BY SARA BUCKALEW
Black Student Union is a club that was created for black students to come together and plan activities, such as the annual Soul Food event, to promote their culture and raise funds for scholarships and field trips.
The club was formerly known as the African American Club. “We changed our name to Black Student Union because one of our goals this year is to be more inclusive,” advisor Adrienne DeLee-Fleming shared, “Many of our black students are not of African descent; many are Haitian, Jamaican, American, etc.”
Students in each grade take part in the club and fill many of the leadership roles, such as treasurer, secretary, board executive, and more. The elections for the BSU board took place earlier in the fall. “As President, I oversee the club’s operation,” explained Chijindu Emeh. “When there are issues with scheduling events, reserving rooms, or planning inconsistencies it’s usually up to me to resolve them.”
Some members joined the club to make new friends and to be surrounded by others. Freshman Seniyah Thomas says, “I joined BSU because I’m black, and I wanted to interact with other black people from different backgrounds and ages.”
BSU leadership strives to provide the best experience possible for its members. “I try to increase club membership and retain old members by planning fun events and making club meetings enjoyable,” said Emeh.
The club’s staff have several goals and expectations for the year. “My goals are to maximize the potential of the club,” said Secretary Eboseremen Odion. “Often, I felt like the club had so many ideas that we could do to raise money or events we could throw or even fun we could have had. This year, through lots of hard work and planning, I want to do all the things the club could to maximize not only the engagement of its own members, but also the engagement of others students outside of the club who need to witness black awesomeness.”
Overall, the members have great expectations for the rest of the year and their upcoming events. “I expect to have so much fun,” shared Odion. “We have a lot cool ideas this year, and I know the entire board and out members are willing to put in the work to have a successful year!”
Students in all grades are welcome to join the club by messaging either Advisor Mrs. Fazio or President Chijindu Emeh. Visit the club’s Instagram and twitter, which are both @obhsbsu for more information.
Posted on
Photos by Sara Buckalew
Knight Life 