Alumni celebrate 40th anniversary of Black Student Union
A joyous anniversary celebration marking the 40-year history of the Black Student Union (BSU) drew approximately 150 alumni from across the country back to campus on the weekend of April 11-13. The Black Student Union was founded in 1968 following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. BSU’s first leaders were 28 African-American men who had enrolled in 1968—due, in large part, to active outreach by Rev. John E. Brooks, S.J., ’49 now president emeritus of the College. Those first students included: Clarence Thomas ’71, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court; Theodore V. Wells Jr. ’72, one of the leading litigators in the nation; and Eddie J. Jenkins Jr. ’72, chairman of the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission and former Miami Dolphins running back—all of whom returned to campus for the festivities. The weekend offered a full slate of activities, including State of the College addresses; a “Fireside Chat” with Fr. Brooks; CASA Cultural Night; alumni panel discussions; and stories from current students, among others. The weekend’s events climaxed in a powerful keynote speech delivered by Wells about the formation of the Black Student Union and the defining moments in the nation’s history during the civil rights movement. Wells recalled the tense racial times following King’s death in 1968: “When we formed the Black Student Union that year we had two separate priorities. One, we had an internal priority and that was to make Holy Cross more sensitive and accommodating to the needs of its black students. And we focused on trying to persuade the school to hire more black faculty. We also wanted more black students.” Wells recalled that all black students left Holy Cross in protest after four black students were singled out for suspension in 1969 after a demonstration against General Electric’s alleged Vietnam war profiteering. The College ultimately granted the students amnesty, and they returned to campus. “At the moment of truth, those students were put to the test, and they passed that test, and I love all of them,” he said. Three people who were instrumental in helping create a welcoming environment for black students were honored at the event: Fr. Brooks; Ogretta McNeil, former professor of psychology and class dean at Holy Cross, as well as a former member of the Worcester School Committee; and Joseph J. Reilly Jr. ’55, past chair of the College’s Bishop Healy Committee—a group dedicated to achieving and maintaining a diverse and multicultural campus. All three received standing ovations. To cap the evening, Ronald R. Lawson ’75, senior director of business affairs for the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, made a special announcement. Holy Cross black alumni contributed $8,000 to the College, which will be administered by the Bishop Healy Committee of the General Alumni Association to assist ALANA (African-American, Latin American, Asian-American, and Native American) students as they make their way through the College. The donation will “continue our connectivity, our cohesiveness and our camaraderie in the future,” Lawson said.
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