Cullen Avent ’23

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Strake Jesuit’s Black Student Union, a club aiming to bridge the gap in the community between students of various ethnic backgrounds, kicked off its first meeting on September 20, recording an impressive turnout of 100 students. 

The goal of the BSU is to help “students gain a better understanding of the black community,” club president Julian Bugg ’23 said. “The Black Student Union brings students together.” Julian believes that ample room for progress remains, but his biggest goal for the BSU is to “better the experience of those coming after [him].” 

The club is doing so by hosting multiple “community interactive” events available to students of all ages and backgrounds, hoping to cultivate an appreciation for our multicultural environment at Jesuit, Bugg added. The most recent BSU was a Historical Black Colleges and University panel on October 17th open to all students interested in attending or learning more about historically black colleges and universities. 

In addition to building understanding, the BSU also serves as a resource for freshmen students longing for a sense of friendship, community, and even brotherhood.

“I felt like I made a connection with the other members of the black community here at Jesuit,” freshman Logan Wallace said. 

Coach Sam, the BSU co-moderator, reinforces these beliefs, noting that “[His] role is to support student leaders in creating a space with Black students at Jesuit can feel known, and ultimately grow in comfort and confidence in how God has uniquely created them.”

The club operates using a leadership board composed of sophomores, juniors, and seniors, each of whom, Bugg notes, plays an active role in the Strake Jesuit community, interacting with both students and teachers. The majority of the students on the leadership board joined as freshmen and sophomores in pursuit of the same sense of brotherhood that they now hope to share with others.

“I want to inspire students into joining the Black Student Union the same way I was,” said senior and club treasurer Enofom Nkeme.

Recently, leadership council member and senior Richard Dike lobbied for a change in the English curriculum to include more literature by African American authors. The BSU allowed Richard to find the medium between students and staff to hold an open conversation about his reasoning and how it would benefit African American students and the student body as a whole. 

The BSU’s care for others extends outside the walls of Jesuit. On October 22nd, multiple BSU members will attend the Kindred Stories “Book Buddy” event to volunteer with and read to younger children.