Last year at Warren County High School, the Black Student Union formed. With the support of the Black History Museum and Young Men United, currently the Union has over 100 members schoolwide and has participated in school activities like raising over $500 for the Student Emergency Fund and sponsored children from Kids of the Community for Christmas.  

Club sponsor Catherine Kisenyi said, “Statistically, African American students in the state of Tennessee are less likely to graduate from high school than their white and Hispanic classmates. This is an issue that needs to be addressed across the state as a whole. So the question arises of how can we change this?

“The purpose of the Black Student Union at Warren County High School is to increase diversity in clubs and leadership opportunities across campus, educate others on the importance of Black history and provide cultural enrichment opportunities to peers. The BSU is inclusive to any student who is committed to these ideals and, as of today, we have 117 students who have signed up to participate.”

The activity that stands out the most was a visit from Mickey Gwyn, who is a podcaster and host on BLTV. Gwyn reached out to Kisenyi and asked if he could come talk to the students about when a group of African American high schoolers at WCHS tried to start a Black Student Union in 1975 but were denied. Kisenyi agreed and Gwyn met with some of the juniors and seniors of the newly founded union.

Gwyn explained why the administration at the high school at the time were not willing to let the kids form the Union. They were scared that it would cause trouble. Once the group received the first no, many African American students threatened to protest by refusing to participate in their sports. The NAACP then got involved as other African American students were threatening to refuse to attend class if they were not able to form the union. 

Gwyn told the Standard, “It was not just my vision, but the vision of a group of Black high school students in 1975 that wanted their voices heard. I actually have mixed emotions about the Black Student Union. I’m proud that the Student Union has fulfilled that void that my classmates and I were unable to fill. But, to think that 47 years later, there’s still a need for a Black Student Union, tells me we haven’t advanced the concept of ‘one nation … with liberty and justice for all’ very far. I hope the current members of the Black Student Union will go out into the world and work hard to make America a nation that is equal for all, regardless of our differences.”

The WCHS football coach at the time, Pedro Paz, advocated for the African American students to be able to form the union, but the administration was still unwavering. Finally, a compromise was struck and the agreement was to host a Black Awareness Week, where African American students would divide themselves into panels, each talking about a different topic like literature and art, sports and entertainment, and would discuss African American contributions to each.

Gwyn asked the kids why forming a Black Student Union was important to them and Hannah Woodruff responded by saying that it is about representation on campus and noted that the club is inclusive regardless of race. 

Gwyn said, “The Union will play a vital role in advocating for the needs of the Black students at WCHS. But it will also act as a melting pot for all students who want to know about the Black experience and for students who want to address social issues in general. I was elated to see so many non-Black students involved in the Union. As our future generations combat the issues of racial, religious and cultural discrimination, there’s no better platform than high school to start the dialogue and work together to solve the problems that have separated races in the past.”

Since Gwyn’s time at WCHS, he has since gone on to write a book reflecting on his experience of trying to get a Black Student Union formed called “The Revolutions of Michael Carson.” The Black Student Union has recently purchased four copies of the book to keep in the WCHS library.