Written by Jada Freeman

Transitioning from high school to college is a major change for anyone. With Radford being a predominately white institution (PWI), this transition can be especially difficult for African American students. They are moving from a place of familiarity to somewhere completely new where most of the population is white. Because of this, African American students are faced with a unique set of challenges when transitioning to life at Radford.

One of the more significant challenges for African American students when transitioning to college life at Radford is learning to connect with people who grew up in a different culture. Some other examples include having to code switch more often to try and fit in or finding someone who knows how to do African American hair.

The Black Student Alliance (BSA) at Radford University provides African Americans with a safe place to hang out, escape from school, and get involved in the community. BSA welcomes anyone and everyone but is tailored specifically towards African Americans, which is why it is a safe place. It hosts events that create a safe place to talk about personal things that some may feel uncomfortable talking about with their family or friends. An example of one of these events was when the BSA hosted an event about mental health to give people the opportunity to talk about how they feel about school or life in general.

While that is one example of a BSA event, mental health is not the only focus of the BSA. BSA also has fun activities to help people take their minds off school. An example of this was a DIY event where people made their own stress balls and goodie bags. The club also provides people with an opportunity to meet new people while setting up and attending events. This semester the club will even be hosting a party for students to get dressed up, come out, and have a good time.

In addition to creating a safe place and having fun, the BSA also offers people an opportunity to get involved in the community. Last semester on Instagram, their official page announced their second annual essence festival! This festival presented a chance for black artists and musicians to perform for the community. There were also pop-up shops for black-owned businesses to set up in. People could help support these businesses and even generate business for them. On the same day of the festival, there was also a march. This march gave people who had never marched before the opportunity to get involved in their community.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Black Student Alliance at Radford University, go to Radford’s RU Involved website, type BSA into the search bar, and click “Join the Club” in the upper-righthand corner. If you are interested in BSA but do not want to become a member, you can still attend any BSA events without becoming a member.

For updates on Radford’s Black Student Alliance, check out their Instagram @radfordbsa or use the following link: https://www.instagram.com/radfordbsa