The Black Student Alliance

The Black Student Alliance is a powerful organization that originated as the Afro-American Union in 1969. While the group was always fighting for racial equality through the years, they truly found recognition in The Pleiad and gained traction in the 1990s. Since the media began showing the Black Student Alliance's involvement and capability in the 1990s, this project will be highlighting the many events the group was involved in during that period of time. A timeline is also included to display just a few of the other important dates before the 1990s that mentioned the Black Student Alliance (BSA) and the Afro-American Union (AAU) in The Pleiad. 

Throughout the 1990s, we see the significant evolution of recognition of the Black Student Alliance in the campus newspaper. Their name grew significantly and the Black Student Alliance became a known safe space for minority students and grew to be strong advocates for racial equity. Their involvement in racism on campus is unforgettable. There are notes of their impact, such as their involvement in boycotts, responses to racist incidents, attendance at meetings, sponsorships of events, and more. For instance, the Black Student Alliance is shown responding to the arrest of a student of color, as well as sponsoring events to educate individuals during Black History Month on campus. In this project, we focus on the author’s word choice, placement of the article in the paper, and the significance of media coverage of minority groups. Also, there are mentions of times that the Black Student Alliance was not given well deserved recognition, which leads into the many issues of journalism coverage of minority groups. Oddly enough, the trend of media coverage was not linear as the years progressed- it was actually rather inconsistent. Examples are shown of several articles regarding racism on campus in the early 1990s which made the cover page, while others actually were tucked in the middle of the paper or in the lower corner. The less diversity found in the newsroom calls for less diversity in media coverage, and The Pleiad’s staff just became more diverse in very recent years. However, in the 1990s, that higher level of inclusion did not exist quite yet and Albion’s campus remained predominantly white. As a result, The Black Student Alliance was often overlooked in media coverage, but still fought to have their voices heard.

Please note that the incidents discussed were found in The Pleiad only, meaning that the group may have been involved in other debates and incidents that were not mentioned in the newspaper. Firstly, take a look at the timeline which includes just a few of the many influential milestones the Black Student Alliance achieved.

The Black Student Alliance's involvement in racial issues on campus became predominant in the 1990s. This group was based around the concept of racial equality, and eventually even created a subgroup, Concerned Black Students, after a particular interaction between BSA members and Albion Campus Safety. Unlike the multiple fraternity houses on campus who consistently play loud music, Campus Safety targeted the BSA house. As a result, the BSA created a subgroup, simply called CBS, to allow discussion amongst concerned students about racism and diversity on campus. Soon enough, the Black Student Alliance would become a main voice on campus in the midst of racial issues.

An important note includes the censorship of the racial slur used in a quote, as this used to be commonly used in language and literature. By censoring, the author is promoting a more respectful social norm.

Students recognizing the racial problems on campus and publishing these issues in the campus newspaper was an important step forward for Albion College, creating a sense acknowledgement of these problems and promoting change for minority groups. Recognition also allowed the BSA to gain ground and attention, thanks to student publishers of The Pleiad using their platform.

On the left above, a 1992 edition of The Pleiad is shown. A large article catches the eye, published shortly after a racist incident in Baldwin. In this event, an African American student was arrested for 'attempted theft'. In the lower part of the page, there are two sections pointing to different articles that discuss the arrest of the student. The author highlights the lack of diversity on campus and interviewed multiple students for their story and their opinion. A huge milestone for minority groups was found in this article- including issues of racism making the front page and a photo of several men of color on the front page as well. Many note the safety and comfort that has been provided by The Black Student Alliance. Their ability to not only become a safe space for individuals, but also advocate for racial equity, is significant and remarkable.

On the right above, The Black Student Alliance's letter was published in the newspaper. This letter formally addresses the arrest of James DeBardelaben, and calls out the college for falling behind in terms of new societal norms. This lengthy article can be found next to another article, titled "Was student arrest racist?" This event made the cover story of the November 6, 1992 edition of The Pleiad. While this event gained ground from the media coverage, The Black Student Alliance's push for justice brought more attention and raised more awareness for the racial inequality.

In addition to these articles, an article from the November 22nd, 1997 edition of The Pleiad called "Albion at bottom for minority enrollment" includes the term 'Umbrella Group.' Within this umbrella group is The BSA, which "because there isn't a lot of diversity on campus, umbrella groups provide a "support and education" group which makes some minorities feel comfortable enough to stay."

The Black Student Alliance proved to not only be an important group to advocate and fight for racial equality on campus, but a safe space for other students.

In a letter that was originally written to Sigma Chi and Sigma Nu, The Black Student Alliance asks students to join a peaceful boycott against a club that reportedly made racist remarks.

It is important to note the execution of the letter. There is no violence, name-calling, or aggression. The BSA encourages students to peacefully boycott the Conservation Club and also addresses the racist remarks that may not have been made aware of without media recognition. On behalf of The Pleiad's willingness to publish the letter, the racist incident gained more attention than it likely would have if it had only been sent to Sigma Nu and Sigma Chi. In a recent article titled "Riot or Resistance?" by Danielle Kilgo, the media's portrayal of events is discussed as a result of the death of George Floyd. The "Riot or Resistance?" article thoroughly supports in favor of The Pleiad's inclusion of the letter with no outside interference- the letter was published straight from the source.

