With the current school year underway, new clubs are beginning to pop up. Students from Carlsbad and Sage Creek have come together to create a new club called the Black Student Union club. These students want to create an empowering community aware of what is happening with the current status of the black lives matter movement. 

By creating this club, African-American students and people of color in general are given a safe space to talk about topics like racial awareness and misrepresentation. Junior Christian Isaiah is the Black Student Union (BSU) president at Sage Creek and has helped set up Carlsbad’s BSU. 

“Having a BLM movement/ BSU is vital because we discuss these issues that our Black population is facing and ways that we can solve it when it comes to racism, misrepresentation and other systemic things that negatively impact the Black population,” Isaiah said. 

With the approval of new Black Student Union clubs in both of Carlsbad’s high school’s, the city is now a part of the social justice movement and discussion that has become a large part of our culture and news in recent months, and years. The clubs aim to continue discussing the issues of racism and systemic bias in the United States

“I feel that it does not bring Carlsbad into a new progressive era fully,” Isaiah said. “ In order for that to happen we need not only students to help but it is vital that teachers support this as well. It is a teacher’s responsibility to support their students so by teachers supporting BLM/ BSU is one of the key things to bring Carlsbad into that progressive era.” 

Superintendent Dr. Benjamin Churchill fully supports the new BSU club at Carlsbad. Churchill is excited to see the new changes that this club will bring to our campus and is in full support of this movement spreading to other campuses. 

“I think it’s really important that all members of our student population and our staff population feel represented and feel visible and I think that a club like this is meaningful because it gives students an opportunity to be seen and to be a part of a group larger than themselves as individuals,” Churchill said. “I think it’s a very important statement that students are making about what they value.”

As the amount of attention grows to the BSU/BLM movement, questions on the topic of racism, systemic racism, inequality and many other important topics begin to form. With these heavy and important topics beginning to strike conversations, Churchill hopes that these difficult discussion can take place among students and staff alike.

“Discussions about race are difficult and discussions about racism are difficult.” Churchill said. “I expect that there will be some difficult conversations that students and staff engage in as a result of formations of clubs like this but, I would always rather have the conversation even if it’s difficult than ignore the conversation or look the other way.”

With the hope that students and teachers alike will come together and support the members of the BSU, Isaiah hopes to see more clubs pop up around the district. 

“Schools around the district will be positively impacted by the BLM movement and the two Black Student Unions that have been formed. For some students, teachers, or administrators it may be uncomfortable and not something that should happen because they are so used to having this racist / racially insensitive environment and they are not opposed to it.” Isaiah said. “However, having these organizations and movements will make our district more equitable for everyone which will give everyone the same and equal opportunity or benefits compared to just providing benefits and opportunities to the majority (white students.)”