Our Ongoing History

In late February of 2021, three SUNY students confided in each other about the racism, discrimination, and lack of support Black and Brown student leaders experience in their roles in student governments. This conversation led to an idea to organize and host The Necessary Dialogue—a state-wide discussion for Black and Brown student leaders and our allies across SUNY’s campuses to share our experiences. The end result would be a network for Black and Brown student leaders to interface and support each other in their leadership roles. A team of students from SUNY Brockport, SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Farmingdale, and SUNY Empire State College came together to execute this shared goal and created this organization to achieve unity for all Black and Brown students in the SUNY system.

Our organization’s Past is intricately tied to the outcry that resulted from enduring the public and high-profile executions of powerful Black brothers, sisters, wives, husbands, and relatives nationwide. Our Present goals are represented through our Mission Statement, and what we dream of for Our Collective Future is observed through our Vision Statement.

This organization was created for Black and Brown students, by Black and Brown students, and we welcome you to make your mark on our ongoing history.

The mission of the SUNY Black Student Union (SBSU) is to empower students of African descent by fostering a supportive social and professional community, advocating for the advancement of systemic equity, and developing leadership through participation and opportunity pipelines. SBSU serves as a vehicle for transcendence above the achievement, wealth, and quality of life gaps caused by racial inequality. We accomplish this through a broadly inclusive approach that includes opportunities for mentorship/sponsorship, career development, and professional networking.

We strive to uphold, maintain, and sustain a community that is a collaborative environment which actively rejects the constructs of racism, colorism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and misogynoir. We are dedicated to advancing intersectional policies and initiatives which support Black and Brown students of all spectrums within the diaspora.

We acknowledge our ancestors, those who have sacrificed tremendously for freedom, equality, and justice. The light of their legacies guide us, as the next generation of torchbearers in pursuit of progress towards self-determination and success. We hope our efforts will inspire generations of students who come after.

Our vision is nothing less than realizing the full potential of our community; to drive a new era of intellectual, cultural, and societal growth for Black and Brown people in the state of New York.