Black Student Union presidents lead growth, anti-hate speech efforts

During her sophomore year at Soquel High School, Ivory Woodson didn’t interact with or know many other Black students at her school, or in Santa Cruz. 

“I never felt super connected to the Black community in Santa Cruz,” said Woodson, now a senior. “I didn’t really realize there was one.” 

Black students make up just 0.5% to 1% of the student population in many schools in the county – similar to the overall Black population in Santa Cruz County. 

“I’d heard about Santa Cruz High’s Black Student Union, and realized that we needed something at Soquel for Black students,” Woodson said. “I knew there were Black students, but I never talked to them. And I realized we could be connected – we all have shared experiences.” 

Woodson founded and led her school’s Black Student Union for the past two years, helping to  create a community of Black students and friends, including one of her closest friends, Amara Anderson – a Santa Cruz High senior and the school’s BSU president. This year, they are co-leading the development of a public service announcement addressing racial slurs in schools after an incident where a student used the N-word. 

Anderson and Woodson met during the County Office of Education’s annual Black Grad ceremony last year and started organizing events together. With advising support from the COE, Anderson and Woodson brought Black Student Unions from several local high schools together this past year.

They’ve hosted bonfire meet-ups, game nights, pumpkin carvings, Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day and fundraisers, and have upcoming events planned for the end of this school year. Anderson and Woodson estimate that each of their schools has about 15 active students – membership is open to all students. Other high schools with active BSUs include Aptos, Harbor and Pacific Collegiate School.

Woodson and Anderson were recently recognized for their efforts to expand BSU involvement and their public service announcement project by the annual HERstory program – an event recognizing past, present and future women in leadership in Santa Cruz County. 

Andres Ortiz, County Office of Education student leadership coordinator, said the BSU functions as a connector to widen the network of support for the whole Black community. Anderson and Woodson have been a big part of that effort, he said. 

“They have a real love for their community,” Ortiz said. “That is kind of their guiding light.”

The countywide BSU aims to provide students with leadership opportunities and also a space for Black students and their allies to meet and build community. Many Black students face barriers to resources and support that other students don’t face. BSUs fill in those gaps by organizing visits to colleges and providing mentorship or networking opportunities. Woodson and Anderson said the countywide BSU facilitator, Donald J. Williams Jr., has been integral in their work. 

As part of their efforts to create a safe space for Black students in Santa Cruz, Anderson and Woodson have been co-leading the development of a PSA addressing hate speech and the use of the N-word. 

In collaboration with students from Cabrillo College and UC Santa Cruz, they drafted a script, filmed the PSA and are in the process of editing the 7-minute video. Local advocate and coach Reggie Stephens narrates the PSA, which Anderson and Woodson hope will be screened at schools across the county. 

“We realized it was definitely an issue within high schools that we wanted to address,” said Anderson. 

Woodson said they wanted to educate students who might be using hate speech but don’t fully understand what they’re saying.

“They sometimes don’t realize how much it’s impacting people,” Woodson said. “They’re kind of just saying it because they think it’s cool or it’s funny, but it’s not funny or cool.” 

They hope to finish the video in May and are in the process of figuring out how to distribute it. 

Anderson said the PSA project and her time building community with BSU students have had a positive impact on her and have been “eye-opening for what I want to do with my life.” She just committed to enrolling at Cal State University Chico. 

“BSU has definitely shaped what I want to do after high school,” she said. “I’m going to study political science and try to pursue work in government.” 

Woodson, who just a couple of years ago felt no connection to the local Black community,  said she’s most proud of bringing Black students together.

“The coolest part about BSU has definitely been bringing each club together and seeing people from different schools become friends, when they never would have met each other,” she said. “I can say the same for me and Amara, we would have never met without BSU. So it’s just been so cool to see everybody connect.”

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