With racial tension on the rise in our nation and the need for more culture understanding being felt by many, two students are starting up a chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on campus.
Junior Kayla Wilson and sophomore Samantha De Forest-Davis are taking the initiative on making the group come to life.
Wilson said the idea to start the chapter came after protests held on campus regarding social justice and racial inequality.
“There were a group of students who were eager to do more about the changes happening on campus and this chapter is going to advocate for students who were unheard,” Wilson said.
Wilson said that some of the culture groups on campus felt as if they were not being taken seriously by administration when they expressed concerning matters they wanted to see changed. She hopes that this chapter will be the “voice for the voiceless.”
Wilson said the NCAAP chapter will differ from other groups on campus, such as Black Student Union (BSU) and Latinos Unidos (LU) because of its structure.
“With the NAACP being national it provides us with a great support system that will allow us to take action,” Wilson said. “I think NAACP will be less talk and more action and that’s what this campus needs right now.”
Faculty and staff have also showed their support for the organization being added to campus.
“An NAACP chapter at Augustana would promote further student engagement in items of relevance in and outside of campus,” said Patricia Santoyo-Marin, director of Multicultural Student Life. “An NAACP chapter can also provide a constant reminder of today’s social justice and inclusion needs.”
In order for this organization to become official, Wilson and De Forest-Davis need to gain approval from the NAACP by filling out an application, then they will need to get it approved by the college. After this, Wilson said they will focus on shaping the group for the needs of the Augustana community.
“This will be different because it is not just for colored students, this is something that allows any student to come and talk about social justice in a trusted platform,” said Wilson “Seldom times were we able to move forward in taking action with any problems we saw; this is less talking and more action.”
The NAACP was founded in 1909 and today is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. According to the NAACP’s website, there are more than 25,000 people under the age of 25 representing 700 youth councils, high school and college chapters.