BRIAN WATSON

Brian Watson is a member of Garfield’s Black Student Union (BSU). He is BSU’s coordinator, which involves planning, community outreach and informing people on what’s happening in BSU. He is also a poet, graphic designer, photographer, and is involved with the Seattle Martin Luther King Organizing Coalition as well as Y-Scholars. Brian hopes to attend UW next year and study mechanical engineering.

Q: What do you enjoy most/find most rewarding about BSU?

A: I think what we get to put together and just having it as a place for, you know, in the midst of certain issues that are current and things that are happening in the world, where we come together, and we create a response to it, or, we give voice to those issues together. We find ways to think about what we can do to be effective in uniting people of color in general, and students that are in our community.

Q: What are some things BSU has done that you are most proud of?

A: Last year we did the food drive with the nearest food bank; we all contributed, that was a great effort among us just to give back to the community in that way. We also partnered with DECA to do a presentation focused on methods in which Black communities in history have faced racial and financial oppression and disparities. This year, I was working with the Seattle Martin Luther King Organizing Coalition, and the Black Student Union contributed statements about the topics for youth events in honor of Martin Luther King.

Q: You mentioned that you write poetry, how did you first start?

A: Yeah I’m always growing in my interest in poetry and spoken word- just lyricism in general, I’m really into that. It actually started off when I was younger. My earliest memory of really getting to was in fifth grade, when we had a contest, a poetry contest, and I won. But since then I began to see myself as a creative writer. And even with Japanese poetry, with haikus. Freshman year, we did a project, it was a creative project, we got to choose what creative element of literature we wanted to focus on around the world, and I chose Japanese poetry. That really interests me, and that helped me in the traditional type of poetry that I was used to.

Q: What inspires your poetry?

A: What inspires me the most is personal stories. One of my poems was about playing basketball in middle school. Most of the rest of the ones I’ve done work in reference to black people in history like Billie Holiday, Ma Rainey and they were influenced by what we were learning in class. So as of now that’s what it’s mainly been - significant Black ple in history.

Q: What do you think of when you hear “Black Excellence”?

A: Creativity. Beauty. Unity. Community. Accomplishment. Identity. Worth. Story telling. History. Resilience. Perseverance. Innovation. Those are some of the words I think about. It’s celebrating every aspect of Black people, and in the context of American history. Celebrating the creativity, power, and skills that Black people have brought to the table, and the cultural relevance of what Black people have done up until now, present day.