On Thursdays during lunch in room 218, UC High’s Black Student Union (BSU) provides a place for students of color and allies to come together, learn about Black history and celebrate diversity.

   Club Advisor English Teacher Anthony Pollard said, “BSU is very educational. I think people should know that being able to come and hang around Black students helps alleviate their stereotypes about the Black community.”

   The creation of the first Black Student Union stemmed from the Black Campus Movement, which took place between 1965 and 1972, according to the Best Colleges website. This was a pivotal moment in history where African American college students demanded and protested for inclusivity on campus (bestcolleges.com).

   As per this website, “The logistics of Black Student Unions may differ between colleges [and high schools]. However, their most important mission is to unify Black people on campuses by offering a diverse array of cultural, informational, social, and academic events targeted to Black students” (bestcolleges.com).

    BSU Club President Kimberly Vincent believes the club is a very supportive and caring community. Vincent said, “Finding a club like the Black Student Union provided me with peers and students who share the same experiences as me, a Black student who goes to a predominantly White institution.”

   Vincent wants others to know that Black Student Union is for everyone. She said, “A lot of people don’t feel comfortable attending meetings because they feel they need to be Black to attend, but that’s not true! What we’re looking for in the Black Student Union is diversity, and that’s what we’ve been getting, members coming from all backgrounds.”

   As president, Vincent explained that she organizes field trips, plans events, manages the other officer’s progress with their designated jobs and duties, organizes the club’s advertisements, and attends meetings for the United Black Student Unions of Southern California (UBSUSC), an organization of high school BSUs across Southern California.

   Vincent recently began giving small lessons regarding Black history at the club’s weekly meetings. She said, “It’s a lot of hard work, but when I organize meetings I research Black history, which is a topic that I love. From there, I make presentations with aesthetically pleasing visuals.”

  Black Student Unions strive to unify Black students everywhere. According to the Best Colleges website, “Popular television shows and movies like ‘Grown-ish’ and ‘Dear White People’ often portray Black Student Unions as popular and exclusive social clubs for Black students” (bestcolleges.com). However, according to Pollard, UC High’s BSU is meant for any students looking to expand their knowledge on Black history and contemporary issues regarding people of color.