With the arrival of a new school year, The Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology welcomed new student lead organizations into the community. One of those organizations is the Black Student Union (BSU), a group whose mission centers around student led conversation on issues of race, volunteerism, higher education for minority groups, and educating the student body on black history.
The club officially launched this year; however, it has been many years in the making. The co-founder and president Nasir Pouncey noticed a void in the GSMST community. As he describes, “I was excited to join the BSU as a freshman, and when I found out we didn’t have one I decided I would take it into my own hands and create one.”
Pouncey, along with co-creator Gem Johnson and faculty sponsor Ms. Mullen, worked to propose this club to the principal. They worked passionately with help of underclassmen Kaitochi Moghalu, Gabrielle NguenaJones, Destiny Ekwueme and Amaal Abdi to form the current Black Student Union.
Since its beginnings, the BSU has gotten involved in outreach to the student body about black history and culture. They work to develop Black History Month, providing education on prominent figures and movements in black history. They also get involved in our school’s international night, a celebration of global culture, volunteering to improve black cultural representation.
Furthermore, they also involve themselves with the community, seeking to give back by working with non-profit organizations like Habitat for Humanity and Jericho, a group working to free political prisoners. The Black Student Union also encourages discussion and dialogue among its members, featuring complex social topics like colorism, black artistry and historically black universities.
The BSU is now getting ready for their future events, a Kwanza celebration and a planned visit to museums and educational centers in Atlanta.
If you want to learn about or keep up with the GSMST BSU, follow them on Instagram @gsmst.bsu.
