There was a time at Brenau University when African Americans were not allowed to attend school here. It’s crazy to think that the first African American student at Brenau, Belinda Harrison Sims, first enrolled here only 44 years ago in 1972. It is even more bewildering that the Black Student Association did not make it to Brenau until 2012. Most colleges can boast about their black student unions having a presence on campus for nearly 21 years. Others can boast about its presence from the time of the civil rights era in the ’60s. In spite of all of that, one girl at Brenau University had a dream to unite African American students at Brenau University through an organization. Her name is Tieara Freeman. In 2012, Tieara Freeman became the founder of the Black Student Association at Brenau University in its humble beginnings. She is a trendsetter, and real life black history at Brenau University. That’s why she is our Campus Celebrity for the week!
Full name: Tieara Dijon Freeman
Brenau graduation year: Spring 2013
Major: Psychology
Current occupation: Online Banking Specialist at MidFirst Bank by day; Carefree Black Girl by night.
What made you want to start a black student association here at Brenau, and who were your Allies to help you do so?What made me want to start a black student association at Brenau was during my freshman year I was lost. I was the first one in two generations of my family to go to college. The basics like FASFA, book vouchers, and being away from home were all foreign to me and I didn’t know where to look for help. I was surprised and embarrassed that college was so foreign to me, and I felt like I was the only one that felt this way. However, as time went on and I began to open up to other black girls on campus it came to me that I wasn’t the only one that felt this way. The specifics of why we felt singled out varied, but the feeling of, “I don’t know where to go for help,” was unanimous, and that’s when I knew we needed something to bring us together. There were many allies that brought BSA to the surface. From the people that encouraged us and believed that BSA was necessary, to the students in SGA that voted “Yay”. Many allies of many colors help tote BSA across the burning sands into existence.
Was it difficult to get BSA to become a registered organization here? What obstacles did you face?Like any goal or aspiration getting registered had its easy and difficult stages. The idea of BSA and finding other black girls that believed in the vision was easy. Finding an advisor was difficult. I asked every black faculty member on campus that we knew of, many are still at Brenau, to be our advisor and they ALL said no. On even going so far to openly admit that she didn’t want to participate in an organization like BSA. Ultimately we found an advisor: a white adjunct professor that believed in BSA as much as we did.
A staff member told us that many African American staff at Brenau were against having BSA at Brenau. Why do you think that is?If the staff is referring to the African American staff who were a part of SGA that voted no for BSA, it was purely political. At Brenau no two organizations can have similar goals and purposes. The same time we were ready to present to SGA another group of students were organizing to bring the NAACP to Brenau. Many of those students were in SGA so they voted no to BSA.
Do you think there should be a White Student Assciation? Why or why not?
Brenau University is a White Student Association.How have you seen the black student association change since it first began?The main way that I have seen the Black Student Association change since it first began is how BSA is viewed now. BSA is now seen as a necessity on Brenau’s campus and I am so proud that the current members allowed BSA to reach that height. When BSA was initially presented to SGA, one of the members was quoted in saying that she felt as if BSA was “just a group of girls trying to label their friendship”. To go from that to having President Schrader give a quote on an article that was about BSA is incredible and I am beyond impressed by all current BSA members.