Black Student Union (BSU) is a vibrant growing club in Golden Valley that creates a community.

Inclusive for African American students and for students of all ethnicities who want to learn more about African American heritage and create a clique where students can feel comfortable.

At BSU, students learn new things, share ideas, and create long-lasting relationships. The whole club is like a family. Each of the members, like sisters and brothers, welcomed everyone with open arms and open hearts.

At the first introduction to the club’s environment, things already feel warm, “It just feels like a family, it doesn’t feel like bad vibes or negative energy, you go there and you know a smile will always be on your face.” expresses Akina Ma’at, a member of BSU and a Junior at Golden Valley.

When it came to the home-like environment at BSU, Ms. Yoakum stated, “It’s because the students are tied in and see each other as family.’’ The environment is created with every member having a common goal; to learn about African American Heritage and make their own experience a good one to remember.

Keeping students’ interests in mind, BSU will often cover topics like African American inventors, scientists, authors, and governors and have discussions about a variety of topics regarding current events, pop culture, and more.

BSU welcomes all students of all backgrounds. If you’re looking to make friends, BSU is the place to be.

“4 seniors at the time wanted a club that represented them because there wasn’t anything on campus that they felt represented them,’’ tells Ms. Yoakum, the advisor of BSU here at Golden Valley.

“So they came to me and a college and asked us to be their advisors,” she continued with enthusiasm, “I was totally up for it, I had done it before and knew the benefits of it.”

The club continues on with its legacy. BSU is all about representation, community, and bringing people together. “We provide an outlet for people to be themselves and find people that are like them,” expressed BSU president, Kayla Otis-White.

Black Student Union adds to the diversity of Golden Valley, “all of us, black or not, just get together and learn about our past culture,” added Kayla, “I feel like not a lot of people truly know about it, yeah we learn about it in school, but it’s not in depth.’’ She feels that this is one of the critical topics that the Black Student Union does for Golden Valley students.

Many members feel the same way. “It’s important to have a community where you can come together,” mentioned Akina Ma’at, “an area to go where you feel comfortable and you can learn about different topics and different subjects, some uplifting, some hard, some tragic, but it’s important to embrace it all.”

Something you may not know about BSU is that it’s for anyone who wants to learn about African American culture and other cultures in general. “Our main focus is the African American experience but it’s not limited to that,” says Ms. Yoakum. “We have a lot of students especially this year that are outside of the ethnicity, but who really have genuinely gained respect and understanding for what we’re doing, and I would encourage anyone who’s curious to come and see what it’s about to be a part of it.’’

There are other things that BSU does that are limited to members within the club, such as post-graduation, not only for current students but some former members keeping the family connections even outside of Golden Valley, with former members that have graduated and go on to make a difference in the world carrying the values of BSU with them in the world.

BSU is truly a bright and happy place to be a part of. If you are thinking about joining a club that will also be a family or a group of friends, BSU is the club for you. To sign up, simply attend one of the meetings at Ms. Yoakam’s classroom 202, on Tuesdays at lunch and you will find yourself at a new family get-together.

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