Black Student Union Speaks

Hurón High Schoors Black Student Union, formed less than two months ago, was thrust into prominence in late October when racial tensions boiled over at the new school. It was the BSU officers who articula ted the "21 demands" of the Huron black students and who gave the black students' version of a controversial city bus incident which involved Huron pupils to the Ann Arbor Board of Education Oct. 22. What is the Black Student Union? When and why was it formed? The BSÜ is a group of about 70 black Huron students (some 100 of Huron High's 1,550 students are i black) formed in late September of this year. Miss Ferrie I Campbell, president of the group and a junior at Huron; says its main goals are to "draw us all together, to betIter the school and to try to I get the black kids more inter-l ested in education and school spirit." Senior Florence Anthony, a member of the BSU and a reporter for The News' Youth Page, said another important I goal of the union was to "unify the black students." Members of the "power line" of the BSU- the off 1 cers, in effect- are Kebeccal Harrison, Al Casey, Terryl McFadden, F r e d Sargent, I Ray Blake, and Miss Campbell. Pioneer High School also I has Black Student Union, but I at the present time it is very I loosely organized and is not I yet as cohesive as the Huron I eroup. The BSU is not officially recognized as a school club, for Board of Education rules prohibit any official club from having a ''racial prerequisite" for membership. The group, therefore, cannot meet on school property or during school time. Instead, the BSU holds weekly sessions on Sunday afternoons at the Ann Arbor Community Center. Officers of the BSU said the group has no plans at the present time to change its racial composition and allow white studente to be admitted in order for it to be ofücially recognized. "It wouldn't be a üiack Student Union then," one of the members explained. But Miss Campbell stressed that the Black Student Union is "not made up of black kids who hate whites." "Our main purpose is to work with the white kids and to increase Communications," s h e said. Miss Campbell added that in the future there might even be a general Student Union, consisting of all students, black and white. Miss Anthony, Hurón junior Ray Blake, and several other BSU members feel the unión has already been successful in its goal of unifying black students at the school. The BSU "has brought a lot of kids over," Miss Anthony commented. "It's made a lot of people here realize they're black." Miss Campbell agreed that most of the black students at Huron are unified, but she said there are still some black pupüs who do not agree with the thinking of the BSU. Nevertheless, the BSU president thinks the union is "helping to express the black students' feelings" and ís ''getting something done about them (their gripes) at the same time.'.' BSU members say they have received "pretty good feedback" from many parents and city officials about I the BSU handling of the incidents at Huron High during I the past few weeks. Asked I whether the black students I were happy with thel responses of the Board of I Education and administration to the "21 demands" and other issues, Miss Anthony responded that most of the black students f eel the responses were "okay," but none was "totally satisfied." Miss Campbell says she wants the school board to know "we're not ready to let them (the complaints against racial discrímíñatíoñetc!) die. We're going to keep on pushing." She feels some steps have been taken to alleviate the human relations problems, but added; "they said steps have been taken bef ore." The last few weeks at Huron High "brought awareness to white students and to the people of the community that there are problems at Huron High School," Blake commented. Before the protest, many kids were walking around "up in the clouds," he said. Miss Campbell told The News she feels "a lot more has to be done to improve Communications at Huron High," how.ever. One attêmpt to do this is a weekend retfeat planned for this winter - probably in January - by the Black Student Union to discuss human relations problems in the city and the school. The group plans to sponsor a dance and other fund-raising activities to help defray student expenses for the retreat.