SJSU Striving Black Brothers and Sisters

Striving Black Brothers and Sisters (SBBS) originated from a group of students during the 1990 Summer Bridge Program at San José State University. After completing the program, the students felt unsupported by the campus community, so Reginald Simons, Ron Gay, and Tirrell Burden formed the unofficial club Striving Black Brothers (SBB). With the help of Art Barbosa, the Summer Bridge/Upward Bound Residential Director, SBB began to hold meetings and draft a constitution. Recognizing the need for gender-inclusive support, Ronda Stewart initiated the formation of Striving Black Sisters (SBS), along with other female students. The two groups eventually merged into Striving Black Brothers and Sisters, with the motto "To strive for academic excellence and to become more culturally aware." SBBS was officially recognized as an organization by San José State University on October 9, 1991.