Black Student Unions emerged during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s to advocate and amplify the voices of Black students.
MAINE, USA — Student leaders across Maine are working to create safe spaces for Black students on college campuses through Black Student Unions.
“It’s important to build community in spaces where there aren’t a lot of people that look like you,” Taina Madangwa, who serves as vice president of the Black Student Union at the University of Maine, said.
For student leaders on Maine college campuses like the UMaine and Husson University, it creates a sense of belonging.
“The Black Student Union is a community of people who share the same kind of experiences, the same kind of unique experiences that not everyone has,” Adora Olisa, treasurer of the UMaine’s Black Student Union, said.
Black Student Unions emerged during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s to advocate and amplify the voices of Black students.
The first Black Student Union was founded in 1966 at San Francisco State University as part of a campus movement for more Black representation.
“When you have a community, you feel more supported by the school,” Olisa said.
Today these student-led organizations are found at private and public colleges and universities all over the country.
“For us to have a BSU at the University of Maine, it means that [UMaine] prioritizes in Black students prospering in having resources having accessibility on campus,” Olisa said.
The organization holds weekly meetings, where leaders have an open dialogue to encourage students to share their experiences and perspectives regardless of where in the world they call home.
“This is basically our second home. These are our second family that we can turn to at this point,” Adelina Salianga, a member of the UMaine’s Black Student Union, said.
It is the same feeling Yenzé Green hopes to foster on the Husson University campus.
“In 90 percent of my classes, I’m the only Black person. It changes your perspective on things. You feel a little isolated,” Green said.
Green said she took on the role of president to make sure other Black students know there is a place for them on campus.
“I just want to be that one person that somebody that a person looks at and says, ‘Hey, she did it, I can do it, too,’” Green said.
Leaders on both campuses are working to foster a sense of belonging they hope continues to last for generations to come.
