Photo and story by Bailey Wilson / Contributing Writer
The Black Student Union held a meeting, in which members discussed the future of the BSU and talked about hidden meanings in the movie “Black Panther,” Monday evening in the Business and Aerospace Building.
BSU President Kelly Richardson led her last meeting as president by asking the members questions about the movie that applied to everyday life in the black community.
“(‘Black Panther’ has a way of) showing our culture … for our youth to grow up on,” said Nija Threat, a BSU member and MTSU junior.
Members compared “Black Panther” lead characters T’Challa and Killmonger to Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, discussed the strong female roles for black women in the film and discussed the “Black Lives Matter” movement.
“We don’t give women enough credit,” one member said in the discussion.
Richardson also pointed out the parallel between Vibranium, the fictional super metal that made up the city in T’Challa’s home, Wakanda, in the movie, and Coltan, a metal found in Ghana that is prominent in many people’s everyday lives.
“Our secret weapon is our minds,” one member said when discussing Vibranium.
The members also talked about how to make a Wakanda, or a safe social and political space, at MTSU. Some ideas included having one joint calendar, so no one had to miss an event because of a conflicting event, and learning about the history of African-Americans aside from slavery.
“We have got to learn about each other,” Threat said.
“For us to remake Wakanda, we have to find a middle ground,” a member said during the discussion. “We have a lot of Killmongers and T’Challas, and it’s not working.”
Richardson then announced that elections for next year’s BSU president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and public relations specialist will be held between March 26 and 28. The results of the elections will be posted March 30. To vote, members must join the BSU’s page on the MyMT website.
The BSU’s purpose is “to act as a representative for students of color; to provide an inclusive community for self-development and unity through campus involvement and common cultural experiences,” according to their MyMT page. Next year, the organization will be celebrating its 50th anniversary.
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