The Black Student Union, or BSU, is an important community that brings students together to celebrate black culture and history at Wilsonville High School. It is where black students can come to find support and fit in with others.
During Black History Month, BSU holds a spotlight at Wilsonville; people of color share their struggles and success, allowing for their voices to be heard. By creating a positive discussion and celebration for BSU students, the BSU brings together everyone on the importance of Black history and why it should be celebrated all year long.
BSU is a very important club here at Wilsonville High School. BSU is a group for students that identify as African American, however they accept all ethnicity. This group meets once a week and seeks to build relationships and connections among people of color.
Most importantly, it’s what this club does for the people on campus. JD Greene states, “One thing we did on campus is we put up a black history month mural in the art department to acknowledge the black people who helped pave the way to where we are today.”
Tristan Hamilton adds, “It’s about what we do on campus with the few amount of black students we actually have in this school. I’m only 25 percent black, and yet, i’m still rocking with everyone ,so we take everyone who wants to be a part of our club.”
Every year from February 1st through March 1st, the U.S. celebrates Black History Month. Here at Wilsonville, culture is everything, and it’s important to recognize and commemorate every background and upbringing.
Greene shares, “Celebrating Black History Month is really important because there’s a lot of things that you don’t realize black people have made or done; like a doorknob, a black person made that. I just feel like the minorities should have a month that’s dedicated to each ethnicity, but at the same time, each individual didn’t have to go through what black people went through like slavery.”
Hamilton continues, “I think black history month is very important because all the historical figures that have struggled with segregation laws, slavery and stuff like that, so at the end of the day it’s really just a month to honor the struggles they had to endure.”
Here at Wilsonville, all ethnicities and cultures are equal and significant. BSU demonstrates this core value of Wilsonville by developing a space and a movement where all voices are heard, and positive discussions are created in safe, fostering environments.
