High school is about finding a space where students are comfortable and accepted for who they are. At Liberty High School, there has always been a small minority population and an even smaller amount of Black and Latino students.
Malyssa Oblander, Spanish teacher and advisor of the Black and Latino Student Union (BLSU) said, “BLSU has become a safe place for so many of our students of color. In many cases, it’s the reason why some students feel comfortable and excited to show up to school.”
Liberty’s BLSU is a student-run club that creates a safe space for the smaller population to do community outreach projects and collaborate with the other high schools in the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD).
BLSU was created four years ago when a group of students at Liberty sought out relatability in their school community.
“There was a group of students who wanted a safe space for the minority groups where they could voice what was happening to them at school and know there were people going through the same things,” Oblander said.
The objective of this group is to create a supportive safe place for minorities, raise awareness of racial inequality, and bring people together. For the past two years, BLSU has done just that. They’ve hosted an annual talent show in the auditorium, collaborated with the Wright House of Fashion to create a T-shirt design to sell and many more events. Currently, BLSU is working on another T-shirt design with Andre Wright, Executive Director at the Wright House of Fashion that is connected with all the other BLSUs in the ICCSD. They are currently in the process of finalizing their design.
“I hope that we can fund the clubs so they have no deficits and to create a good vibe and unity among the students and school. I hope they know how to liberate themselves where they are not counting on others to create opportunities for themselves,” Wright said.
Wright explains how he hopes this collaboration will help these clubs. This collaboration is the second hoodie design that the Wright House of Fashion has helped Liberty with.
“This project is more than just designing a hoodie—it’s about collaboration, identity and giving students the opportunity to turn creativity into real-world impact,” Wright said.
Wright has come to speak to this club about becoming professional designers and is currently in contact with two of their seniors about their future in the fashion industry.
“[Andre] just brings such a positive vibe and is so genuine, we love working with him and hope he continues with these designs,” said Zaina Mohammed, 11, co-leader of BLSU.
Mohammed claims that Wright is always there not only to help them but also as a person to look to for advice on anything. Even though he is a fashion activist, he helps BLSU with many other projects. Last year he donated $1,000 to their club so they could continue to grow and put on community events. On the Wright House of Fashion website, there is a place to donate so clubs like this are able to continue to do projects like this. This specific design will be out for sale in May.
