African American Society
Mission Statement
African American Society is a social and cultural organization open to all Dickinson students that promotes an awareness and acceptance of African American heritage. Our purpose is to offer both educational and entertaining activities that encourage cultural interaction and diversity. We work closely with other organizations in order to enrich the Dickinson College community through receptive and informative events. We wish to engage our club members in challenging projects, in order to better ourselves and ultimately our community.
This group has about 60 members.
Events
The club lists their Kwanzaa Dinner as their most notable event on campus. It is known for "great food and entertainment" with "many students looking forward to the annual dinner every year". The club also sponsors a Bob Marley Festival.
Effectiveness
On a scale of 1-5, 5 being the most effective, the group gave their club an average of 3.5 effectiveness.
Problems/Dilemmas
The President, Tynesha Wright, states that the main problem and/or dilemma her club faces has to do with the receptiveness of the student body. She believes when students see an event is being sponsored by the African American Society, they tend to "assume than event is only for black people or is only promoting black awareness". Junior Rick Raymond echoed this sentiment, stating that the group's biggest problem is recruiting non-blacks to join the group because they do not feel the club is open to them. Another problem the group faces is people attending the events but not really understanding the message the club was trying to get across. Many people come for the free food and then leave without "seeing the bigger picture".
