It’s Giving Black Power: A Case Study of One Black Student Union in California and the Historical Framework for Structural Change They Used

Abstract

This research examines the recent work of one Black Student Union (BSU) from 2019 to 2023 at a large public university in California. The first ever Black Student Union, founded in 1966 at San Francisco State College, is immortalized for transforming higher education nationwide. Their organizing, courage, and struggle led to the creation of hundreds of Black Studies and other Ethnic Studies departments and programs and inspired the formation of more than 1,000 BSUs. Notably, the Black Student Union is the only thriving organization that has come out of the Black Power era that still exists. Decades later, understanding the role and impact of present-day Black Student Unions matters. Examining official documents, social media posts, and semi-structured interviews with (15) recent BSU members, (3) faculty, (3) staff, and (2) administrators reveal that the Black Student Union fought for and inspired significant institutional changes on campus and embody the spirit of Black Power. These findings offer important lessons for marginalized groups seeking structural change and for universities on how to support Black students.

Plain language summary

It’s giving Black Power: A case study of one Black Student Union in California and the historical framework for structural change they used

This research examines the recent work of one Black Student Union (BSU) from 2019 - 2023 at a large public university in California. The first ever Black Student Union, founded in 1966 at San Francisco State University, is immortalized for transforming higher education nationwide. Their organizing, courage, and struggle led to the creation of hundreds of Black Studies and other Ethnic Studies departments and programs and inspired the formation of more than one thousand BSUs. Notably, the Black Student Union is the only thriving organization that has come out of the Black Power era that still exists. Decades later, understanding the role and impact of present-day Black Student Unions matters. Examining official documents, social media posts, and semi-structured interviews with (15) recent BSU members, (3) faculty, (3) staff, and (2) administrators reveal that the Black Student Union fought for and inspired significant institutional changes on campus and embody the spirit of Black Power. These findings offer important lessons for marginalized groups seeking structural change and for universities on how to support Black students.

Keywords

Black Student Union Black Power higher education institutional change student organizing anti-Black racism

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