Black Student Movement considers two for president

Two candidates are running for the presidency of the Black Student Movement for the 2015-16 school year: Ishmael Bishop and Jeremy Mckellar.

Current President Trey Mangum says he hopes the new leader will be able to carry the momentum the BSM has gained this year into the next year.

“It’s good to make sure that there is a strong, capable and effective leader that is leading the organization,” Mangum said. “Without the role of president making key decisions and key connections, a lot of the things we do at BSM would not be possible.”

Mangum said he thinks fostering more campus collaborations will improve the BSM in the future. He said this year they have already been collaborating with black faculty and he hopes the new leader will continue on that front.

“Having organizations like the BSM provides an outlet for not only students of this race but for all students across campus to be able to examine and discuss what is going on in the world,” Mangum said.

Bishop said his platform looks inward, encouraging students to help one another at the BSM. Bishop is also a columnist for The Daily Tar Heel.

“I am running because students of color, especially black students, have faced a lot of turmoil and have faced a lot of imagery that would otherwise say that black lives do not matter and what I want to do is to have a centering conversation for black students to come and talk about themselves and talk about their place at the University,” Bishop said.

Bishop said he also hopes to work with the executive branch of student government as much as possible in order to advocate for students and make sure their voices are heard.

“The most important part of my platform for me is creating spaces where students of color can be around other students of color and where conversations can happen,” Bishop said.

Mckellar said his platform focuses on bringing communities closer together.

“I am running for president of BSM because I value our black community and our African-American culture,” Mckellar said. “My slogan is ‘Forward Together’ and that forward thinking is having everyone on one accord and one page and having everyone trying to better one another as a collective and as a community.”

Mckellar said his platform includes three pillars. He wants the BSM leaders to work on themselves first, value the BSM members and branch out to other cultural organizations on campus to make sure they support one another in their events instead of competing for members.

“We have to look at ourselves and make sure the Black Student Movement is strong and that we value one another, and we want to see each other succeed and that starts by building that familial environment,” Mckellar said.

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