The Black Student Union was established this year by Michyla M. Huff, a MHHS senior. The goal of the union is to provide a safe space where Black Americans can feel like they matter and that their stories should be told and acknowledged. The union will promote people who have contributed to the Black community and will help showcase the culture and issues the Black community faces.
“My intentions with it is to make the members feel comfortable in society and to let them know that they are not alone,” Huff said.
The first Black Student Union was established in 1965 by Jerry Varnado and James Garret at San Francisco State University. SFSU was a predominately white school so Varnado and Garret felt that they should create a safe space for their Black peers to come together and feel safe. After this establishment, many other unions were created throughout the country. To this day, Black Student Unions are founded in the United States to support and bring recognition to the lives of Black Americans.
Huff was inspired to found the Black Student Union at Mission Hills by the issues that have been happening throughout the Black community, particularly highlighted by recent events. Police officers have killed 164 Black Americans just within the first eight months of 2020. This year, the Black Lives Matter Movement has seen a growth in support these past few months. There have been protests around the world to fight for the lives, rights, and for the equality of the Black community. Hundreds of peaceful protests, some in California, including San Marcos, have allowed Black Americans to protest the systematic racism that has led to the deaths of many Black Americans.
“I noticed that there wasn’t a place for minorities and allies to come together and discuss problems they face… I wanted to stand up for my community,” Huff said.
Huff hopes that by starting the Black Student Union at Mission Hills, it will bring more people together by providing a place where you can have a group of people to talk to about social injustices, to work through similar issues, and to be able to relate to one another. With this, it helps bring more awareness to the reality that some people have to deal with everyday.
In founding a Black Student Union at Mission Hills, Huff has created a space that will bring more attention and more support to the Black community at Mission Hills High School. There will be more allies that will come together and help support the community. People will be able to join this union to feel like they can share their stories and not feel alone in knowing that there is a whole community who is willing to fight for equality and that every story matters.