DU Black Student Alliance: Celebrating African-American Culture

By Amy Wagner on December 23, 2012

Black Student Alliance (known on campus as BSA) is an organization at University of Denver that, in the words of president Jonathan Seals, is “a free space…a space where [we] can come together with a group of people who share the same culture as one another.” Not much is known about how BSA got started, but the need for this type of space became apparent to the African-American students on campus, and BSA was born. Seals is a sophomore, and he became involved in this organization during his freshman year of college. He says that “during my senior year in high school we did not have any type of BSA or cultural alliance system, so when I came to DU, I really wanted to get involved.”  DU does indeed have a thriving system of cultural student organizations, focused primarily on identity, diversity and social justice. Other student alliances include Asian Student Alliance, Latino Student Alliance, Muslim Student Alliance, and Native Student Alliance.

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Seals

 It is hard to describe a typical BSA meeting, says Seals, “because we try to do so many things.” As president, he made it a priority to “break away from the typical meeting where we have an ice breaker, share announcements then leave. We want each meeting to have a purpose.” Integral to each meeting are discussions and debates about issues that concern the black community – “sometimes discussions can lean more to the debate side,” Seals says with a laugh. BSA also firmly supports other organizations in the DU community by attending their events. Students involved in BSA also find time for fun, especially in the form of movie nights and socials within the organization. This encourages friendship within the organization. Throughout his membership, Seals has found that “my closest friends are also members of BSA…I also made a lot of friends at DU that I invited to BSA, and now they’re members.”

As president, Seals also makes community outreach one of BSA’s primary focuses. For example, “this quarter we partnered with ministries on campus and made lunches for the homeless.” This focus will continue over the next two quarters, as BSA has realized the importance of “creating more events where [we are] going out into the public and helping.” Another primary goal involves bringing a guest speaker to campus each quarter. Seals recalls that “this quarter [in October] we brought a woman named Cassandra Sewell to campus. She specializes in African American storytelling and she shared some very powerful stories of African Americans who have been instrumental in our history.” Upcoming BSA events will be taking place during Black History Month, which is observed in February. These include Slam Poetry Night, Tribute, and the Black History Month Finale Concert.

Overall, says Seals, “BSA gave me a family that I believe wants to see me succeed and is there for me. In return BSA is also a family that I want to give back to. Personally, being the president of BSA has helped me become a more confident and overall better leader.”

For more information about BSA, click here. If you want to find out more about the Center for Multicultural Excellence at DU, as well as student cultural alliances, go here

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