The conference room in the Office of Multicultural Affairs is no bigger than a broom closet – but on Wednesday evening it was packed with thirty-two students. There was standing room only, and a few even craned their necks from the hallway to hear the message that was being delivered inside.
“Get the word out-the NAACP is back on campus,” declared Sleiter Duroseau, an FAU junior.
Pressed against a wall to make room for others, the soft-spoken accounting major says he’s ready to bring a chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People back to FAU.
The internationally acclaimed civil rights organization works extensively to promote social justice and the recognition of human rights for ethnic minorities in the United States. It is currently the largest such organization of its kind-and will soon add FAU students to its national membership.
According to Duroseau, the University had an active chapter until 2005, when it dissolved due to the majority of its leadership graduating. However, this time around, organizers have a different intent.
“I saw a need last year [for the reestablishment of this chapter],” says Duroseau. “The NAACP is very important in our community because it gives a voice to many different students.”
Founded in 1909, the NAACP was formed by three African-Americans, a Jew, and three other whites – with one co-founder even being born of a former slave-owning family. That multicultural approach is exactly what Duroseau and his fellow organizers are working to emulate, and this inaugural meeting included more than one white student in attendance.
“A lot of people think [the NAACP] is just for black people, when it’s really not,” said Jennifer Bridie, a junior majoring in communication. Bridie, a white student, came to the meeting to support her friend Duroseau, and ultimately found herself wanting to get more involved in the new chapter. She even has plans to join one of the group’s committees.
But the perception of the NAACP being exclusive to blacks is not the only misconception that organizers want to change.
“[Being a part of the NAACP is] as simple as making petitions and acknowledging an issue, not necessarily always marching and protests,” said co-organizer Renee-Bianca Casseus, a senior double majoring in political science and communication. In fact, she and the rest of the group plan to keep meeting over the summer to coordinate events and other activities for the Fall 2008 semester. However, there is one thing Casseus says has to happen first. “I think we just may need to start booking a bigger room,” Casseus grins.
To learn more about getting involved in FAU’s new NAACP chapter, contact Sleiter Duroseau by phone at (786) 385-6299, or e-mail [email protected].
