The Black Student Union at Brookdale aims to´”advocate, motivate, and recognize the unique, long-term difficulties students who are of the African Diaspora encounter on a daily basis,” according to their page on the Brookdale website. As Black History Month begins, Brookdale’s Black Student Union, or BSU shared how they make an impact within the Jersey Blues Community.
“Students need to have a space they can go where people are like minded and that can speak freely, and not have to worry about making people feel uncomfortable,” said BSU president Brianna Doremy, a 19-year-old biology student from Howell.
“We’re not African-American exclusive, we’re African-American based,” explained vice president Brianna Anderson, a 24-year-old business administration major from Belmar.
The club is open to members of any race or gender, “as long as they’re interested in learning about Black history,” Anderson said. She described their meetings as a place for the members to learn from each other and have a feeling of community.
“Growing up in Belmar, there weren’t many people around that looked like me, and that’s kind of a reason why I decided to join the BSU,” Anderson said. Education is not the only element to BSU, they also provide members with networking opportunities.
Both Doremy and Anderson agree that learning is a keystone of their organization and seek to educate their members on their culture they may not have had growing up, or at all.
“I presented on African-American hair and hairstyles, on the culture in the U.S., and Africa, we learned about our roots, although they were taken from us, and how art, music, and hair stem from Africa,” Doremy said.
“We took a trip to the African American Chamber of Commerce last semester and through this, we got to network with amazing people, and bring back new information for the club,” she said.
The BSU also provides information to their members about scholarships for minority students. To get involved with the Black Student Union email them at, [email protected]. Connect with the BSU on Instagram @bsubdale.