Race has been a contentious issue on the Blackburn College campus for many years. So much so that the college hosted “Let’s Talk About Race,” a three-part event, to bring attention to the topic of race on campus and in the surrounding community. This semester, a new student organization has been formed: the Black Student Union (BSU).
According to BSU president Brandon Lewis, “Our values are fellowship, scholarship and leadership. Fellowship: we believe in inclusion, love, respect and being kind to your neighbor as you would yourself. Scholarship: we are students first and foremost. We strive for academic accomplishment. Leadership: I think leadership, as a college student, now, is overlooked. We have a lot of students that go to class and then go to their dorm and that’s their life. I believe that as college students, we’re surrounded by opportunities.” The advice he repeated was, “Be a leader of something.”
Lewis spent most of his life in Joliet, Illinois, but moved to Springfield, Illinois for a short period of time. He was the president of the Black Student Union at Lincoln Land Community College before transferring to Blackburn at the beginning of this fall semester. At first, he was surprised that Blackburn did not already have an organization like this. The closest thing to a student union Blackburn has on campus would be Men of Blackburn, and while Men of Blackburn and the BSU have similar goals, BSU is about “creat[ing] a more inclusive community on campus,” Lewis said. The Men of Blackburn focus on building strong relationships with one another on the campus and in the community as well. The BSU is more politically and racially conscious, as Lewis explained, “What pushed me to make a BSU instead of join one of the other clubs or organizations was the political consciousness. I believe that in order to have a rich community at a college, the students need to have more than book smarts.” Lewis believes that in order for a campus community to thrive it should be rich in diversity and different experiences. This is a philosophy the BSU strives to embrace.
The second meeting of the Black Student Union meeting taking place
Freshman business management and computer science major Travon Herron said “I hope [the BSU] makes this campus more diverse because as I learnt the history of this school and there has been a lot of racial problems within the colored community” Herron went on to say, “I feel like BSU can actually help those students … come together.” Herron has advertised the BSU to many students that he knows, inviting them to meetings and promoting their ideas. He’s excited to see where the organization goes.