The Black Americans for Democracy (BAD) was a registered student organization on the University of Arkansas campus. The group organized in the late 1960s after the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. It was a political and social group striving to bring awareness to issues black students faced on campus and to provide social interaction and activities. The group encouraged black students to get more involved on campus and urged administrators to provide more opportunities for black students. BAD sponsored the Miss BAD beauty pageant (later Miss Black University of Arkansas) and Black Emphasis Week (later Black Awareness Week), including concerts, dances, plays, film series and fashion shows. Also, the group produced a regular newspaper, The BAD Times. In the fall of 1979, the members changed the name of the group to Students Taking a New Direction (STAND). The members wanted to project a more positive image and continued to promote appreciation of black heritage, improve interracial relations, improve educational quality, and help members develop leadership skills. During this time period, STAND requested and was granted two permanent seats on the Associated Student Government (ASG). Many of the same activities continued, such as Black Awareness Week and the Miss Black University of Arkansas pageant. The group members changed the name again in the late 1980s to the Black Students Association. As of 2012, this group was still in existence.