Paving the Way: Black Student Union
Founded on October 29, 1969, the Black Student Union has worked to create a more diverse and equal environment at the University of Central Florida.1 In the decades following UCF’s establishment, the Black Student Union set forth demands to be met by the student government, battled for equal rights for all students, and held multicultural events to spread awareness and to promote equality.
The BSU was vocal in its pursuit of enacting change at UCF. A 1977 letter from the Black Student Union to the Office of Business Affairs demands a provision of adequate funding for Minority Student Services in order to facilitate a more concentrated effort to recruit minority students and faculty, and to provide them with proper services. The BSU also demanded the immediate implementation of the Affirmative Action Proposal which sought to hire more black administrators and faculty members.3 To spread awareness of its mission and efforts, the BSU hosted multicultural events and encouraged others to attend. A letter from the President of the BSU inviting the Vice President of Academic Affairs to Black Awareness Week shows how the organization took initiative to spread awareness about the needs of black students.4
Fighting for equality within the student body was never easy and the relationship between the Student Government and the Black Student Union was not always copacetic. In the early 1980’s, meetings between the two organizations became so heated that eventually one broke out into an all-out fight. In 1981, it was the BSU who first extended an olive branch to the Student Government in a letter from Victor Thomas, the BSU’s president at the time, to the Student Government and BSU representatives alike. The letter describes a “history of discord and conflict” between the two organizations and suggested they take the next step in moving forward peacefully.[4] Ignorance breeds violence and the BSU was adamant about moving past the violence to strive for peace and awareness in the future.
The BSU was the first multicultural student organization at UCF. Established in 1969, they have been at the forefront in the battle for building an equal, safe, and diverse academic life at UCF ever sinse. Their dedication over the past decades shows how they have remained true to their original mission statement as written in the organization's constitution; “to educate, enlighten, entertain, and unite the students at UCF through programming that celebrates the Black Culture and is supported by the student body.”[5]
[1] Victor Thomas to BSU Advisors, Student Government Senators and Administrators, December 10th, 1981, H. Trevor Colbourn papers 1948-2005, Box 14, Folder 6, Presidents Office: Black Students, 1976-1983, Special Collections University Archives, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL.
[2] "Black Student Union Constitution" Black Student Union - About Us, Accessed April 06, 2017. https://ucf.collegiatelink.net/organization/blackstudentunion/about.
[3] Central Florida Future. Vol. 02 No. 05, Nov. 3, 1969. Tech Talk pg. 2, accessed April 6, 2017, http://www.centralfloridafuture.digital.library.ucf.edu/.
[4]John Stover to Philip Goree, November 3rd, 1977, Series 3: Student Affairs, Box 18, Folder 447, Special Collections University Archives, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL.
[5] Raymond Thomas to Carrol Gambrell, March 26th, 1975, Series 3: Student Affairs, Box 18, Folder 447, Special Collections University Archives, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL.