President’s Corner: Looking Back at Fall 2015

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Posted on January 24, 2016 

 

Greetings!

 

As we continue to settle into the new year and gear up for the Spring semester, I thought it would be worthwhile to review some of the work done by Ethos last fall and congratulate both our members and leadership on setting such a positive and powerful tone for this academic year.

 

Last fall, Ethos was extremely busy as we hosted and participated in events that helped us continue to work towards our mission of facilitating the academic, social and political growth of Wellesley students of African descent.

 

We kicked off the year co-hosting a very successful POC Open Mic Night with other Wellesley multicultural organizations. We continued to engage the college community on issues surrounding race and equity via aLet’s Talk About It roundtable discussion about the representation of Blacks in the media as well as ademonstration both of which were coordinated by our Political Action Committee.

 

A big part of our fall semester was also spent incorporating our new members from the Yellow Class of 2019 into the fold through our annual First Year Party as well as other events and mixers hosted by our Sisterhood and Social Chairs. While welcoming in this new class was one of our primary goals we also kept in mind the importance of educating ourselves on the organization’s history. Our historian coordinated a group visit to the Library’s archives to look at illuminating and awe inspiring documents from Ethos’ past.

 

Throughout the year, we continued our volunteer work with METCO at Wellesley High, participated in aCradles to Crayons drive and wrote holiday letters to our soldiers abroad as a part of our community service initiative. During reading period we hosted our final event of the semester, a DIY Mug Decorating session coordinated by our Black Arts committee which proved to be a much-needed study break.

 

Last semester was certainly a busy one for Ethos and the events mentioned here were only a portion of those that we had the pleasure of hosting. It has been exciting to see how engaged the organization has been both within the Wellesley community as well as that of the greater Boston area and I have confidence that this coming semester will be one of even more growth and engagement. This Spring we look forward to continuing our work as we plan lectures, coordinate social events, pursue more community service opportunities and host our annual Kathleen Daly Black Excellence Gala— an event that our committee chair has been so arduously planning since September.

 

Please continue to attend our events, join us in our open meeting, follow our website, twitter and facebook accounts and reach out if you wish to collaborate with or learn more about our organization!

 

One Love,

Tamar Davis ‘16

Ethos President  ‘15-’16

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Kathleen Daly Fundraiser

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Posted on January 8, 2015 

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Ethos, the organization for students of African Descent at Wellesley College,  is launching the new year with the Kathleen Daly Fundraiser! Our sister and alumna Kathleen Daly ’80 died of an asthma attack during her senior year at Wellesley College. For 30 years, Ethos has raised money for an asthma foundation and student scholarship in Kathleen Daly’s honor through a fashion show. We continue to keep the alum’s memory alive through the Black Excellence Gala, where we celebrate achievements in our community, and the Kathleen Daly Fundraiser.

Our online fundraising campaign raises money for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and the Kathleen Daly Scholarship Fund. In 1983, Anne Simmons ’85 established the Kathleen Daly Student Scholarship in honor of our alumna. The scholarship is presented to two students of African descent who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in academics, leadership, and community service. We aim to raise at least $2,000 to create $1,000 scholarships for two deserving black students. Our organization also seeks to raise at least $1,000 for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America to support its mission in honor of Kathleen Daly’s fight against asthma.

You can help by donating via our Indiegogo page for the Kathleen Daly Fundraiser:igg.me/at/EthosGala2015. We offer perks for certain amounts of donations, including an Ethos T-shirt or Ethos Swag Pack, a ticket to Ethos’ Black Excellence Gala, recognition in the Gala’s program, and more. Any amount, no matter how small, helps our cause. You can also donate by checks made payable to “Wellesley College Student Bursar” with the name “Ethos” in the memo field of the check. Checks can be mailed to:

Harambee House

Wellesley College

106 Central St.

Wellesley, MA 02481

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We would love your help in other ways as well. You can help to spread the word about our campaign through social media, using the hashtag #EthosGala2015 and including a message on why this campaign is important to you. We ask that you share this post with at least three family members, friends, and/or colleagues. Together, we can continue to support black students at Wellesley College and raise awareness about asthma.

Tanekwah Hinds ’15

Kathleen Daly Chair

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Ethos’ Second Annual Black Excellence Gala

 

Posted on December 30, 2014 

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Dear Wellesley College Alums and Off-Campus Individuals,

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Buy your ticket to our Second Annual Black Excellence Gala here: tinyurl.com/EthosGala2015! At the Gala, we will celebrate the memory of our alumna, Kathleen Daly ‘80, who died from an asthma attack during her senior year at Wellesley College. We donate all proceeds from the ticket sales to the Kathleen Daly Student Scholarship Fund, which assists black students at Wellesley who possess achievements in leadership, community service, and academics. At this elegant event, Ethos will also honor her by donating to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and presenting awards to students, an alum, and a faculty member who have given back to the community.