This massive page-long article is another example of The Black Student Alliance's impact on Albion College.

While the mention of the BSA is lacking, the organization sponsored every single event in honor of Black History Month at Albion College. The group sponsored these celebrations for many years, which is shown in multiple editions of The Pleiad. By collaborating with other groups and leaders, such as the office of multicultural affairs. I believe the BSA deserved more recognition in the article for sponsoring these events. To mention just a few of the events from this specific year: a luncheon filled with traditional dishes, music, art, and language to celebrate and learn the rich culture; a movie aiding in explanation of racism and prejudice; as well as an event featuring elementary students from the community and BSA volunteers. Other examples of the Black Student Alliance's sponsored events during Black History Month include: a game featuring teams answering questions about minority struggles in order to raise awareness in 1992; an annual Black Student Alliance Semiformal Ball to promote unity, beginning in 1992; and another event in 1997 with the children of Albion, telling stories and playing games that focus on Black History Month, which actually occurred for several years.

The creative pattern on the sides of the newspaper and the different fonts in the title draws attention to the article, and the photo in the center ties it all together.

Alongside sponsoring events, the former president of the Black Student Alliance even made an appearance in The Pleiad. She notes the many holes in America's history books and the overwhelming lack of representation of minorities in the past. I believe this showcases the true impact that the BSA has not only on the community, but of the students as well. Lisa Tillman was not the current president when writing this, but still displayed her passion for racial justice and still advocated for racial equity following her time as BSA president. The BSA truly leaves a remarkable impact on the campus, community, and students.

In addition to this article, the Black Student Alliance has spoken on Black History Month in particular in The Pleiad. For example, in an article titled "Upholding MLK's Dream" written by BSA president Starrett A. Bartleson in 1996. Bartleson describes MLK's legacy and writes an inspiring and motivating article on how Albion students "have a responsibility to uphold the dream," referring to MLK's push for racial equity and overall peace. An important part mentioned in this article includes the term "Melting Pot," describing the variety of races, cultures, sexualities, and political views of people in the world. A Time article titled "Beyond the Melting Pot" by William A. Henry III, uses this broad term as well. Written in 1990, "Beyond the Melting Pot" touches on many of the same racial issues as both Bartleson's article as well as Tillman's: black history in classrooms; diversity as a whole; and most importantly- how we are all human.

I found this photo to be quite significant in regards to the recognition of the Black Student Alliance. A student senate meeting was held this night and became a major discussion for the 'Diversity Award.' Oddly enough, this photo and caption is the only mention of the BSA- and the president of the BSA actually is shown addressing the hundreds of participants in the meeting. I feel that this photo is not only incredibly powerful in itself, but the lack of representation for a person of color who has a powerful position is appalling.

In a podcast "#398: Dean Baquet," there is talk about how Baquet gets treated like an actual human being, as he became a person of great power, but as soon as he stepped onto the street out of office, he became a minority once more. Truly another world- reminded of the true racial inequity in society. Much like Baquet, it could be that the president of the BSA at the time was recognized simply because of his position. However, it is unfair to make complete assumptions based off of one article, as this was a senate meeting and the BSA may have been less involved. I believe they should have been better represented, though, as they obviously had some impact on the event. Throughout the course, we have discussed how the lack of diversity in a newsroom can create holes in recognition of minority groups in stories, and this article is a prime example.

The photographer did a wonderful job of capturing this moment, for the author of this specific article did a poor job of mentioning the BSA's partake in the event. While I would say that perhaps the Black Student Alliance did not have much to do with the meeting, which even that is hard to believe with how strong of advocates they are, but this photo captures the moment that a minority student stood in front of a crowd of hundreds of people and addressed issues in a fight for racial equity.

Another article worth mentioning includes the first ever Peace Fest at Albion College, which the Black Student Alliance helped organize.

This article is found in the middle and in the corner of the first page, showing for some improvement in media coverage. An interesting note to mention is the large box that disrupts the structure of the article, describing what is inside the newspaper. This shows a lack of importance in the topic, though it made the front page.

The Black Student Alliance lead a campaign to cancel classes that are scheduled on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. However, rather than a day of vacation, the group advocates for a day of honoring MLK, asking the college to sponsor different events to highlight MLK's fight for human rights. Since this article was written in 1991, I found it interesting that the BSA came to the point of campaigning for recognition of such a significant holiday to spread awareness and knowledge. This is especially surprising as the Black Student Alliance is known for sponsoring educational and celebratory events during Black History Month, as the college does not sponsor them, but there is history of the student senate granting some funding. However, this is not an excuse to deny the celebration of a holiday that holds such significance to African American culture and American history, especially when the cancellation of classes is for education on a topic that is an undeniable issue to this day.