One month – 28 days.
Centuries of history.
Black history and culture is remembered and taught after President Gerald Ford established Black History Month in 1976 – 49 years ago.
The Black Student Union strives to celebrate it every day.
BSU, as described by junior, BSU member Nelsey Nobosse, is a club that centers around creating not only a safe space for Black students, but also educating people about African American culture. It is sponsored by Mexican American Studies teacher, Shelly Patterson, African American Studies, teacher Chrissy Jackson, and counselor, Cameron Gibson.
“I have friends (in BSU), but also I like being able to surround myself with like–minded people, not even like–minded, but like people that are like me and have had the same experiences that I’ve had,” Nobosse said. “And just being able to have a community within the school.”
BSU was created after Patterson was approached by students asking for a place to talk and learn about experiences that aren’t necessarily taught in standard history classes.
“I feel a passion for ethnic studies because I feel like I get a chance to kind of come full circle and now not only not keep my heritage swept under the rug, but in fact bring it out and teach it to students,” Patterson said. “I’m also teaching young people to honor their heritage, to honor the people who came before them, whatever their ancestry is, and look for the struggles that their ancestors have overcome, and find their own strength in those stories.”
Ethnic studies courses were first adopted in Prosper ISD in 2021, prompting the establishment of BSU.
“BSU was a club here about two years ago, but it just slowly died out, and we wanted to bring it back again,” junior, BSU secretary Julia Evans said. “So (Ms. Jackson) started talking to me, and then we got a group of girls together and started bringing the club back this semester.”
Currently, there are 25–30 people in BSU as well as five officers who are in charge of running BSU meetings.
“I think this has grown my leadership skills because you have to talk to a lot of people,” Evans said. “I get it. Talking in front of a crowd is kind of stressful and intimidating to some, but it (BSU) really makes you do that. You have to collaborate with the other officers because there have been times where we haven’t agreed on, you know, what we should do. It’s just that collaboration part that you have to come to a conclusion, and we just have to be nice to each other.”
BSU meetings are held every first and third Wednesdays of the month. One meeting is dedicated to being educational and the other consists of a fun activity such as watching ‘Hidden Figures’.
“I’ll put out suggestions to the students of things that we’ve done in the past but really we take more of a hands off approach,” Patterson said. “We have them organize the agendas. We have them let us know what they want to do.”
Every meeting is held in Patterson’s room – and you don’t have to be Black to attend.
“I think probably one of the biggest misconceptions is that the Black Student Union is only for students that are of Black descent, which is not true, right,” Jackson said. “It’s for people of all walks of life, all backgrounds, and all cultures to come and learn about different cultures, and about different groups. (They) get the opportunity to experience it and experience these different things that they may not have been able to do in another club.”
During the month of February, BSU highlights Black History Month in their meetings. However, Jackson was quick to say that they do it year–round too.
“I think (BSU) is an opportunity for you to experience different groups of people,” Jackson said. “There’s people in there with a variety of backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, personalities, right? I think that’s something that once you just put yourself out there and open yourself up to experience it, I think you will truly see how much of a wonderful experience it is.”
February has been Black History Month for 49 years since its establishment in 1976, and it’s dedicated to Black culture and the achievements of Black Americans.
“It’s American history,” Patterson said. “So many people don’t now the heroes. Black History Month is one where we can really highlight those heroes and say, ‘Yes, this is Black History Month, but these are American heroes.'”
Today, during all the lunches, Gibson and BSU members will be hosting a booth for Black History Month with showcases and activities such as trivia.
“I think it’s important to highlight not only the struggle, but also the excellence that Black people have been put through,” sophomore, BSU event planner Jonnie Owens said. “It’s about highlighting everything: the culture and the history.”
