Alicia Meehan, Campus Carrier deputy news editor

A group of six students founded Berry for Change (BFC), a new student group, in response to recent killings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in cities around the United States. The founding members’ goal for BFC is to provide a safe space for civil discourse between students about current political events.

Junior Victoria Andrade said that BFC’s mission is rooted in the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr., specifically his call for society to love their neighbor. The organization wants to foster political education and civil discourse among students. BFC’s meetings will be open to everyone, regardless of political stance.

“The goal of this organization is to be a type of political debate where we’re able to bring all of our individual opinions when it comes to all things policy,” Andrade said. “That could be community, that can be immigration, that could be education.”

Andrade said that this organization started as a call to action against the ruthless brutality they saw ICE enacting in Minneapolis and Chicago. 

BFC currently holds meetings in the Gathering Space on the first floor of Krannert, also known as the Good Neighbor Center. The first conversation that started the organization took place in this space, and it is one of the more convenient locations for students to access. 

BFC plans to hold two discussions per month alongside other events. According to senior and officer Blaire Smith, the events will vary based on which officer plans them. The events are meant to provide support and mental health resources, to educate and to bring a call to action to the student body. The BFC’s next plans are to hold an “Education Night,” where they will invite local government officials to speak.

“How can we make people feel comfortable but also give them a sense of purpose and educate them at the same time?” Smith said.

BFC members are also encouraged to attend other events that take place off and on campus such as Cultural Event (CE) Credits, Berry Circles and protests in the Rome community. Berry Circles are a part of a “Good Neighbor” series of conversations that aim to help students build meaningful relationships and learn to participate in thoughtful conversations. 

BFC will share information about upcoming events and elections, through their GroupMe. The group relies on word of mouth to spread information and find new members to add to the GroupMe. 

Andrade said that the group will focus on events within Rome and Floyd County. She said that a recent anti-ICE protest in Rome had a turnout of 30 Berry students. Some of BFC’s officers were recruited from the protest because they shared the group’s passion for change.

BFC’s founders placed a box and slips of paper in the Krannert lobby to request students’ political “hot takes.” BFC noticed that those who went to the first conversation had a lot of the same opinions when it came to politics. 

“We noticed that a lot of the people that were in that first conversation had a lot of the same opinions,” Andrade said. “That just comes from the fact that people who come to the Gathering Space are people who want to gather, but that’s not the whole campus” 

The goal of the box was to gauge students’ political views. BFC will plan future events according to the responses submitted through the box. 

Senior Ari Krach, a founding member, said BFC began to take shape as Be Love Week progressed. The members who met shared common opinions about politics and decided they would open the group to the Berry community.

“Berry for Change started during Be Love Week as a group of us met to discuss what was going on with our current immigration policies, to express our feelings about what we want to do to cultivate change,” Krach said. “And from that, we decided that ultimately it would be a good idea to start engaging our student body in civil discourse at a basic level and go from there.”

Smith said that the first conversation that sparked BFC started because of her frustration surrounding ICE’s actions and the lack of conversation surrounding that topic. She spoke with Mykelle Patterson, the student director of the Office of Belonging and Community Engagement, about her feelings, and Patterson set up the first conversation in the Gathering Space during Be Love Week. 

“It was very emotional and very powerful, and from that point on, we just knew that something had to be done,” Smith said. “Not only to have an outlet for what’s going on, but also to give people who feel targeted a space where they feel welcome.”

Smith clarified that the group is not focused on being an anti-ICE organization, but is instead against oppression and marginalization throughout the country.

“After I graduate, I hope that other officers, other people will use [BFC] as a place to spark change about anything that they feel needs to change,” Smith said. “It doesn’t have to be in our government; it can be in the community itself.”

Sophomore Litzy Reyes said that she joined the organization because she was passionate about the idea of civil discourse and providing the Berry community with opportunities to speak comfortably about uncomfortable topics. 

“My interest was piqued when I stumbled upon a conversation that was taking place during an event, and we were giving insight about what’s happening right now in our country,” Reyes said. “At the end of the day, I’m interested in bringing a sense of community back to Berry and making us feel as comfortable as possible when talking about difficult discussions.” 

Junior Brady Gray said that BFC’s first goal is to bring attention to important events that happen around the country. Gray said that he can’t ignore marginalization once he’s informed of it.

“Once injustice is brought to people’s attention, they will feel compelled to join us, fight with us and help people,” Gray said.

Krach spoke about the democratic theory of political agonism, which views conflicting parties as adversaries who have respect for each other and not enemies who seek to destroy each other. BFC aims to emphasize non-partisan engagement because of the current polarizing political climate.

“Coming together on a basis of humanity and morality is what we need,” Krach said. “Ultimately, that necessity is what cultivated the creation of Berry for Change.”

Reyes expressed pride in BFC’s plans and hope for its future as an impactful organization in the community. She said that one person can spark the love and encouragement to bring change and that Berry provides a great environment for that.

“Every little thing we do will count for something, and if it reaches one person, great, if it reaches ten people, great,” Reyes said. 

According to Andrade, BFC has no plans to become an official student organization. BFC does not need any funding that Berry could provide, and they have no need for announcing events through the Stall Wall. All of BFC’s officers are aware of how to run a club and have no need for outside help.

“We all have leadership positions in some capacity and know what it takes to run a club,” Andrade said. “So, I don’t think that becoming an official Berry organization is on the table for us as it stands now and into the next year.”

BFC’s unofficial status allows for their members to join and speak without requirements or constraints. 

“We stand alone in the fact that we are all here because we want to be, not because we have an obligation to put it on our resumes,” Andrade said. “I hope that this gives people the courage, the knowledge and the responsibility of what it means to be an American again.”