From decorating trees annually for Christmas in the Park to educating students through field trips and guest speaker events, Black Student Union (BSU) has existed as a student-run cultural club on campus since 2002, BSU co-advisor and special education resource specialist Herm Wilson said.
BSU members also attend college-and-career-related expositions and do community service in African American neighborhoods, Wilson said. The organization is especially important because it provides a space for African American students, a minority on campus, to feel comfortable and express themselves, he added.
“Black Student Union means, to me, a very inclusive, safe, and comfortable place where people of African ancestry like (me) will be united and be more comfortable around each other and be more comfortable at the school,” BSU president and junior Deyonnah Bighem said. It’s “a little reminder, like, ‘Hey, you’re not alone. We’re all here. We’re all in it together. We’re all gonna get through high school.’”
One of Wilson’s goals as a BSU advisor is to facilitate “courageous” and “open” conversations about African and African American people’s history and their interactions with other cultures, he said. All are welcome to participate, regardless of their heritage, he added.
“A lot of African Americans don’t know their own history,” Wilson said. “It is U.S. history, but there’s also a vein that’s specific to a culture (like) African, Latino, Indian. There’s specific veins where (people of different) cultures come to America and they make it their own. That’s one of the reasons why I continue to do the BSU: I like the historical aspect.”
To celebrate Black History Month, BSU raised the Pan-African flag at the Milpitas City Hall flag-raising ceremony on Feb. 1, Wilson said.
“Black History Month is important to honor people of Black or African American heritage (…) who stood up for Black rights, who should be remembered for all time,” BSU vice president and junior Roman Johnson said. “It’s a way to commemorate and pay homage to what they did to fight for me and other Black people.”
Conversations and education about Black history should be about more than slavery, Bighem said.
“In history class, when my teacher talked about Black history, it would be about segregation, or slavery, or the Civil War, or World War II, and less about the highlights of what Black people brought to the world and what we have to give and what we have given—more than just our struggles because I feel like Black history is more than just our struggles,” Bighem said.
Wilson has noticed that people regularly talk about the past rather than the modern day when discussing Black history, he said.
“I don’t talk about slavery at all,” Wilson said. “Everybody knows 1865 to 1979, but I’m a 70s baby. I want to talk about what happened from 1980 till now.”
Black history is more talked about now, but is still viewed as a delicate topic, Johnson said.
“People are afraid to talk about what has taken place in this country and what things have happened,” Johnson said.
To Johnson, one notable figure in Black history is Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her rightful seat, he said.
“That’s something that really stuck with me because it’s really easy to just get up and move, but she decided that she wanted to stand her ground,” Johnson said. “She was sitting in the right spot, which shows me that I shouldn’t always just push over and give into whatever everyone else wants, and I should fight for what I want as well.”
For Bighem, a notable event in Black history was the “Afro Era” in the 60s and 70s, she said.
“Black people started wearing afros and Soul Train (was released), and I feel like that was the highlight of the Black community since everyone was embracing themselves more,” Bighem said.
This year’s national Black History theme, African Americans and the Arts, is perfect because of the contributions African Americans have made in musical genres like hip hop, rhythm and blues (R&B), and classical jazz, Bighem said.
“I feel like we’ve brought a lot of musical aspects into this world, and I’m very happy it’s going to get recognized,” Bighem said.
Overall, it’s important to talk about the successes of African Americans, Wilson said.
“It’s not all about slavery and all the negative stuff; that’s all you hear,” Wilson said. “Sometimes you don’t need the sympathetic ear; you just want fairness.”