Liberty High School’s Black Student Union recently went on a field trip to Howard University in Washington D.C. The Black Student Union is one of the most successful clubs at Liberty and catches the interest of many students across all grades. BSU enables the voices of Black students to be heard.

In their club meetings, which take place once a month, the leaders, sponsors and members discuss many concerns and issues that are important. Furthermore it is also a sense of community to talk about the good and the bad. It helps build student growth and development through diversity and social outreach.Many students of different ethnicities and races can join BSU and celebrate black culture and their rich history.

A great amount of people don’t know the history behind HBCUs that are across America. First of all, HBCU stands for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. HBSUs were first established in the early 19th century. On March 2nd, 1867, a charter was signed into law by President Andrew Johnson, in approval to incorporate Howard University into the system of colleges and Universities in America. It was created to provide black people with access to education which was denied to them before during slavery and segregation.

Howard University specifically was founded by a civil war hero called General Oliver Otis Howard. He was the head of the post Civil war Freedmen’s Bureau, who altered congress to give out funds to schools all over the nation. 

Howard University began as a single building in 1867 and now in present day it has evolved and spreaded to 89 acres. Howard is not only a place of study, but also contains a Hospital, where people can come for care. In Howard, there are many opportunities for students to grasp such as internships, scholarships, and programs.  

This field trip for BSU to Howard took place on November 8. Members of BSU were accompanied by their club sponsors, Mrs. Zimmer, Mrs. Schrank, and Mr. Beasely. Liberty was not the only high school in Fauquier county that went on this trip. Kettle Run High School  BSA also accompanied with their sponsors as well. Every student and sponsor on the charter bus was full of excitement and ambition to get to the tour of Howard’s campus.

But matter of fact this was not Liberty’s Black Student Union’s first trip to Howard, last year BSU members had a trip to attend Howard’s homecoming, which were also accompanied by their sponsors. Countless students have exclaimed with joy that it was an incredible experience and unforgettable.

 When they first got to Washington D.C. the first place they went was the gift shop for a while untill it was time to go for their tour. After it was time they headed off to the Howard’s campus, they first got welcomed by a presentation by two tour guides, in the welcome center. At the end of the presentation, students and chaperones were separated into two groups so it was easier to tour the campus. The tour guides were very kind and were very informed about their campus’s rich history. Due to their knowledge many students attending the tour were filled with knowledge by the end of the day.

“It was definitely a great experience,” said Tawanna Pearson “It was a fun and educational tour plus I got knowledge of the deep rich history in Howard,” 

Students were able to tour and go inside numerous buildings to experience as if you were a college student. They got to see actual college students in transit in their classes, learning and studying.

“The trip to Howard, I got to learn the impact that Howard has on many students that have been there and their successes,” said Christian Jordan, one of BSU’s leaders “We also saw how much Howard contributes to economics success in this country, being one of the most prominent HBCU in the entire country, which was really inspirational to see,”

“It was a really great experience , just to sum all of it up we had a really great tour guide, she gave us good details of the school and gave us little pointers about certain locations, and the history of each building, which I thought was really informative,” said senior Elizabeth Montecinos ”I learned deep history within in Howard and know that it is much more than regular school, because it carries such a rich history,”

On this field trip, many students got to see an HBCU that many have never seen in person before. It also showed many students what type of programs and activities are offered in Howard University. It helped many students to explore and consider Howard University as one of their college options.