Advocacy Shines During SU’s NAACP Week of Action

“I’m throwing it ALL THE WAY BACK to the good days – with PURPOSE!” stated the Southern University and A&M College Chapter of the NAACP on Instagram on March 13, 2024. SU NAACP Week, hosted by the SU Chapter of the NAACP, occurred from March 17 to March 23. The chapter led this week with a theme inspired by Nickelodeon’s Kid Choice Awards, which they then titled the “Week of Action.” The organization of the NAACP hosted a week of various events such as the “Zen Zone,” “Voter Mania (LSU vs. SU),” “Capitol Quest,” “Yard Day of Play/Slime Wednesday,” “What’s The Scoop, NAACP?,” “SU NAACP Mister, and Miss Pageant FT. Youth Empowerment awards,” and “Waterpalooza.”
The Week of Action began on Sunday, March 17, with a virtual self-care session. This event included two self-care playlists curated by the organization, while representatives gave advice on self-care and rejuvenation as they equipped students with the tools to balance student life and leadership.
On the following day, the SU NAACP hosted a voter mania alongside Louisiana State University’s Chapter of the NAACP. Located in the John B. Cade Library, this event included a showdown of smarts to give students the opportunity to debate on various topics against LSU.
The week proceeded with “Capitol Quest: “The ultimate day of legislation. One capitol. One cause. Countless ways to advocate” said SU NAACP via Instagram. This day included a trip to the Louisiana State Capitol with bus transportation provided by SU NAACP. The purpose of this event was to give Southern University students the opportunity to fill the state capital and tour the building as they learned about laws and rights that may or may not affect HBCUs today.
Then, for Slime Wednesday, the chapter made an Instagram post that gave students the opportunity to comment and vote for a member to get a bucket of slime poured on top of their head in front of the Student Union Courtyard. The day consisted of music, games, and slime, and the members even assisted students in getting registered to vote. They then ended the day off by introducing the candidates for the Mister and Miss NAACP Pageant who were Da’jon Greaves, Faith Alexander, Mar’Quan Culbert, and Savannah Williams.
The next event titled “What’s The Scoop, NAACP?” consisted of chapter members joining students for an ice cream informational. This event assisted students in getting to know more about the NAACP chapter and how they can get involved. Members provided free ice cream while mingling with fellow members about their interests. This also gave students and members the chance to register to vote.
The organization hosted its Mister and Miss NAACP Pageant along with the Youth Empowerment Awards that Friday. Mister and Miss NAACP took place in the Event Center which included the 4 contestants, Williams, Culbert, Alexander, and Greaves, competing and showcasing themselves in 3 rounds which included School Spirit, Talent, and answering 3 questions presented by the judges. Freshman Da’jon Greaves and first-year sophomore Faith Alexander were crowned Mister and Miss NAACP. The NAACP Youth Empowerment Awards were a live and interactive event that occurred between intermissions during the pageant. This gave students the opportunity to highlight Jags nominated by their peers.
The Week of Action continued on Saturday, March 23 outside of Horace W. Moody Intramural Sports Complex Lawn. SU’s NAACP hosted a day full of water-based activities and games with music and prizes galore. The committee handed out free water filters, popsicles, and water bottles while students had the chance to interact with each other and participate in activities, such as riding water slides and dunking a member in the dunk tank for $2.
Finally, the week concluded with an Impact Brunch in the Southern University Law Center that saw special guests such as Baton Rouge Mayor-President, Sharon Weston-Broome, and Ashley Shelton with the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice. Here, students were welcomed into a discussion of youth development in the Baton Rouge community with complimentary bites.
Students expressed their enjoyment at Week of Action with newly elected SGA President Kennedy Orr, a junior majoring in Agricultural Business, speaking on the pageant stating, “I absolutely did love it! I feel like the contestants did an amazing job, and everybody showed their true talent and authenticity. Everybody brought something different to the table. I think everybody’s talents were just so creative and everybody did something a little bit different and unique to themselves.”
Tayana Washington, a sophomore majoring in Criminal Justice expressed, “I did enjoy the NAACP event. It showed a lot of students’ personalities and different talents. My favorite part was listening to everyone’s responses and knowing their different interests in things within NAACP.”
De’Andre Boutte, Co-Chair of the Juvenile Justice Committee states, “The meaning behind this theme is black power; we always want to represent African Americans in everything we do on this HBCU campus. We really want to showcase the two contestants that won; they’re really going to be the faces of NAACP and make sure we represent everything that has to do with black power—really any colored people. We are the reigning NAACP Chapter of the Year, so after this, we are going to the convention and winning again.”
As Week of Action came to an end, SU NAACP brought students out by showcasing what the NAACP is and what impact it leaves in the black community on Southern University’s campus. They did so by bringing students together on and outside of campus to enjoy unity, assisting in voter registration, and highlighting their excellence and achievements.