By Kayla Tucker – A&E/Features Editor
After speaking at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day march and ceremony at Grand Rapids Community College, Jaedah Pickens, president of the GRCC Black Student Union, emailed a letter of resignation from her leadership position.
“She just said she had a lot going on and she just needed to step away,” Andre Fields said, adviser of the BSU at Grand Rapids Community College. “Of course, it was disappointing.”
Fields said that Mary Kennedy, BSU vice president, will step in to replace Pickens as interim president for the rest of the semester. Kennedy has been involved in the BSU for three years now, making her the longest standing member. Fields said that Kennedy jumped right in and volunteered to take over for the rest of the semester.
“I never thought that I would be the president,” Kennedy said. “Unfortunately it occurred like this…There’s no hard feelings. We still love Jaedah.”
Pickens said that she is very busy with five classes this semester, and that’s the best way to put it. She said she hasn’t thought yet if she will still be a member of the BSU, but she wants to try and be involved when she can. Pickens does not have plans to be president again as she will be transferring to Grand Valley State University next semester.
“I hope that they really pull off everything that we had worked on prior to me leaving,” Pickens said. “I really hope that they get to express their ideas fully and that they get to captivate the hearts of many people with their message that they’re trying to put across.”
