The Black Student Union (BSU) was officially formed in fall 1974 to increase awareness and improve “relations between the black Frederick and black Hood communities”[1] through education. BSU is involved in various activities on campus including dances, mixers, panel discussions and events such as Black History Month, Liberation Weekend, etc.
Sponsored by BSU, Liberation weekend provides the campus community with an educational and cultural awareness of issues affecting the African-American community. Activities include discussions, workshops, music, poetry, dance and a keynote address. The purpose of the event is “to bring students and community members together, regardless of color or ethnicity, to explore topics of interest to the black community”[2]. The first conference was held in 1989, although it wasn’t until 1994 that the event became more publicized. In recent years, students have celebrated a new iteration of Liberation. In responses to budget cuts and years of struggling to get white students to attend, the BSU decided to change “Liberation of the Black Mind” to simply “Liberation.”
[1] Blue & Grey, November 14, 1974
[2] The Campus History Series: Hood College, Pg. 109
