Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

The Syracuse University chapter of the NAACP is relaunching as an outlet to support students of color, the group announced in a Feb. 9 Instagram post.

The chapter was not active for the past year because previous student leaders had graduated. But now, with the support of the national NAACP and alumni, it is back to serve as a resource to students.

“Our goal is to create more visibility for people of color on the Syracuse campus,” said SU NAACP’s new president, Summer Green. “That, specifically, is getting more people of color in certain clubs and allowing an outlet for people in minority groups.”

Advancing educational experiences for students of color is the main driver for the chapter’s upcoming work, according to its Instagram.

“We strive to mend the gap of inequality that students of color face at Syracuse University,” the post reads.

SU NAACP is the #2905 unit of the NAACP, which was founded in 1909. The organization, which advocates for racial equality, is the “home of grassroots activism for civil rights and social justice,” as stated on its website. The national organization’s more than 2,200 units across the nation comprise over 2 million activists, the website reads.

In previous years, Green said the chapter held a variety of events, including drives and fundraisers like the Sickle Cell Banquet in 2017. SU NAACP aimed to use its events as opportunities to connect the club with the greater Syracuse community while enriching communities of color at SU.

The group went inactive after its leadership graduated last year. Green, who was a freshman ambassador for the club during the 2021-22 school year, said there were no guidelines on how to elect new leadership or keep the club active following the leaders’ graduation.

But Green continued to see a need for the club on campus, and worked toward relaunching it this semester.

“I had to pretty much bring it back, reach out to all those people, like the national chapter and … even the former president so I could pick out the steps that I could make to reset it,” Green said.

SU NAACP works to connect various minority groups and organizations on campus, including the Black Student Union, the African Student Union and the South Asian Student Association. Green said she plans to work with the groups to form an outlet for support that uplifts people of color and encourages them to join more clubs and become more involved on campus.

“Our goal is just to combine all those clubs in one and to have representatives from every community to come together and help the community,” Green said.

She explained that one of the club’s first planned collaborations following the relaunch will be with Best Buddies, an SU organization dedicated to supporting social and academic opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. SU NAACP is set to deliver a seminar presentation on people of color who have disabilities in collaboration with Best Buddies, Green said.

Green said one of her goals is to bring back events like the Sickle Cell Banquet, which the chapter previously sponsored and held, and make SU NAACP a strong advocate for students and campus community members who struggle with issues relating to diversity and inclusion.

SU has previously faced student dissatisfaction with its efforts to foster an inclusive environment for students of color. The #NotAgainSU movement formed in response to SU’s handling of a series of on-campus hate incidents around November 2019, when more than 30 racist, anti-Semetic and homophobic comments were reported at or near SU. Through an eight-day occupation of Barnes Center at The Arch, a Black student-led group pressured university officials to meet its demands and pushed for support for students of color.

Green said she wants the organization to be a safe place for students to vent about issues with race that affect the community. SU NAACP currently has a Google form for SU students to anonymously submit concerns for the organization to look into or address.

“People can air their grievances or any issues with race that they feel like affects the community, whether that’s in class, they’re receiving something different on a personal level or even in their living (situation),” Green said.

SU NAACP is working to fill its new executive board for the semester. Applications are open for positions in social media, public relations and leadership.

Published on February 14, 2023 at 12:08 am

Contact Kendall: kaluther@syr.edu