When I first started at MATC, I didn’t know about the BSU. Once I found out and became involved, I felt like I was part of a community. It gave me an outlet where I could be me.
Between raising three children and attending early childhood education classes at Milwaukee Area Technical College, Valencia Nelson hardly had a moment to herself.
Then she discovered MATC’s Black Student Union (BSU).
“It was like a beacon,” said Nelson, who is on track to earn an associate degree in December 2024. “When I first started at MATC, I didn’t know about the BSU. Once I found out and became involved, I felt like I was part of a community. It gave me an outlet where I could be me.”
The BSU is a national organization dedicated to educating, celebrating and uplifting the history and culture of the African American community. MATC’s BSU was established more than 30 years ago by longtime history instructor Rose Freeman Massey, who died in 2018.
Nelson, who started classes at MATC in 2021, served as secretary for the group last year and was installed as the group’s president September 19, 2024, at a black tie-event at the college’s Downtown Milwaukee Campus.
“This is a real honor for me,” Nelson said. “I’m very excited.”
BSU members and guests wearing their finest formal attire enjoyed hors d'oeuvres and live music while chatting and hearing several speakers, including a keynote address from Patricia Bridges, a high school principal and a youth advocate for five decades.
Along with Nelson as president, other officers on the executive board installed were: Vice President Nefataria Gordon, Secretary Michelle Malone, Treasurer Nivario Grice, Downtown Campus Ambassador Breanna Jones, West Allis Campus Ambassador Nevaeh Henson, Digital Production Officer Elijah Butler, Public Relations Officer La’eisha Barkley and Alumni Officer Areanna Johnson.
This year, the BSU is intentionally becoming more inclusive, said Erik Riley, one of the group’s advisors and an advisor in the college’s Manufacturing, Construction & Transportation Pathway.
“We’re trying to provide a home away from home for all students,” Riley said. “We offer a place where people can be themselves, a place where they can come to have a sense of culture, celebration and community.
“Our goal is to open our doors to all, to whomever supports the cause,” Riley added. “We believe in collaboration, diversity, equity and inclusion for students of all races to celebrate the African American experience. This is a new year and I feel we have a new, positive energy.”
MATC President Anthony Cruz, Ed.D., seconded that emotion. “Groups like the BSU are so important to us as an institution,” said Dr. Cruz, who spoke at the installation event. “It’s great that we have ways to bond and celebrate. It’s even greater when we share that celebration with others.”
The group meets each month and visits area high schools to get younger students interested in college, Riley said.
As president, Nelson said she wants the group to have more mental health awareness events. “Mental health is something that is not talked about very much in the Black community,” she said. “I believe we need to talk about it much earlier.”
After getting her degree in December, Nelson said she plans to begin classes at MATC in Business Management, attain another associate degree and open her own daycare facility.
New vice president, Nefataria Gordon, is working to earn an associate degree in Early Child Care Education and a technical diploma in Electricity. She plans to open a boarding school for children with autism.
“I envision a place where these children can live in peace, free from unnecessary pressures, and learn at their own pace,” Gordon said at the event. “Every child deserves a space where they can thrive, and I want to create that space for them.”
The BSU certainly will help both of them find success, said Michael Rogers, the college’s interim vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion. He participated in the BSU while a student at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois.
“BSU helped me find a sense of belonging, develop my leadership skills and really help me find myself,” Rogers said. “That kind of support is what connects with students and can make a huge difference in retaining students, having them graduate and making them successful.”
About MATC: As Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 30,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 180 academic programs — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and others that provide transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 40 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.