfortability.”
The BSU encourages inclusivity and engagement by inviting any student to become a member of the club and reminding the student body “you don’t have to be Black to join the Black Student Union.”
“When I tell people I’m in a club and they ask which one, I say, ‘I’m in the Black Student Union,’ and they’re like, ‘I can’t join that,’ and I say ‘why not?” said Janay Ryan, freshman political science major and social media coordinator of BSU. “I feel that people just assume that it’s only an ‘us’ thing but it’s not.”
Additionally, the club’s leadership aims to open educational conversations in which individuals of all ethnicities are given the opportunity to be understood and celebrated.
“It’s also about learning about each other’s differences too, and then how we can communicate with each other,” said freshman nursing major Lindsey Ross, vice president of BSU. “Learning about the Black culture, and you know when people from other clubs come in and learn about their culture, it’s celebrating each other while also getting educated.”
The BSU is not interested in a uniform image. Instead, the club emphasizes “being more inclusive, and having more people that are not necessarily Black being able to feel like they are at home with different people from different cultures,” said Alena Jones, junior psychology major and treasurer of BSU.
White believes his struggle of feeling excluded has connected him to more people and led him to the position of president.
“I want people to begin to die to their inner prejudice,” said White. “I’m not saying that in the sense of the way people treat us, but the way we preconceive and think of others when we first get here.”
In observing Black History Month on Lee’s campus, the BSU said there is still a need for consistently recognizing the diversity of Black representation. White said he wants to see more Black Lee students acknowledged and commended for their gifting.
“There are so many people on this campus who possess so much talent and gifting — who are Black — who don’t get recognized,” said White. “To see people be recognized more, for Black History Month, but not just for us but for other races and different ethnicities as well — would alter Lee’s image in a good way.”
The month-long observation of Black History Month originally began in 1976 as a week-long celebration known as Negro History Week, created by Carter G. Woodson. Woodson was an African-American historian whose goal was to preserve Black history and to ensure it would be taught to future generations.
Over the course of the last 46 years, leaders like Woodson have set out to create inclusive communities and clubs that help further the teachings of Black history.
In 1999, Lee University launched its first Black Student Association, Umoja, under the sponsorship of Dr. Michael Laney. Laney served as a professor and chair of the Communications Arts department.
Umoja went inactive in 2013 after Laney transitioned out of Lee. The university’s current Black Student Union launched in 2018. The BSU continues the legacy of Umoja as the club has attracted significant student engagement in recent years.
In establishing new leadership, the club is redefining the motivation for the community, and discussing how to bridge the gap and make a large, holistic community at Lee.
Previous BSU leaders assigned six new students to leadership roles this academic year. White is serving as the president, Ross as vice president, Jones as treasurer, junior pre-med major Daija
Tucker as secretary, senior healthcare administration major Alex Matthews as table team leader and Ryan as social media coordinator. These new members were selected after an extensive interview and voting process.
The BSU is currently sponsored by Director of Racial and Ethnic Relations Gloria Scott-Richmond and Assistant Director of Student Care Rosie Adams.
White decided to enact a mission statement for the club, emphasizing how the club plans to connect with the Lee community.
“We want to make the Black Student Union a home for all races and ethnicities,” said White. “Yes, we are going to address things that go on in Black culture, the good and the bad, but it’s not to make people feel excluded, but to make people feel included.”
The club’s leadership believes the beginning of change falls on “both students and faculty the same,” and the BSU is leading this initiative. The BSU plans to collaborate with other clubs to host comprehensive events and projects for Lee students.
The BSU club leaders encourage students to “just show up” to a meeting if they’re interested in becoming a member. The club meets every other Wednesday, at 7 p.m. in the Johnson Lecture Hall. Their next meeting is on March 12.
News Editor Jada Camille contributed to this article.
