JCPS Black Student Unions help students feel sense of belonging
By Juliann Morris
February 16, 2023–On a brisk November morning, Lassiter Middle School Black Student Union (BSU) members braved the cold to help unload and sort canned goods from generous parents and students for the group’s second annual Thanksgiving food drive.
The BSU, along with the school’s Student Council, organized the drive from start to finish. First, they met with Lassiter’s principal to pitch hosting a school-wide drive with student incentives like dress-down days as a reward for participation. Then, they designed flyers, collected the food, sorted hundreds of donations, kept the student body updated on the drive’s progress, and delivered all donations to Shively Area Ministries.
“We’re trying to help families out here who are struggling,” said Aniyah Davis, Lassiter eighth grade student and BSU president. “It’s fun because you can see so many people getting engaged.”
The food drive service learning project highlights what Lassiter’s BSU strives to do every day–empower students of color, said Whitney Lanham, Lassiter special education teacher, team leader, and BSU faculty sponsor.
“A lot of our students of color do not feel like they have a place of belonging,” Lanham said. “We are fortunate to have this group that gives them a sense of belonging and leadership roles within the school.”
Lassiter is just one example of how Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) is supporting students with BSUs at their schools. JCPS has more than 50 active BSUs, said Greg Vann, an associate in the district’s Diversity, Equity, and Poverty Department.
“The mission is to make sure that we amplify Black student voices and to increase the sense of belonging for Black students,” Vann said. “(Students) like to come together to just speak and talk about the things that they are experiencing in their communities, in their schools…and then coming up with ways to try to make those things better.”
At Lassiter, the BSU meets weekly and plans events throughout the year that give students a chance to get involved, Davis said.
“It’s great for kids out here who are really struggling to know they’re a part of something and that they’re not nobody, they’re somebody,” she said.
BSUs across the district are finding unique and exciting ways to Black History Month this February. Grace M. James Academy of Excellence and W.E.B. DuBois Academy competed last week in the district’s first Black History Bowl, a Jeopardy!-esque contest where students went head-to-head answering questions about Black history.
Kimani Bussey, an eighth grade student and BSU member at Grace James, said the high-energy event added depth to students’ Black history knowledge.
“We really wanted to translate what we learned in the classroom about our history into a competition,” Bussey said. “What people know about Black history is very limited. This is a chance for students to show off our history and extend that knowledge to others. I think that’s really important.”
At Seneca High School, the BSU gives students an opportunity to develop leadership skills, practice public speaking, and talk with community leaders like former state Representative Attica Scott, who visited with the group in November, said Seneca High School student and BSU president DeShay Felton.
It also gives students a chance to form positive relationships among the Black community and overcome “teenager things” that create conflict, she said.
The BSU is also helping students feel more empowered to speak up about the issues that are important to them, said Seneca student Gifte Tahyor.
The skills she’s learning in BSU, she said, help her stand up for her rights, stand up for other Black people, and push others to “get out of their comfort zone and change a lot of things that need to be changed and talk about things that need to be talked about.”