In
higher education in the United States, a Black Student Union (BSU) is an
organization
An organization or organisation (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), see spelling differences), is an legal entity, entity—such as ...
of
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
students, generally with a focus on
protest
A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one.
Protests can be thought of as acts of cooper ...
. Historically functioning as a Black counterpart to the largely white organization
Students for a Democratic Society
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was a national student activist organization in the United States during the 1960s, and was one of the principal representations of the New Left. Disdaining permanent leaders, hierarchical relationships ...
, Black Student Unions advocated for changes on
college campuses during the
Black Power movement. According to
Ibram X. Kendi, the existence of the academic field of
Black studies is a direct result of advocacy by Black Student Unions.
Background
In the 1960s, the passage of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 required a census of all
postsecondary education
Tertiary education, also referred to as third-level, third-stage or post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank, for example, defines tertiary education as including univers ...
institutions in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. The census identified students by
race
Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to:
* Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species
* Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...
or
ethnicity, revealing the low number of
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
students attending predominantly white colleges and universities, and stated that federal funding would be withheld from educational institutions that did not meet the Act's
equal opportunity
Equal opportunity is a state of fairness in which individuals are treated similarly, unhampered by artificial barriers, prejudices, or preferences, except when particular distinctions can be explicitly justified. The intent is that the important ...
requirements. The subsequent
Higher Education Act of 1965
The Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) () was legislation signed into United States law on November 8, 1965, as part of President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society domestic agenda. Johnson chose Texas State University (then called " Southwest Te ...
expanded the availability of
financial aid
Student financial aid in the United States is funding that is available exclusively to students attending a post-secondary educational institution in the United States. This funding is used to assist in covering the many costs incurred in the p ...
to students seeking higher education, benefiting Black students more than any other group.
Affirmative action programs at the
campus level additionally increased Black enrollment at many colleges.
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
college enrollment doubled between 1964 and 1970, with the greatest proportion of the increase occurring at predominantly white colleges and universities.
The admission of greater numbers of Black students by predominantly white colleges and universities did not equate to social acceptance of those Black students. Racial hostility toward Black students was common on college campuses, with white students and professors challenging their intellectual abilities and their right to attend college. In response, many Black students organized
demonstrations
Demonstration may refer to:
* Demonstration (acting), part of the Brechtian approach to acting
* Demonstration (military), an attack or show of force on a front where a decision is not sought
* Demonstration (political), a political rally or prote ...
to protest discriminatory policies at their schools, and worked to build academic and social support systems for themselves and other Black students at predominantly white colleges and universities.
This alienating environment, combined with the rise of the
Black Power movement, influenced the creation of Black Student Unions on the campuses of predominantly white colleges and universities.
History
The first Black Student Union began at
San Francisco State College
San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...
in March 1966, three months before
Stokely Carmichael
Kwame Ture (; born Stokely Standiford Churchill Carmichael; June 29, 1941November 15, 1998) was a prominent organizer in the civil rights movement in the United States and the global pan-African movement. Born in Trinidad, he grew up in the Unite ...
popularized the slogan "
Black Power" and seven months before the
Black Panther Party was founded. Initially founded in 1963 as the Negro Student Association, the group was transformed after the arrival of a former
Freedom Rider
Freedom Riders were civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated Southern United States in 1961 and subsequent years to challenge the non-enforcement of the United States Supreme Court decisions ''Morgan v. Virginia'' ...
named
James Garrett, and the SF State Black Student Union became the inspiration for more than 1,000 other Black Student Unions (under various different names) across the United States. During the winter of 1968–1969, the organization led a
student strike
Campus protest or student protest is a form of student activism that takes the form of protest at university campuses. Such protests encompass a wide range of activities that indicate student dissatisfaction with a given political or academ ...
during which more than half of the 18,000 students at the college skipped classes to hold daily demonstrations. Over the next year, a Black Student Union presence was established at every
California State University
The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a public university system in California. With 23 campuses and eight off-campus centers enrolling 485,550 students with 55,909 faculty and staff, CSU is the largest four-year public univers ...
campus.
The concept spread north to the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...
, where a Black Student Union was founded in 1967. A BSU protest campaign successfully led to racial reforms within the university, and the group's broader organizing led to the formation of another BSU at
Washington State University
Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant uni ...
.
A Black Student Union was officially formed at
Mills College
Mills College at Northeastern University is a private college in Oakland, California and part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it was ...
in May 1968, claiming to be "first Black Student Union at a women’s college in the West" and announcing an intent to "disrupt the activities of the college" unless the school hired two
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
professors and a counselor.
Effects
According to
Ibram X. Kendi, the existence of the field of
Black studies in
higher education in the United States is a direct result of advocacy by Black Student Unions.
References
Citations
Bibliography
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Further reading
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Student societies in the United States
Black Power
Higher education in the United States
African-American organizations