Members of the BSU in front of Kelly Commons.
@MC.BSU/COURTESY
By Brooke DellaRocco, News Editor
Amid Black History Month, the Black Student Union (BSU) at Manhattan College has made it one of their primary goals to help students feel represented and accepted within the college community.
BSU has many events planned that are currently taking place across campus. Coordinating with Residence Life, members of BSU were able to arrange inclusive events in all the major residence halls.
Cornelia Eboh, a learning community assistant (LCA) with Residence Life, spoke of her involvement with these events including an upcoming event entitled “Smashing Stigmas.”
Taking place in Lee Hall, and partnering with Brothers at Manhattan (BAM), this gathering will discuss mental health in the black community, specifically among men, through the use of video games.
“While men are playing games like Smash, 2K and FIFA we’re discussing men’s mental health and how it works in the black community,” Eboh said.
In Chrysostom Hall, BSU and Residence Life recently held their Black History Month Movie Night, where they watched “They Cloned Tyrone”.
“Movies in general are very integral to the black community and [are] a very integral aspect of black art,” Eboh said. “Movies are a way to always connect.”
To target the commuter population at the college, BSU is currently in the planning stages of their Black Table Talk event, taking place Feb. 28, from noon to 2 pm. Not only will this event feature black performers, artists and photographers, but it will also be an environment where students can discuss issues within the black community through a panel-like system.
Chidinma Dike and Cleanna Cardoza, event coordinators for BSU, spoke about their excitement for the event.
“We also want to do a little pop-up shop for black artists on campus to show off their paintings or whatever other type of creations they made,” Dike said. “Once we talk about the seriousness, they can just go to the side and look at the more chill, creative aspect of the black culture.”
Another big goal of BSU was to highlight black-owned businesses for them to get extra recognition and possibly make some extra money. These businesses will be featured at the BSU Flea Market event Feb. 21-22.
While the BSU’s budget from student engagement is frozen indefinitely, it hasn’t stopped them from creating gatherings and fundraising for other organizations and programs.
At one of the home basketball games, BSU sold shirts in hopes of raising some money for the Innocence Project, which advocates for people who are wrongly convicted in the justice system. All of their profits will be donated to the organization.
“We’re really just trying to shine light on other black students who attend Manhattan College,” Cardoza said.
Eboh also expressed her appreciation for BSU and how it has helped in her four years at MC.
“ [A] Majority of the time, I would be the only black student in my class,” Eboh said. “That was probably the case until my junior year. So when I was a sophomore and I learned about BSU, and I entered the space, it was kind of crazy that almost all black students fit in one room. But it was still very comforting to know that I wasn’t alone.”