One of the upper school’s ten affinity groups is the Black and Brown Student Union (BSU). The student leaders of BSU are Raven Glaser and Nijah Johnson, and the faculty leaders are Ms. Irish and Dr. Taylor.

The primary goal of BSU is to make connections within the community but it is also about having a space where everyone can discuss shared experiences and other topics. Junior Beatrix Rhone said that she “really liked the community.” She also emphasized how enjoyable it was to connect “with my culture and people inside of school, that’s not a classroom setting,” she said.

Rather than having a set agenda for each BSU meeting, faculty advisors will bring board games and sometimes snacks and treats, reflecting BSU’s main goal to help Black and Brown students build connections with each other. It also represents BSU’s other goal: to have fun.

The usual group that attends the Black and Brown Student Union meetings contains people from all grades in a pretty balanced ratio: LaRon Johnson, Boki Mullataa, Magarsaa Mullataa, Ezra Cunningham, James England, Ike Obi Walker, Sophia Obi, Beatrix Rhone, Julia Taylor and more. Junior Boki Mullataa said, “I joined BSU to participate in an environment [where] I was welcomed in and […] where a lot of people share some of the same experiences,” Mullataa said.

Mullataa has been involved in some form of BSU since middle school through Black and Brown Males. Black and Brown Males is the middle school version of the Black and Brown Student Union but specifically for black and brown males.

The middle school’s club Black and Brown males helped him make connections with upperclassmen while still in middle school. “My advice is to come to BSU. Pop out. It’s a really good fun environment. Everybody is laughing all the time, making jokes, and playing games,” Mullataa said. “[It’s] just a very nice area and a lot of nice people.”

The Black and Brown Student Union, aiming to build connections and have fun, meets in the east conference room in the library during the allotted affinity group time.