BSA’s Finest: Jamey Duncan-Whitt
Jamey Duncan-Whitt walks into the Quaker Campus office with an umbrella in hand, wearing a hoodie and green rain boots. “Hey, is it ok if I doodle while we talk?” she asks. “It helps me stay focused.” She sets down a journal, with a bundle of markers and highlighters, sitting in front of a desk in a black office chair.
The California rain beats against the window, and the splashing from the cars on Painter Street can be heard. She sits upright and attentively with a pen in her hand.
Duncan-Whitt, an English major with a third year standing, is this year’s Secretary for the Black Student Association (BSA). The organization’s mission is “to create an empowering experience in the Whittier College community by serving as the primary advocacy organization for Black students. To represent Black students in political matters and to act as the chief liaison between Black students and the College’s Administration.”
They recently hosted the Black History Month Luncheon on Thursday, Feb. 1. Duncan-Whitt’s experience in BSA is aligned with the organization’s mission to be a safe space for Black students and allies. “Everyone just bonds and brings everyone in,” she says with a smile. “It could be your first time coming or it could be your millionth time at a meeting, and you will immediately be welcomed in. You never feel like an outsider.”
Duncan-Whitt’s association with BSA started when she was invited into the organization by Professor Doug Manuel. “He was like, ‘There’s a BSA meeting. You better be there!’ And I was like, ‘What’s BSA?’” After joining, Duncan-Whitt decided that this was an organization that she wanted to help grow and support. They briefly mention that there are so many wonderful people in BSA that they could not do without.
They lean back comfortably in the office chair. “I love this. I just get to talk about my friends.” They go on to name Paige Meyer-Draffen (PMD), President of BSA, and Justin Holoman. A huge smile has found its way onto their face. “Those are some of the people who make BSA amazing,” she says. It’s due to this welcoming community that Duncan-Whitt decided to take on a leadership position in BSA. “Just knowing how much I got out of BSA in the two years I’ve been here, I wanted to be a part of making us bigger and finding more people.” She looks up at the ceiling thoughtfully and says, “It’s very different for me. You can ask anyone who knows me. I’m not a leadership type of person. So the fact that I said ‘I’ll be secretary’ means that I care a lot about what happens with BSA.”
Duncan-Whitt associates community and collaboration strongly with BSA. Which makes sense, noting that they transferred from across the country. “I’m originally from Chicago,’’ they laugh as they tap a pen on the desk. “I say that because everyone thinks that the place I transferred from is the place I’m from.”
When asked if there was any sort of BSA at her former university, she laughs nervously, “Oh no! There might have been a Black student union. But there was in no way, like the level of outreach from the Black students that there is here.”
She reflected for a moment and added, “That is why I also felt so strongly about being in BSA because being an art student at a majority white school in a state I was not from is very, very polarizing and isolating. If there was a BSA, they were not doing what our BSA is doing.”
Duncan-Whitt hopes BSA will soon become a household name on campus. “We’re hoping to build membership,” she says while waving a pen in their hand. “We’re hoping to just collaborate more with other groups on campus to get BSA’s name out there because it’s not even that we have a hard time getting our events out there; most of the time people find out about BSA through word of mouth.” They add, “If there are any Black students, non-Black students, or allies on campus, who are like, ‘I think this would be very cool,’ or I heard about this thing,’ please tell us! We will definitely try to make it happen.” If you’ve been thinking about joining BSA but avoided it because you didn’t know anyone, Jamey Duncan-Whitt has an open seat for you right next to them. She’s ready to talk to you about your favorite subjects. But more importantly, they are ready to listen.
Photo Courtesy of Alejandra Ortega / Quaker Campus
