Williston’s Black Student Union (BSU) is starting to expand their usual traditions, and with the help of a new president they plan on spreading their energy to the whole school.
Over the past several years, Dean of DEIB Nikki Chambers has brought BSU, an affinity group for all Black-identifying students at the school, to life. The group meets every other Thursday in the middle school to give students of color a place to let loose and network with other people of color (POC) in the school.
Chambers wants BSU to be a place where Black-identifying students feel safe to talk about how Blackness shows up at Williston and do so with people of similar experiences to them. Whether talking about natural hair or cultural events, even if people are from different places around the world, BSU gives students one thing to connect over.
Along with Chambers, BSU is co-run by Jayson Leigh, who is the Assistant Dean of DEIB and works in the admissions office. The group’s student president is senior Jacob Waah. They plan, with the help of other members of BSU, to host not just events and fun activities for students of color, but also schoolwide events.
Evans Welch, a freshman from Bermuda, is enjoying BSU.
“I am excited because it made me feel supported by the people around me,” Evans said.
Postgraduate from Roosevelt, N.Y, Ty Dingle, was surprised to see the amount of Black students Williston had.
“I was excited just knowing it’s a good group of people; coming in here I didn’t how many people of color would be here,” he said.
There are just under 50 kids in BSU this year.
President Jacob Waah, a senior from Holyoke, Mass, is very grateful for the opportunity to be the president this year.
“I think having an outlet where a bunch of Black people can come together and have fun is definitely a blessing, and also shows the school’s a lot more diverse than one may think,” he said. “My goal this year is to set the foundation and make sure all the students of color love it and it continues to grow over time.”
BSU is all about bringing people together not only at Williston, but also with other BSUs in the area.
Senior Ore Odutayo wants to plan a pool party for everyone hosted by BSU.
“Ore’s Occupation party part two coming soon … stay tuned ya,” he said.
Ore, from Guilderland, N.Y., known for the haircuts he began giving in the Ford Hall common room last year, is referring to a pool party he hosted last year in honor of reaching 100 followers on his Instagram account.
Other schools in the area like Deerfield and Hotchkiss also have BSUs, and they host different events, such as dances. Williston BSU also has an Instagram account @bsu.williston, where they post updates on meetings, special events and takeover day-in-the-lifes.