Students found campus Black Student Union

Salih Eissa '03 has been thinking about ways to coordinate and organize the black community at the University since last summer.

Eissa said he felt existing organizations — such as the National Council of Negro Women, the Black Men's Awareness Group and AKWAABA — were forced to focus too much time on planning, which drove them away from their individual goals.

Hoping to improve the organization of the black community and strengthen ties with the rest of the University community, Eissa founded the Black Student Union last month.

"The union provides other organizations the time to focus on their issues," Eissa said. "We are a guiding and united group that hopes to enrich and empower the black experience for everybody, not just our own community."

The BSU co-sponsored the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Service yesterday and continues its kickoff weekend tonight with a meeting about the racial disparities of the American prison system, to be held in McCosh 46 at 6:30 p.m.

In addition to uniting the goals of many existing black organizations, the union provides an opportunity for the University to strengthen racial interaction within the entire Princeton community, according to Assistant Dean of the College Marcia Cantarella.

"Organizations like [the BSU] are usually an effective entity to build community," Cantarella said. "And that is a goal all of us around here are working toward."

Third World Center director Heddye Ducree commended the leadership of the union and looked to its effect on the Princeton community.

"Over the years, there have been different variations of the union beginning with the Association of Black Princetonians to the Organization of Black Unity," Ducree said in an e-mail. "As a people united by common identity, we continue to cherish and treasure the work of previous groups and leadership as we envision a new community built on the reality of Princeton today."

Members of Sustained Dialogue on Race Relations — a biweekly conversation committed to discussion and understanding of racial issues — echoed Cantarella's comments. They viewed the union as beneficial for strengthening race relations on campus.

"It has a lot of potential for integrating the campus and because of its goals will lead certain groups that don't usually interact to [do so]," David Tukey '02, co-founder of Sustained Dialogue said.

The union also presents an opportunity for people to become aware of and embrace black culture, Tukey added.

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So far, students and administrators from within and without the black community have been "tremendously supportive" of the union, participating in meetings, scheduling and other events, Eissa said.

The BSU is enthusiastic about continuing to work with other organizations on campus, he added.

"Next year we are looking forward to working with the League of Women Voters, the Women's Center and the Third World Center," Eissa said. "We are excited about collaborating with as many different groups as possible."

Ducree said she felt that the feeling of support, sensitivity and camaraderie the union added to the community would have a positive effect.

"I am excited that there are growing student initiatives and discussions to address campus climate issues rather than putting up obstacles and retrenching into opposing corners that prohibit communication and productive growth," Ducree said in an e-mail. "Together, I think we will see a more unified campus that reflects our deepest values of inclusiveness and opportunity."

President Shapiro noted that as long as students feel this is something needed in the community, then he fully supports it.

"I think this is a matter for the students themselves to decide and if it benefits the community then I support it," Shapiro said. "It's not something for me to decide, but for the students to."