Three years ago, Ebony Howard found herself alone at a university ­— just another face among thousands.

“It was big,” Howard said about her first impression of the University of Kansas. “It was a little scary, being that I was the only member of my family, period, to be in the state of Kansas.”

Looking for a niche in a large campus, Howard said she heard about a group ­— the Black Student Union — that met on Monday evenings. Howard said she wandered into the meeting, and saw something refreshing.

“They wanted a body that could help them not only thrive on the campus, but also spark change.”

According to Howard, the Black Student Union was started at the University in the late 1960’s because African-American students felt a need to organize.

It was a lot of people I thought I could relate to,” Howard said. “That was just comforting. Any student needs to find that outlet where they feel most comfortable.”

Now, three years after Howard said she took the advice of a friend’s Aunt to attend the University, Howard, the Ft. Worth, Texas native, is president of the Black Student Union – a leading voice of multi-culturalism at the University of Kansas.

Howard said she was motivated to get more involved with the Black Student Union when she attended her first Big 12 council on Black Student Government in 2006. This conference is held every February at a different Big 12 school. Howard won an election to become the group’s historian before being appointed to the vice president position.

Earl Brooks, Topeka, senior, is the Black Student Union’s current vice president. He said he began working closely with Howard this year.

“She’s a really good people person,” Brooks said. “Her communication skills are really superb. She’s got a really good passion for what she’s doing. She works really hard.”

Howard, who has served on the Black Student Union executive board for three years, said it was her mother Carol who instilled in her a willingness to serve.

“When we were growing up, we were constantly doing some sort of community service project, or volunteering somewhere with my mother,” Howard said. “If I see something that needs to be done, and I’m capable of doing it, why not do it?”

Carrying the Banner

Howard sat at her desk at Express Personnel Services, 1000 Iowa, on Monday. A photo of Dr. Martin Luther King with a group of civil rights leaders sat illuminated on her computer’s desktop.

“Do I feel a personal responsibility for maintaining the legacy that was put fourth before me? Yeah, I actually feel a personal responsibility to maintain the legacy started by Martin Luther King and others,” Howard said on the day America celebrates King’s holiday.

“But I don’t think it’s just a role that African-Americans have. I think it’s a role for any individual who has any respect for any person’s civil rights,” Howard said. “You’re going to maintain that legacy as well.”

Howard said the Black Student Union maintains that legacy through its dedication to serving the community.

The B.S.U. will co-sponsor the event, “Walking the Dream: Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King” on Jan. 31. The group will also host numerous events in February to commemorate Black History Month, and will be putting on Black Love week in April – a week devoted to community service events.

But, Howard said a few misconceptions about the group still exist.

“People automatically assume because we have in our title, ‘Black,’ that that’s a pre-requisite to be in our organization,” Howard said. “If you want to be an active participant in community service and other things that are promoting’ multi-culturalism on the campus, then this organization is for you.”

For Howard, a African-American studies and American studies major, the B.S.U. was a springboard to other organizations on campus.

Howard is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., and is a tutor for SOAR – Students Obtaining Academic Resources.

“Her leadership style kind of matches her personality, very outgoing, very direct,” Brooks said.

Howard said she credited and the students in the B.S.U. for giving her the ability to branch out around the university.

“Any organization that promotes multi-culturalism and diversity is very paramount for any setting,” Howard said.

—Edited by Nick Mangiaracina