Now in its fourth year, Calvin’s Black Student Union (BSU) is planning for the future and focusing on inclusivity and engagement. Chimes sat down with BSU’s student and faculty leadership to discuss the organization and its mission.
“I got involved with BSU my freshman year as a freshman representative,” senior and president Laila Smith recalled. “It was actually Calvin’s first time having a BSU.”
While a BSU is rumored to have existed at Calvin during the mid-20th century, according to Smith, this group dissolved many decades ago. “Our BSU was founded in 2022 by India Bond and Simone De Mann,” explained Smith. Like many of the other inaugural members, however, “both [have] since graduated from Calvin.”
“This [year’s BSU] is the first new cycle,” added Roz Terry, coordinator for the Center for Intercultural Student Development (CISD) at Calvin. Terry explained that nearly all of BSU’s founding members have graduated. The organization will have undergone a complete turnover when Smith graduates this spring. So the focus is on building a legacy. “Being in the grassroot years of BSU,” Smith explained, “it’s important that the steps we take help set future leadership up to be able to carry the torch for years after we’re gone.”
Terry, who works closely with BSU in her role overseeing the Perkins floor — a Calvin living-learning community focused on racial justice — was an inaugural BSU member herself in college. As a freshman, she assisted seniors in forming the chapter at Hope College. “It took off,” she said. “And that is one of the reasons why I definitely see the need [for a BSU] on [Calvin’s] campus.”
Calvin is considered to be a primarily white institution (PWI). “Our domestic African American population is only 4-5% of the entire student body,” explained BSU’s co-president, junior Caynon Love. “On the surface,” added Smith, “it seems like there are a lot of Black students at Calvin — which is true — but this number is a little misleading.” A large number of Calvin’s Black population is international, which places BSU in a unique position to spotlight the smaller number of African American students while connecting both groups. “It is a beautiful thing to learn from and partner with different Black cultures on campus,” said Smith.
Between international and domestic Black students, “there’s a lot of really amazing commonalities across the board,” added Josh Samarco, director of the CISD and faculty advisor to BSU. “That’s why BSU, I feel they play such an important role … saying, ‘let’s bridge these divides and bring people together to learn and grow and have fun and have good food.’”
Good food is a recurring theme in events put on by BSU. From the annual barbecue to the newly-created soul food Sundays, meal-centered gatherings are excellent ways to bring students together.
In past years, during Black History Month, BSU has partnered with CISD’s Ambassadors to host a night of live art: the Poetry Jam. Samarco spoke highly of the event: “Anything over spoken word or poetry just ignites and brings people together.” Guest speakers are invited, offering writing lessons and highlighting the value of poetry to the Black community. “It has been one of my favorite things to see how [the Poetry Jam] brings students together in that commonality of art,” said Terry.
February is also home to the annual BSU gala, an event held to celebrate the achievements of Calvin’s Black population. A highlight is the annual cook-off against the African Student Association. “We always like to go big in Black History Month, so make sure to keep a lookout for that in the upcoming semester!” Smith told Chimes. Last year, activities ranged from a bake sale to a film screening to a y2k-themed karaoke night. Co-president Love dropped a few hints for this February: “We plan to host a couple big, campus-wide events, and collaborate with the SLC on a service project serving a local Black organization.”
At the heart of these efforts is a reliance on connection. “From the jump,” Love wrote to Chimes, “our heart posture as a team has been: ‘This (BSU) is bigger than all of us.’” He added, “The Lord has placed us here at Calvin in this specific time and season with the beautiful opportunity to create, foster, and establish a space for students like us.” BSU hopes to guide students out of their cocoons and into a vibrant, transformative community.
BSU’s co-president model has allowed the student organization to sustain multiple leadership transitions. As a junior, Love shadows Smith, a senior, in her duties. “Having a co-president the year under you ensures that someone will stick around to show the next generation after you’re gone,” explained Smith.
BSU’s presence goes beyond just Calvin’s campus and extends out into the community. They have partnered with the Grand Rapids African American Museum & Archives (GRAAMA) on community service projects and also built strong ties with Grace For the Nations, a local city church. In coming years, Smith hopes to “see BSU build relationships with BSUs from local colleges like Grand Valley, Western Michigan, or Hope.”
Still, the continued success of all this depends on intentionality. As a Black student in a PWI, when he was in college, Samarco regrets not being more deliberate in connecting with other students of color. As a student athlete, “I missed out on a whole different experience … trapped in this bubble.” TSo too many students remain in spaces where they are comfortable, and in doing so, miss out on the reward of community. Samarco put it this way: “Allow your bubble to be popped and go see the richness and the beauty of the diversity we do have.”
Leadership looks forward to what BSU’s future will hold. “This year, especially, we have seen a new wave of freshmen leadership come in,” described Terry. She believes that these new students promise longevity for the organization. Love, too, is thrilled. “The energy, vision, and fire they bring is so awesome and makes us excited for the future of BSU!”
