Donald Keough, News Editor–
Amid a crowded room of black students and alumni, Bonita Pope Curry ‘73 spoke while a record player played “Someday I’ll Be Free” by Denison’s previous Black Student Union Choir.
“This history is so important, this is what you’re standing on,” Curry said. “But I want you to know that you are the future, and the future Black Student Union students are going to be looking at you all, to carry on that legacy.”
Curry was one of the founding members of the Black Student Union (BSU).
“We all stand on somebody’s shoulders,” Curry said. “So do your best, make your families proud. You’re going to get a good education at Denison and you’re also going to have relationships.”
Along with Curry, Dudley Brown ‘74 and Linda Dunston Thompson ‘73 talked to the students. Curry called Brown and Thompson her “lifelong friends.”
The BSU reached 55 years old this fall, and alumni who were invited during Big Red Weekend were invited to celebrate their accomplishments, to give advice, and to relive old memories.
Curry’s conversation with the students and alumni took place during the BSU’s 55th celebration party on Nov. 2. They also celebrated their anniversary with a cookout on Nov.1 and church service on Nov. 3.
The BSU was founded in the fall 1969 by Denison students, Curry being one of the original members. Since their beginning, the BSU has made tremendous efforts in improving inclusivity on campus and beyond. Members have helped greatly increase black student enrollment and scholarships, and were instrumental in founding the Black Studies department in 1970. They’ve also helped advocate for social efforts on campus, such as Denison’s divestment from apartheid South Africa during the late 1980s.
President Adam Weinberg attended the cookout with students and alumni.
“The BSU is one of the oldest and most important student groups on campus,” Weinberg said. “I have great respect and gratitude for the work they do for our campus. I am always happy to attend BSU events when I am invited to attend.”
Jessie Mack ‘14 and Alexis Franklin ‘14 were two of the alumni who returned for the weekend and also attended the cookout. Franklin is the president of the Black Alumni Association, (BAA), and Mack is the vice president of the BAA. Franklin was also the chief minister of the BSU during her senior year, and Mack was the treasurer during his senior year.
“BSU is a home for so many,” Franklin said. “It represents a place where we can come and be ourselves in various forms, where we can do dances that are familiar to us, to have food that’s familiar to us, and to feel comfortable in a space that’s a bit different than maybe what our families look like or what our neighborhoods look like. BSU [is] a safe space for black students.”
One of the parts of the weekend that Franklin said she liked the most was hearing student perspectives.
“It’s really special to see the way in which the BSU, the black experience, is relevant for students now versus what was relevant and important for us as students,” Franklin said. “It’s very different. I’m only 10 years older than most of you all, but you know, it’s just different.”
Many of the alumni felt similarly that the BSU’s impact and experience for black students has changed over the years.
“It’s electrifying for me because you realize that an organization that was founded 55 years ago still has major rebel relevance to today’s time.” Mack said. “Like [Franklin] said, it’s evolved, it’s changed, but the mission and the foundation and why it was established still remains.”
Franklin and Mack said that one of the main reasons they keep returning to support black students at Denison is their commitment to the black student experience.
“What drives them to be great students, to be great members of the black community is what keeps me coming back,” Franklin said. “My commitment is to make sure that I can help guide positive experiences for them.”
Along with Franklin’s motivation to come back, Mack said that his motivation comes from his support for the students.
“As the Black Alumni Association president and vice president, we see a need to be able to support [students] so that they can still have that black experience while being a student at Denison,” Mack said.
In each of the events during the celebration, many students and alumni emphasized the impact that the BSU had on their experience of being black.
“I’m a first generation student, so I don’t really know much about the college history, college journey, or the impact that race has had in college,” said Klara Thelusma ‘26, the minister of finance of BSU. “It’s interesting to hear about history and perspectives, and how [the alumni] were living through the time.”
She felt that the alumni’s experiences didn’t feel removed from her because she got to talk with them face to face.
“[The alumni] had a Denison experience that was also impacted by their race and how they moved on campus, and I think it was cool to see that I’m not the only person who’s experiencing that,” Thelusma said. “There were other generations who also went through this, and I liked how the alumni are trying to give us motivation to continue.”
Similarly with Mack and Franklin, Thelusma thought getting to hear how the BSU has changed over the years was inspiring.
“Hearing from the alumni from the 70s and the 80s makes me think of how much change there’s been,” Thelusma said. “[We’re] only here for four years, so I think it’s interesting how you can leave an impact in such a short amount of time and also set up a legacy for the future generations.”
This lasting legacy has also empowered alumni members of the BSU. Franklin is one of those alumni who said BSU has played a role in her career.
“My time with the BSU taught me about the importance of overcoming adversity in terms of figuring out how to serve your community and serve the various wants and needs, even when they’re maybe contrary to your own,” Franklin said. “I continue to do that work, bridging the gap between the various communities I’m a part of at work when there are differing sides.”
As the BSU continues to make impressions on students’ lives, Mack said that he is looking forward to more progress.
“It’s the fact that current students see a need for the BSU that I think is what is most encouraging,” Mack said. “Even though it was 1969, we continue to see levels of changes… and we still see students carrying on the mission.”
Photo: From left: Brianna Donigan ’27, Linda Dunston Thompson ’73, Dudley Brown ’74 and Chloe Echols ’27 during the Black Student Union Cookout on Nov. 1.