The HBSAASU is a student organization at Harvard Business School founded in 1969 to provide African American students with a cultural, social, and academic community. It aims to help these students succeed through networking events, mixers, academic support, and connections to local businesses. The cultural significance is that it fulfills the need for minority students, like African Americans, to connect with others of similar backgrounds to strengthen their cultural identity and feel less isolated while studying at HBS.