Spring 09 Recap

While the Spring semester is said to be less exciting than the Fall, Spring 2009 was surely an exception to this widely held belief. This semester was filled with educational events, leadership growth, an affair for charity and a BBQ blowout to celebrate an excellent semester for ADC.

Fresh from the Winter break and still reminiscing on a productive Fall semester, the Towson University Feminist Collective asked ADC to host “Breaking The Silence,” an event as a part of the annual VDAY (Vagina Day). The theme was "Recognizing the women and children in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the civil war". The purpose of this event was to educate the Towson community about the issues faced by the women and children of the Democratic Republic of Congo. “Breaking the Silence” attracted over 60 stu-dents and featured various performances of poetry, spoken word and singing for entertainment and cultural awareness. For the educational portion, there was a presentation by the Friends of Congo, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to bring about peaceful and lasting change in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Additionally this event was an opportunity for the African Diaspora Club members to present their accomplishments and contributions to the Panzi Hospital, a hospital that treats raped women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The night concluded with a panel of ADC members of the Friends of the Congo.

About a week later, thirty of us embarked on a memorable trip to the annual International Student Leadership Conference taking place at James Madison University in Virginia. Hundreds of students from schools around the country attended the week-end long conference and participated in the various sessions and activities. We were the most represented organization present at the conference. There is no need to tell you that we were the most involved at the conference - even the DJ for the after-party came from our ranks. Overall the conference was a great learning experience as well as a bonding time for the members.

Two weeks later, we were at it again by hosting Soirée d'ébène: A night of Nubian Elegance. This event was special as not only was it our first charity ball, we also crowned the first ever Mr. and Mrs. ADC. The event attracted over 300 people dressed in their finest threads. Attendees enjoyed African delicacies, mingled and danced the night away to live music by Jodijaz, Jeliq and Nsomniak. The most energetic DJs, Team Africa, in town spinned the hottest and romantic tunes. Amongst the ball's attendees were Towson University's Black Student Union and Caribbean Student Association as well as members of surrounding ASAs including Morgan, BCCC, Bowie State and more. Additionally, we collected clothing items and raised $500 for children of the Refugee Youth Project, a non-profit organization based in Baltimore that seeks to improve the lives of refugees in Baltimore.

At the end of the semester we hosted an end-of-year barbecue and African Passion, our social. Both events attracted hundreds of people and they were the perfect finish to what had been one of the most exciting semesters in ADC history. We certainly look forward to an even more exciting school year!