Acalanes High School’s Black Student Union hosted the district’s 1st ever Black Student Summit to address topics regarding race on February 22.

The summit took place on the Del Valle campus in Walnut Creek with students from each o the district’s high schools attendance.

Counselor and BSU advisor Patrick Turner and Assistant Principal Laura Lee accompanied the Campolindo students who participated.

“When I heard about the Black Student Union Summit, I definitely wanted to attend, as I saw this as my opportunity to hear directly from our African American students about their experiences here at Campo,” Lee said.

Lee believes that “it is critical to [her] role as a school leader to hear about the experiences of [Campo] students,” and noticed many students expressed that they felt they didn’t “have a voice on campus,” something that she and her administrative team hope to change.

Campolindo sophomore Emma Dillard said that it was “nice to meet other students in the district who [were] African American,” as there are only 20 African American students currently attending Campolindo High School.

“There aren’t many of us, but when I went I realized there are way more than I thought,” said Dillard.

BSU president Amia Bonilla said the summit was a great experience, and she hopes that eventually the district  will include “4 or 5” events like it every year.

Bonilla added that most invitees felt “at home at the Summit” because they often “can’t be themselves at school.”

Lee viewed the Summit as a worthwhile, all-inclusive event and confirmed many more will take place in future years. “Overall I am very pleased that as a district– not just adults, but students as well –we are engaging in conversations about race and the role that plays at school and in our community,” she said.