The Black Faculty and Staff Organization held its inaugural Black History Month Luncheon on Feb. 18 to commemorate the 100th year of the month-long celebration.

“What is the legacy you will guard?” asked Megan Brock, associate director of academic integration in the Career Center and president of the BFSO. “When you leave, make the conscious decision to stand firm in your service.”

Juanita Johnson-Bailey, Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Mary Frances Early College of Education’s lifelong education, administration, and policy department and former director of the Institute for Women’s Studies, delivered the keynote address, sharing how the organization made an impact on her own life.

“The footprint of this organization is impressive and extends across the campus,” she said.

Johnson-Bailey came to UGA to start her graduate education in her mid-30s. Her application was initially rejected for a having a 3.4 GPA instead of the required 3.5 GPA. A Black woman who worked as an office manager in the College of Education — and happened to be a BFSO member — guided her through the appeal process, which was accepted because Johnson-Bailey completed that undergraduate work in three years.

“There were people who helped me along the way — quite often those people were BFSO members,” she said. “I didn’t know it at the time, but I did know they were ones who helped make the way for me.”

Johnson-Bailey joined BFSO after being invited by one of her mentors.

“My message today is intended to honor the Black Faculty and Staff Organization and to acknowledge the important you play in UGA’s history and the important part you played in my life,” she said. “I know that I am one of the many that you helped without ever knowing our names or knowing how or if we’d pass it on or pay it forward. I, for one, am happy that the BFSO exists.”

UGA President Jere W. Morehead also shared how the BFSO contributes to the university community.

“The faculty and staff in this room represent the engine of this institution. Whether you’re conducting research that’s changing lives, whether you’re mentoring students as they navigate their own paths, or whether you’re ensuring the seamless operation of our campus, all of the work you do is integral to the success of the University of Georgia,” Morehead said. “The strength of our university lies in our ability to work together toward common goals, and the BFSO has always been central to that.”