With Black Lives Matter protests occurring worldwide, Kayla Stephenson took the opportunity to make a change in her own community. 

In the beginning of her junior year at GRHS, Kayla started the Black Student Union Club, but it did not get approved by the board until the quarantine. Her goal for the club is to, “increase the participation of the students in advocating for and fighting for black rights.”

The Black Student Union held their first meeting on Jun. 1 in a Zoom call. Over 50 students showed up for the meeting. This was a surprise to Kayla; she did not expect that many people to be there.  

The club is a place where students can talk about discrimination and come together to make a change for the bigger cause. Before the meeting, Kayla said “It’s really important to educate others on the black community especially in a predominantly white school”. Even though most of the students at Glen Rock High School are white, many are passionate about making a difference. 

All members had the opportunity to speak about times they were discriminated against, no matter their race. The members were respectful to each other and nobody debated, which these days is more common than not. 

Stephenson said “This club isn’t a debate club. It is genuinely for everyone to come together to make a change. Please don’t try to start fights just to debate. That is not what this is for.”

Members of the club have started to take action on the streets. There have been multiple protests in Glen Rock in the past few weeks. Over 600 Glen Rock residents marched to Borough Hall on Jun. 7. Many members of the Black Student Union attended the protest to combat systemic racism. 

There will be more Black Student Union meetings in the future and any student is welcome to join. To learn more about the club and ways you can help, visit the instagram page @grhsblackstudentunion.