Black Student Union is a space for Black students on campus to come together, hang out and have understanding and constructive conversations about race. BSU has many of these conversations amongst themselves, but a large part of their platform centers around continuing racial conversations with other campus organizations as well.
“Right now, my goal for BSU is to kind of make it a hub of communication for organizations on campus and for students to get the resources they need,” D’Mario Duckett, president of BSU and senior medicinal plant chemistry major, said.
A lot of the discussions that BSU participates in are ones that they host themselves to help educate the community on a variety of racial issues, including voter suppression and the thin blue line flag. However, they are also invited to be on panels for organizations like Housing and Residence Life and the Criminal Justice Association.
BSU has weekly meetings that provide a casual social space for students as well. It is a safe space for students of all backgrounds to meet, get help if they need and ask difficult questions.
They occasionally plan trips and outings outside of campus, such as to the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia in Big Rapids, Michigan.
“[BSU has] meetings each week, and then if you want to participate beyond that, then there’s definitely opportunity,” Duckett said.
Students interested in joining BSU can contact Duckett at [email protected] or message them on Instagram at @nmu.bsu.