The start of the second semester brought about a fresh start in classes and new elective classes for the students at Liberty. The new semester also marked the start of a set of new clubs that were approved by ASB and began receiving club funds from the school. One of the many clubs approved was Liberty’s Black Student Union. 

The Black Student Union (BSU) was started this school year by senior Minot Elias, a first-generation Ethiopian American who maintains his connection with his culture by celebrating traditional Ethiopian holidays and also practices Orthodox Christianity, a major religion in Ethiopia.

His parents’ move to the United States has been very beneficial to his life. 

“My immigrant family’s journey changed my life as I was given opportunities in the United States that I wouldn’t have received anywhere else,” Elias said.

Influenced by this upbringing, he founded the BSU to create a community for black students and their allies and to use the space to grow and advocate for the school.

“BSU to me is a space for Black students and their allies at Liberty to come together and find a community and a place to grow,” said Elias.

The BSU faced a series of obstacles when the club first started, posing a challenge to Elias, whose focus was to advocate for Black history and culture through the club’s activities. 

“In the first semester, we weren’t an official club and we had no funding which limited our expansion,” said Elias. “Without funding and being an official club at Liberty, we weren’t allowed to do things like fundraisers to help the club expand.”

Despite these challenges, the club saw an increase in membership and the club is now well-known around the school.

In the month of February, people in the United States celebrate African American history and achievements. One of the means in which Liberty is observing Black History Month is through the BSU. Elias and his clubmates had no time to rest after their Martin Luther King Jr. Day video as they have been busy planning for Black History Month at their meetings.

“Normally, our club meetings are a chill hang out, but recently our club meetings have had a lot of planning because of the Martin Luther King Day video and upcoming Black History Month,” Elias said. “For Black History Month, we’re planning to have posters, a restaurant fundraiser, and announcements about historical figures and events in Black history every morning.”

Elias hopes to emphasize the importance of Black History Month through the events planned by the BSU. BSU is all about giving Liberty students an opportunity to come together to celebrate Black history and life.

“To me, Black History Month is a month of outreach for Black history by advocating for and vocalizing it,” said Elias. “We should be doing that all year long, but this month is another reason to expand on the culture and history.”