In honor of February being Black History Month, let’s take an inside look on what  Battlefield’s Black Student Union (BSU) is really about. February is dedicated to recognizing past achievements of African Americans and the contributions they have provided. It is an annual celebration of African American lives and the role they played in shaping the United States today. The BSU is a club at Battlefield High school that honors these accomplishments all year long. 

The President of the club, Diamond Ball, dedicates a lot of her time towards the success of the Black Student Union here at Battlefield. Their meetings are usually made up of predominantly African American members, however they are open to welcoming any students in their club. The members meet on the first Tuesday of every month, but officer meetings are held every week. At these meetings they share upcoming events, t-shirt sales, club related volunteer projects, etc. Ball states, “Our club’s main focus is to spread African American culture and awareness to all people and have ourselves known in the school community including being involved in school activities.” This would not be possible to achieve without Battlefield’s dedicated BSU members, officers, and sponsors. 

The Black Student Union here at Battlefield has two sponsors, Mr. Street and Mrs. Brown, who are both teachers at the school. Mrs. Brown finds that her job is mainly to just support and assist the group, while most of the meetings are run by the members and officers. The discussions that are taken place at the meetings are full of diverse ideas that allow the students to learn and grow alongside one another. Mrs. Brown says, “The BSU brings attention to issues of stereotyping, race, and inequality. It is important that we welcome all students and faculty to join us to promote unity and understanding, and to learn about issues that not only speak to African Americans, but to all of us as individuals.” This club gives the opportunity for a group of similar individuals to get together, open up, and most importantly support each other. 

The question still remains exactly how these meetings are set up on a monthly basis. Junior Jesse Alaribe gives an inside scoop on the meeting set up, describing what a typical meeting would look like with the BSU. Alaribe states, “We have red table talks where we get snacks and talk about problems in the black community.” He also adds that sometimes the conversations are more focused on how it feels to be apart of the black community. He finds it to be a very safe and comforting environment, free from any criticism. 

It is important that all students at Battlefield understand the significance of African American history and what this month really means. Earlier in the month at the February Buddy Club meeting, a few BSU members came and not only presented to the class, but also engaged with the members as well. Videos were shown, that made the learning for all students capable of understanding the main point of the presentation. The BSU is quickly making an impact on the Battlefield community through collaboration and a great deal of commitment.