A brief history on The Founding of The Black Student Union
In 1972, African American students, led by George Cottman, James Wright, Theresa Palmer, Diane Hart, Michael Collins, and Darryl Willis, founded the Black Student Union and sponsored a Black Student Weekend with films and speakers, jazz, and rock and roll bands, and other events to celebrate the African American heritage and stir enthusiasm for projects meant to help ease the plight of African Americans in the region, such as gathering books for prisoners (many of whom were black) at the federal penitentiary at Lewisburg. They also agitated for a black professor,but understood that life in Selinsgrove would be hard for such an individual. The Black Student Union also struggled, not so much because of a lack of enthusiasm or dedication from its members, as a dearth of support from the largely white Susquehanna student body.
Theresa Palmer and the Theresa Palmer Society
Theresa Palmer, one of the founding members of the Black Student Union, graduated from Susquehanna in 1973 and became the first African-American woman to graduate from SU. The Theresa Palmer Society was created in her honor for her pioneering role she plays in SU history.