Cornbread, tres leches, cookies, smiles and more were all on the menu at the Black Student Union’s (BSU) bake sale, held after school in the STEM wing on Wednesday, Jan. 21. Money raised by the bake sale will be sent to fund the club’s future activities and endeavors.
The BSU meets during X-blocks and hosts a variety of events, from their traditional gingerbread decoration competition to pumpkin carving and UNO tournaments. The club is open to all Black-identifying students, from freshmen to seniors, and fosters inclusion.
Junior and BSU member Amara Brown said she supported her fellow BSU community by helping to prepare for their bake sale. Brown also said she donated to the bake sale because she appreciates the people she has met in BSU.
“BSU brings a sense of community for me because I feel like in this big school it’s easy to lose yourself,” Brown said. “I think that BSU gives me a safe space to share my opinion and to meet new people and make friends.”
The BSU bake sale took place the same day as the school-wide Martin Luther King Jr. assembly, which various BSU club members participated and helped organize. After spectating the assembly and buying a treat, junior Elliot English said that supporting BSU is important to him.
“It’s really good to appreciate MLK and all his contributions to the country,” English said. “I think raising money for the Black Student Union is really important because it helps the Black Student Union run events like MLK Day and others.”
Junior and BSU vice president Shola Okoudjou prepared cornbread to sell at the bake sale. According to Okoudjou, the bake sale was a great way to showcase culture, bring BSU’s community together and raise funds for the club.
“We want a way that BSU can bring different cultures and different aspects of identity to [the high school],” Okoudjou said. “So we’re not just about tres leches, cornbread, cupcakes and cookies. We’re about something larger.”
Dean of Students Brian Poon stopped by the bake sale to support the club’s students and purchase a cupcake and tres leches cup.
“I believe in supporting student groups. Some of my students are part of this organization, so I am delighted to support a good cause” Poon said. “Then I heard that a student that I really care about made the tres leches and then I’m like, ‘I’m in.’”
Brown recently joined the club as a member and said that clubs like BSU should continue to grow and expand to more high schools.
“I just love all the Black excellence and seeing everybody support a club that I believe should truly strive [to be in] more schools,” Brown said. “I feel like what they’re doing and bringing our community together is a really beautiful thing, and we should see it more in the youth.”
