BSA members enjoy one last event together after they found out school will be moved to remote instruction in March 2020. The event consisted of congratulating seniors, reflecting and praying together.
Photos courtesy of Paige Singleton
Black Student Association continue to adjust to the online world for its members. Junior Underclassman Liaison Aniah Weaks said BSA will host movie nights on Zoom, the Ubuntu event and virtual game nights this semester.
The club has about 140 members and its mission is to encourage unity, promote education and spread awareness surrounding Black cultures, Paige Singleton, junior BSA vice president said. Through its many events and conversations, BSA helps educate students and faculty to grow spiritually and academically, while remaining culturally aware.
“We really want to be a club that is respected and well-known amongst campus as a club that tries to unify as many people as possible during your time at Pepperdine,” Singleton said.
Sophomore and Service and Spiritual Chair Naya Edwards said she believes BSA does its best to advocate for students who don’t have a platform to speak up. BSA is not just speaking about politics but about social issues that directly affect a college campus.
“I think we’re very tactful about how we respond to situations,” Edwards said. “We take our time and evaluate the situation to make the best choice, not only for ourselves, because in the long run we’re not going to be here, but we want to make a difference for students who are coming behind us.”
Weaks said BSA usually holds events such as movie nights and game nights, and coordinates events with other Pepperdine organizations and clubs. The spiritual chair plans Bible studies and engages the members in conversations that affect Black communities.
“We all were able to have intentional conversations about certain topics, like about our childhood or things we are manifesting for our future,” Singleton said.
Edwards created BSA movie nights where she picks movies relevant to the club’s conversations. She cultivates and organizes small spiritual ‘convo style’ group discussions. She said the conversations can range from relationships with parents, interracial relationships or struggles within church and school.
“Feel free to reach out; I’m not a priest or saint or anything, but it’s nothing to pray for somebody or just give them advice and be another ear for someone to talk to,” Edwards said.
BSA started holding on Tuesday, Feb. 23. Ubuntu is a series of annual events for underclassmen to share and discuss their feelings. Students can talk about anything, whether it be dealing with online classes at home with their family, needing advice on a friendship or trying to learn the ropes of Pepperdine.
“It’s just an open space for [members] to be able to talk about whatever they want and to feel like they have other people that they can relate to,” Weaks said.
Weaks said Ubuntu means “a person is a person through other people” or “I am because you are.” Ubuntu is that idea of common humanity, the exact ideal that BSA aims to achieve through this event.
“It has become a place for students to create connections and be able to learn and engage from each other,” Weaks said.
Singleton said giving advice, career help or spiritual and emotional support is the main aspect of BSA.
“A lot of tragedies have happened all around the world; this is a time that we needed a [physical] space to just be angry or sad or hurt, and we didn’t really have that,” Singleton said.
Weaks said they have general meetings once a month and they were busy preparing for their “BSA Bumble,” a virtual dating night, which was held Feb. 15, where they partnered with other cultural clubs such as Latino/a/x Student Alliance.
“[BSA Bumble] was a really fun event that helped me to meet and get to know people that I haven’t really had an opportunity to talk to, especially because we have been online,” Weaks said.
Singleton said the board for BSA is filled with students involved in different activities at Pepperdine, so that the club can impact as many parts of campus as possible.
Singleton said they have a board member on the Graphic, Perspectives Editor Anitiz Muonagolu, and the board collectively has conversations with administration. They team up with other cultural clubs for Instagram takeovers and events.
“Through having events that are very inclusive, I think it creates a space for people to feel comfortable to come to us,” Singleton said. “I think that is why we can educate and spread awareness.”
Singleton said many BSA events were hard to transfer to an online format, and that the in person experience and overall harmony of the club is very important to it.
“Members tend to gravitate toward one part of the library and so if you went to this space, you would have someone that you can talk to and relate to,” Singleton said. “I think with Zoom the biggest challenge is that we don’t have a physical space to be in and decompress.”
Edwards said Zoom can be more challenging in terms of student attendance and participation. When students feel uncomfortable sharing in the online format, Edwards said she has topics ready, such as picking a song or scripture and discussing its relevance to their life.
Julie Oni, BSA academic adviser and visiting english assistant professor, said a convenient aspect of Zoom is it is easy for event planning and there is no need to find a room on campus, however, a challenge is spreading the word. A lack of physical interaction leads to event awareness through social media and emails.
“I’ve been pleased to see a strong presence on social media with advertising events and presenting spotlights of Black faculty and staff, and a really big success last semester was the early rollout of the annual BSA T-shirt,” Professor Oni said. “It was amazing to see how this simple solidarity item got so many students interested in joining.”
BSA’s annual benefit usually includes members reflecting on their year, giving awards and celebrating the work they accomplished. This year, it is considering holding an online talent show or awards night.
It is events like the annual benefit that hold significant weight for its members, and cancelling is not an option. Singleton said these events contribute to their overall simplistic goal of fostering unity and educating everyone.
“You’re coming to a school where, yes, we are predominantly white, but we still have so many different cultures represented,” Singleton said. “Sometimes it’s just people’s lack of knowledge that can cause friction or tension.”
Weaks said anyone of any culture is welcome and in a time of uncertainty, BSA’s main priority is to have people engaged and learning more about the Black community.
Oni said she has learned so many things from BSA students, such as the tremendous opportunities available to them and the responsibility that is placed on them to speak out about social injustices on campus and nationally.
“I hope to inspire them to acknowledge that this responsibility is one that will be expected of them as Black beings in America — not only now but also in the future — and it’s oftentimes not easy,” Professor Oni said. “However, the possibility of making a change for the better is always worth its challenges.”
Singleton said that every member is dedicated to having panels, guest speakers and times of gathering for people to be held accountable and to create a safe haven for everyone at Pepperdine, whether online or in-person.
“You see many different people sitting at opposite sides of the room and there’s no sense of cohesion or unity,” Singleton said. “Yes, our skin color may be different. Yes, we come from many different backgrounds. Yes, we have different religious beliefs and etc., but the end goal is that we all go to Pepperdine. We’re accepted, committed and now we’re here.”
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Email Beth Gonzales: beth.gonzales@pepperdine.edu
