If there’s one thing the Black Student Union [BSU] wants you to know, it’s that you don’t have to be black to join.

Milan Cross ’17, Cydney Davis ’18, Siena Mills ’19, Kristen Mundy ’17, April Tate ’17, Madison Tyler ’19 and Sarah Walston ’17 are on the executive board of BSU.

Cross, Mundy and Tate agree that BSU is great for numerous reasons, but its most attractive quality is that it’s a safe environment for students and teachers of all races to freely converse about topics that are pertinent to the black community.

“BSU is a place where you can talk about race and mess up and you may say the wrong thing and people aren’t heavily judging you,” Mundy said.

To exemplify their inclusive ideals, Walston, who is white, has been part of the board for two years.

“In terms of Sarah being on the board, I think it’s really important because she’s an ally to the black community,” Mundy said. “I think the thing we’re trying to get out the most is that you don’t have to be black to have these conversations — because no matter how many times we say it, people still don’t feel comfortable enough to come.”

BSU strives to start a local conversation surrounding relevant topics that affect the black community. According to Cross, the most important topics to discuss include “being black in America, being black at Archer, [and] being black.”

“I think it’s important to me, especially being at a majority white school as a person of color, to engage others in the conversation and not necessarily force the conversation, but allow them to be interested enough to want to come and to get people interested and to not be scared of talking to black people about black issues,” Tate said.

Cross agreed. “Like April said, we’re at a predominantly white school, so I think it’s important for me personally to acknowledge and appreciate that and to stay true to my identity, she said. “I am black; [I don’t want] to lose myself or forget who I am. And also I think it’s important just to have the conversation: being black in America. I think that’s where a lot of our conversation comes from so it’s just an important space and opportunity to have that conversation.”

The board stressed the importance of maintaining an ongoing conversation at a time when there are a lot of issues arising that affect the black community, such as police brutality, colorism and cultural appropriation.

“This is almost like going through a third civil rights movement, where most of the activism is through media and online,” Mundy said.

They want the Archer community to know that BSU is a safe space for questions to be asked and a truthful conversation to be had.

“A lot of the fears [people have] are saying the wrong thing or stepping [over] the line,” Tate said, “but at some point, if you’re speaking truly about your curiosities and if you have a question and really want to be engaged, then you probably won’t be [crossing] a line because you’re actively trying to learn.”