The Black Student Union (BSU) at Washburn University held its weekly meeting on Sept.15 in the Memorial Union Underground. Members discussed upcoming field trips, campus experiences and community service opportunities.
Cinai Anderson, president of BSU, opened the meeting with updates about BSU’s and conference plans.
“This was an overview about our field trips coming up,” Anderson said. “We have a field trip for our Big XII conference that is in Feb.. The second part of our meeting was just a discussion about the Black population at a predominantly white institution being here at Washburn.”
Anderson explained that much of the conversation centered on the realities students of color face on a campus that is nearly 90 percent white.
“We’re kind of discussing everyday lives that people of color have to go through, not just Black people but people of color, on a campus that would never experience microaggressions, subtle comments, or racism like that or even being targeted just by the color of your skin and different political views,” Anderson said.
BSU is currently accepting new members, though Anderson emphasized that anyone is welcome to attend meetings.
“Everybody is always welcome to come. We do have membership dues by Sept. 29. It’s just a $10 membership. But you do not have to be a member to attend our first field trip Nov. 15 or to sit here and talk, discuss and just be part of the family.”
Choize Hysten, junior political science major, mentioned that BSU represents an important safe space on campus.
“BSU is mainly a safe place for people of color,” Hysten said. “You don’t have to be a person of color just to be in this space, just to have conversations with other people.It’s a good way to reach out to different people that you probably wouldn’t have seen on campus.”
The organization also highlighted upcoming events, including the potential poetry slam Speak Your Truth, co-hosted with the Washburn Student Government Association. In addition, BSU members plan to take part in community service on Sept. 27 at Faith Temple.
“It’s basically like a clothing and hygiene drive, where people in the community can just grab stuff for free,” Hysten said. “You don’t have to be part of that community. You can be a Washburn student, if you need something, just go grab it.”
BSU also hosts study nights every Tuesday and Thursday from 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Raven Petty, Communications Coordinator of BSU, explained the importance of the Big XII Black Student Government Conference, which BSU will attend in Feb.
“It is a conference we go to every single year,” Petty said. “It’s just BSUs, BSAs [and] African student associations. They come together at one of the Big XII schools and it’s a conference on self-reflection, self-improvement, professional improvement and being Black.”
Petty emphasized that the conference provides a strong sense of community. She described it as “our little HBCU weekend,” since it is uncommon at a predominantly white institution to be surrounded by so many Black students. She said the experience is uplifting and creates a family-like atmosphere.
“We’re a big family,” Petty said. “We welcome everyone and we’re always looking for new members. BSU is more than just an organization, it’s a family. We also focus on education and having tough conversations that people might not normally have or that are often limited to small friend groups.”
The Black Student Union meets every Monday from 7-9 p.m. in the Memorial Union Underground.
Edited by Anson Appelhanz and Arohi Rai
