The Black Students Union club began with the idea of creating a comfortable environment for African American students to celebrate their identity and feel appreciated within their school.  Terena Clemons spoke with two fellow students and a teacher, Mr. Bernthal, about their concerns for the black community in Phoenix Military Academy. “We spoke about how I saw a couple things that I didn’t like within Phoenix, such as the lack of celebration of black identity, division among the students, prejudice expressed by the staff and students and a lot of microaggressions against black students. I wanted to do something about it,” said Clemons.

Terena has assistance running the club, with Kayla Webster as her Vice President. Any and all students are welcome to join the club and participate in their events and activities, as they encourage others to broaden their horizons and will not turn away a student willing to experience all the club has to offer.  She seeks to make a community that is more open and accepting of her culture while creating a comfortable environment for the black students to voice their opinions and concerns freely. “My goals for the club are to make black students a place where they can feel comfortable and supported within Phoenix in addition to giving them an outlet to air their grievances without being judged or belittled.” Terena said. Terena aspires to create a safe and more accepting community by providing a way to bring it closer together. She believes that in a way, the formation of this club has brought the community closer together, as there is a noticeable change in how the other students interact with the black students in the school.

Terena Clemons is working to keep this club running through the years and is grateful that she has underclassmen that are invested in this and want to continue to keep the BSU club running as long as possible.