Inclusivity is a quality that students across many universities yearn for, but during the 1960s inclusivity was something many Black students had to fight for. During the Black Campus Movement one of the driving organizations that helped college students in predominantly white institutions (PWI) feel included were Black Student Unions.
These organizations started as a way to bring more Black studies programs, more involvement on campus and are popular in PWIs to ensure resources for Black students, according to an article titled “The History of the Black Student Union.” In Louisiana, institutions like Louisiana Tech University, Louisiana State University and its satellite campus in Shreveport (LSUS) and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette all have a Black Student Union.
“As a native of Dallas, Texas, I made the bold decision to pursue my education out of state,” Jadan Combs, Louisiana Tech University’s Black Student Union president, said. “The initial challenges were daunting, but my introduction to the Black Student Union changed my perspective.”
For Combs, her journey in the organization helped her submerge in the campus culture. With resources that gave her the leadership opportunities and mentorship she had no knowledge of until involving herself within the organization. She said that while there are other avenues to engage in a campus community, the importance of BSUs is that they provide students with an environment that is inclusive.
“The organization has made a profound impact on our members, providing them with a second home,” Combs said. “We cultivate a welcoming atmosphere ensuring that our members feel embraced and ensuring their voices are heard.”
At Northwestern State University of Louisiana, there is no official Recognized Student Organization that is classified as a BSU. However, there is an unofficial group of student leaders that have started an organization that unites all the Black student organizations on campus.
Brittany Blackwell Broussard, NSU’s Center for Inclusion and Diversity director of Culture and Climate, explained how while watching the Netflix show “Dear White People,” she got the inspiration to attempt to unite all of the Black serving organizations on campus.
“We have so many Black student organizations and sometimes it seems like we overlap each other, and we are not unified in a lot of our programming for events, and it disperses attendance and no one really has great attendance at events,” Broussard said.
The goal is that through this Black Student Organizations group, the different organizations that there are on campus can succeed and spread their culture, Broussard said.
“We want to unify and be able to be a stronger collective,” Broussard said. “While we celebrate us and create a safe space for minority students.”
NSU has a 27.17% Black or African American student population, according to the Diversity Data. However, even with this number the importance of spreading culture is important as Jasmine Wise, coordinator of Black Studies, explained.
“Culturally we are run by a majority European, Eurocentric viewpoint,” Wise said. Which is why she believes learning more about culture can cultivate an inclusive atmosphere, and maybe through this current BSO network, students can attend these events that celebrate African American culture.
Students at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, with an established Black Student Union, shared that the goals of their organization help amplify their voices.
“As the UL Lafayette Black Student Union, our mission is to stimulate the intellectual, political, cultural, and social growth of all minority students,” Trinity Stewart, historian for ULL’s BSU, said. “We achieve this through elevating involvements such as general body meetings, programming, community service and the unification of organizations catering to people of color on and off campus.”
With ULL’s African American student population standing at 20%, the president of their BSU believes that BSUs are vital for representation on campus, Jordan Smith said.
By being able to see themselves through an organization, ULL’s BSU is able to amplify the voices of minority students, which is why they think more colleges should have BSUs.
“I do believe more campuses in our home state should adopt the idea of more Black Student Unions because I truly believe there is power in numbers, and when great minds come together and stand for something, we become unstoppable,” Smith said.
