Officers

The Black Student Union  
Official website
Official Instagram
Official Facebook
  • The Black Student Union hosts a cookout every semester at the Black Cultural Center
  • BSU participated in Take Back the Night with the Alice Drum Women's Center
  • BSU celebrates Kwanzaa typically at our last meeting of the Fall Semester
  • BSU collaborated on an event with Delta Sigma Theta Inc. and OSPGD on an event earlier this spring
  • The Black Student Union brought Dr. Yusef Salaam to speak at Common Hour on February 26, 2020. Dr. Salaam was one of the five men falsely accused of a crime and spent seven years imprisoned. Dr. Salaam and the other men accused are the focus on Ava DuVernay's Netflix Series "When They See Us"
  • During Black History Month, the BSU takes students, faculty, and professional staff to Washington, D.C. to go to the National Museum of African American History & Culture
  • Members of the Black Student Union had an opportunity to speak with Black Alumni after the Rat is Speaking Common Hour
  • The Black Student Union purchased tickets and provided transportation for students to watch the Black Panther when the movie was in theaters.

Programming Events  

The Black Student Union hosts a variety of programming events throughout the year, including: 
 

  • Welcome B(l)ack Cookout 
  • Umoja: BSU Induction Ceremony 
  • Annual Chicken & Waffles Homecoming Brunch 
  • Collaborations with Academic Departments 
  • Kwanzaa 
  • Ample Community Service Opportunities 
  • Trip to African American American History Museum 
  • Themed Weekly Dinners at the Dining Hall During Black History Month 
  • Events with the Office of Student & Post Graduate Development (OSPGD) 
  • Spring Cookout 
  • Black Graduation 
  • And Many More!

Watch for more info! 

  • BSU members traveled to DC for the March on Washington following Trump's Inauguration
  • BSU member participating in the march
  • BSU members participate in the March on Washington

Black Student Union: BLACK PEOPLE are being MURDERED- brutalized is an understatement

We, the Black Student Union, assert our full support of the protests, uprisings, and warranted responses to the murder of George Floyd and the countless Black people who have fallen victim to the Violence of white supremacy. We are sick and tired of being sick and tired, and we have the right to be.  BLACK PEOPLE are being MURDERED- brutalized...

Read More

How F&M’s Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life Failed Black Students

By Chan Tov  Last November, in response to repeated instances of racially-inflammatory statements on the social media app Yik Yak, F&M hosted an Uncommon Hour conversation on race, racial discrimination, and racial tension on campus. The conversation began with a brave African American male student who recounted his experiences of being called...

Blink Twice

Blink twice if you’re tired of your white ass professors! If you’ve blinked… continue reading. Recent statements released by Franklin & Marshall College highlight an increase in student diversity on campus, but all fail to address the true meaning of diversity within the student experience. As Black and Brown students, we are exhausted from...

 

Activism 

The Black Student Union has been a central place for Black activism on campus since our creation in 1975. We support the activism of our Black students and hope to spark change on campus and bring light to issues that affect the Black Community. 

Black History Timeline at F&M 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pulse  

Story 9/15/2020

A Life Dedicated to Advocating for Racial Justice and Equity

While her second-grade classmates were reading Judy Blume, Ashani Williams ’22 was reading Malcom X’s autobiography. Now, she’s pursuing her passion for seeking racial justice and equity for Black...

Read More
Story 10/25/2019

Three Alumni Discuss 1969 Protest, Racial Consciousness at F&M

Benjamin Bowser ’69, Adrian Lamos Jr. ’72 and LeRoy Pernell ’71 never looked back when they graduated from Franklin & Marshall College. In fact, they never intended to come back to their alma mater. 

Read More
Story 5/10/2017

Celebrating 70 years of the African-American Experience at F&M

Once the College’s doors opened to them, African-Americans helped provide a pathto higher learning for students of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. 

Read More
Story 2/19/2014

Civil Rights Week Events at F&M

For Civil Rights Week, which starts Feb. 24, Franklin & Marshall College is offering a series of events in which to discuss and reflect. 

Read More