The Black Student Alliance at Yale (BSAY)
was formed in 1967 in response to an urgent need for collective action to counter injustice and a desire to address the issues facing Black students. During an era when Black Americans were prescribed to second-class citizenship, BSAY campaigned heavily on behalf of people of African descent at Yale. The students of BSAY demonstrated, with great pride, the accomplishments of African-Americans and the beauty and significance of our culture. To this day BSAY continues to strive for excellence, challenge social injustices and celebrate the successes of our people.
The Black Pride Union (BPU)
was based in the same tradition and spirit of BSAY, with a specific focus on identifying and celebrating holidays and historic events that are of importance to the African-American tradition. Annual events included the observance of the Maafa (Black Holocaust ) , the anniversary of the assassination of El-Hajj Malik Shabazz , Martin Luther King's birthday , Kwanzaa and Black Solidarity Day which we have expanded into a weekend event in the last five years. Community leaders such as Elsie Coffield , director of AIDS Interfaith of New Haven, and Emma Jones , founder of the MALIK organization are just a few of the many community activists who show their support for BSAY and BPU throughout the year.
After the 2007-2008 school year, BSAY and the BPU wrote a new chapter in the history of the two organizations. Now, the BPU focuses solely on the Black Solidarity Conference and BSAY concentrates its efforts on the campus and New Haven community.