Kianna Frazier

The Black Student Union (BSU) at Princess Anne High School is a safe place for students to learn, share, and express experiences and beliefs with other members of the school community. With the help of successful American-American speakers, this month the BSU provided a space of cultural sharing and inclusivity to celebrate Black History Month at PA.

President of the BSU, senior Tiyana Mattox, has played a big role in the student union. Mattox joined in 2021 when her best friend, Lenari Cooper, founded the group. She stated that she was “excited to have a new space for students of color” in the school community and a place of “education for all those who want to learn more about black culture and topics.”

Now as president, Mattox has many responsibilities for the group. She explained she has had the duties of planning monthly meetings and holding discussions there, planning events for Black History Month, and coordinating with sponsors and city outreach opportunities.

Mattox explained her favorite parts about the BSU are the “deep conversations and ‘aha’ moments shared with [other members].” She continued, saying: “being able to connect with each other’s experiences and beliefs and recognize there is so much unity [in the] school is something special.”

Another student that has an important role in both the BSU’s activities and energy is senior Kianna Frazier, vice president of the group. Like Mattox, Frazier joined in 2021. She explained that since the IB program, which she is a part of, didn’t have many African American students, she saw joining as an “opportunity to have a safe space at school where everyone could just talk and understand each other.”

As the vice president, Frazier describes she has had a few duties that she enjoyed. She explained that she has made slideshows for meetings, presented when Mattox was not available, and was the one to stimulate discussions at the meetings. Frazier’s favorite part about the BSU was that “each meeting [she] learn[ed] something new” and was able to “inform others of things they may not have known about.”

Over the past month, BSU has hosted a speaker series throughout Black History Month. Guest speakers have visited PA every Tuesday and Thursday of the month to talk about their experiences and success in their professional lives. These meetings were set up by Spanish teacher Tina Garfield, who picked people that come from the Virginia community to promote representation in the school community, including a General District Court Judge and a Drug Enforcement Administration agent. They helped students glean knowledge and tips from their lives and answered questions asked by audiences in the library. 

Frazier mentioned that she went to every meeting this month and made sure to ask at least one question. She was also “very thankful for Mrs. Garfield for setting up the meetings for [them], and [for] Mattox as well.”