"Culture Club(s)" at BHS
MultiCultural Student Association
MCSA is a welcoming community at BHS for students who are multicultural, multiracial, or just interested in what we do. We strive to build cultural bridges through learning from each other in our meetings and the various events we put on.
Often, mixed race/ students with many intersections to their identity feel alone and lack a space to talk about the many parts of their identity. This can lead to many challenges with self esteem, finding community and many feel like a "imposter or split" between many worlds. To mitigate these feelings the MCSA has created a community that validates everyone's unique experiences, connects them to older peers at UC Berkeley's Mixed Retention Center and holds events to highlight the complexities of mixed race/cultural experiences( film screenings, speaker series and a podcast called Mixed Empire on Spotify). Our community helps students understand that we are all working to embrace our identities and that we all can benefit from learning about different cultures.
Gabriella Lerman is the club president: gabriellalerman@students.berkeley.net
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MCSA meets every other Friday at Lunch
https://zoom.us/j/92052368077?pwd=ZEJYTHFGSXdYd0JGK24rTlhDM2RZdz09
Meeting ID: 920 5236 8077
Passcode: 7q6dR
Muslim Student Association
MSA is a club for all in which we share, express, and learn about what it means to be a Muslim. We prioritize working on eliminating Islamophobia on campus and everywhere else. Many of the members are harassed and experience Islamophobia. This causes a lot of fear and rejection.
To keep spirits high, MSA was created to be a safe space where people could express themselves and advocate for their values with community activity methods to unity members. We also do Jumah ( community prayers ) on Fridays, which help heal wounds.
Suhera Nuru is the club president: suheranuru@students.berkeley.net
MSA meets every other Friday at 2:45pm.
The Black Student Union
BSU is a club that organizes to support, unify, and advocate on behalf of the Black students at Berkeley High School. In pursuit of this goal we, continually, engage in discussions about current socio-political happenings and school affairs to ensure our members are informed and be a part of the decision-making process that goes into creating healthier school atmospheres.
Whether it is a constant stream of microaggressions or blatant acts of racism, Black students undoubtedly may face hardships as they progress through their education and life. To address and ease some of the challenges Black students face, the BSU creates and maintains inclusive and understanding environments where students have the opportunities to vent their frustrations or just tell us how their day was.
Lyndon Ward is the representative to contact: lyndonward@students.berkeley.net
Latinx Unidos
Latinx Unidos is a student-run club that was initially formed as a combination of two pre-existing clubs, Chicano Latino United Voices (CLUV) and the Chicano Latino Club. The club’s overarching purpose is to provide an empowering and welcoming space for students of Latinx heritage and to raise awareness on Latinx issues among the Berkeley High community. This year the club is led by three seniors, Alejandro Menjivar, Gaby Perez, and Ximena Mandujano. There is also important staff support from Claudia Gonzalez, Karen Zapata, Amanda Moreno, and Lety Amezcua.
In light of the coronavirus pandemic, the club has moved to virtual meetings every other Tuesday at 3pm. These meetings have been great for community collaboration and keeping in touch, but it has certainly been difficult to garner the same amount of participation that the club has seen in past years. Latinx Unidos is currently working on creating some variation of the annual Latinx graduation and is trying to find more ways to uplift Latinx voices in the BHS community. More information can be found on the Latinx Unidos Instagram page: @bhs.latinxunidos or by joining the club’s information chain by texting @bhsluc21 to 810-10.
Alejandro Menjivar is the club president: alejandromenjivar@students.berkeley.net
Lantinx Unidos meets every other Tuesday at 3pm.
Asian Pacific Islanders Club
APIC was founded in 2015 with an aim to connect the Asian Pacific Islander community at Berkeley High and give them a place to connect. APIC members volunteer to work at Cal concession stands for football, basketball, and baseball games to raise money for our club funds. This money earned is used to host socials such as karaoke, Korean BBQ, and a trip to the Asian Art Museum for API students to bond. We also aim to use this money to donate to Asian related charities and causes.
Now, due to covid-19, we hold online club meetings every other Tuesday from 2:00-2:45 pm through zoom! We’ve had to put a pause on our main activities, as well as our work at Cal concession stands for the mean time. Although many things are different this year, APIC has tried to become a space for students to see as a fun break from distance learning!
Joann Yu is the club president: joannyu@students.berkeley.net
APIC meets every other Tuesday at 2pm.