Join Ethos on February 21, 2015 from 6 until 11 pm at Wellesley College as we gather students, faculty/staff members, and alums in our community. We will start off with a cocktail hour from 6 until 7 pm in Punch’s Alley accompanied by a raffle to raise money for the Kathleen Daly Student Scholarship Fund. This hour will be followed by a dinner and awards ceremony in Alumnae Hall Ballroom from 7 until 9 pm in celebration of the achievements of our community and in honor of our Class of 2015. Afterwards, there will be an After-Dinner Dance with live entertainment. This is a night that you do not want to miss!

 

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A Letter from Ethos Leadership

 

Posted on December 10, 2014 

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Dear Wellesley College Community,

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Ethos Leadership pays respect to the families of Mike Brown, Eric Garner, and all of the people who have been affected by police brutality and racial injustice that have gone unnoticed and unmentioned in this country. We stand in solidarity with the protests that have resulted from the lack of indictment of their murderers. We also honor the Black lives that are not reported in the media, including the lives of Black women and Black individuals of the queer community, which are often ignored due to the dominant black male heteronormative narrative. Furthermore, Ethos leadership acknowledges that these recent deaths have deeply hurt the Black community at Wellesley College and beyond. Our members have voiced feelings of frustration, disappointment, and vulnerability in reaction to the senseless killings of black individuals and the lack of an immediate response from Wellesley College’s administration. We stand in solidarity with our members, students of color, and allies who share these emotions and push for change against the systems of racial oppression which disproportionately endanger Black lives.

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Ethos leadership is proud of the recent events that have occurred on campus, including “Ferguson: A Wake Up Call,” a discussion and vigil planned by the Harambee House Presidents’ Council, and the demonstrations organized by various Wellesley students yesterday. As leadership, we agree that more programs are needed to raise awareness about the disregard for Black lives and we are committed to implementing this change.

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Though the media might portray the ongoing protests around the nation as isolated, we, as leaders of Ethos, know this is the beginning of a movement. Our movement. The time to act is now. We cannot solely look to figures such as President Obama, Reverend Al Sharpton, John Lewis, and Jesse Jackson, to be our voices. We, as students of Wellesley College, seek to reclaim our own voices. It is time for us to empower ourselves to become the catalysts for change today not tomorrow.

History will tell us it is students who have been at the forefront of activist movements fighting for equality in the United States. If it weren’t for students, we would not have had the Civil Rights Movement. If it weren’t for students, we would not have had Black Power. We ask you to realize your potential. This is our time to rebuild our country.

Age should not be a determinant of our ability to seek change. It doesn’t matter how qualified, or “unqualified” we are. Please know our backgrounds do not stop us from becoming activists and taking part in this movement.

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Though finals are soon approaching know that our work shall not die. Our voices shall not be silenced, like our fallen yet not forgotten siblings. We urge you to continue this movement wherever you are, wherever you go this holiday season. We urge you to remember that protesting takes many forms. If you cannot find time to march, find the time to not buy into this capitalistic system that was built on the blood of Black lives. And, at the very least, take the time to spread the message about the importance of making a stand. Silence is not inaction, it is complicity.

We oppose the oppression of our voices. We oppose the injustices and micro and macro aggressions students of color endure every day on this campus and in the wider community. Yes, we seek to work within the institution, but we also seek to work outside the institution. We seek justice for all students, but especially students of African descent. We will not be quieted or satisfied by one letter of support. If this means more protests and die-ins then so be it. The time for support has passed.

We are here, we are Black, we are angry. Get used to it.

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Sincerely,
Ethos Leadership 2014-2015

Chrishanae Neal ‘16 and Rachel Fletcher-Slater ‘16, Co-Presidents
Jasmine Griggs ‘16, Senator
Maribel Maria ‘17, Treasurer
Jekia Brockman ‘17, Secretary
Patrice Caldwell ‘15, Ethos Woman Magazine Editor-in-Chief
Tanekwah Hinds ‘15, Kathleen Daly Chair
Courtney Jackson ‘15, Quintessence Day/Lectures Chair
Chinyere Obasi ‘15, Sex & Sexuality Chair
Taylor Stewart ‘15, Political Action Chair
Geralle Powell ‘16 and Alexis Crayton ‘17, Community Service Chairs
Faith Arimoro ‘17, Comedy Appreciation Chair 
Gabrielle Chapman ‘17, Academic Excellence Chair
Dominique Steele ‘17, Web Mistress/Historian
Dorcas Thompson ‘17, Sister/Siblinghood Chair
Amber Walker ‘17, Social Chair
Abena Asare ‘18, Kayla Ali ‘18, Serenity Hughes ‘18, ALANA Representatives

‪#‎staywoke‬

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Looking Forward to a Summer Experience

 

Posted on November 30, 2014

 

This semester I hosted the Summer Experience Panel on Sunday, November 16th, as the Academic Excellence Chair of Ethos. The Summer Experience Panel gave select members an opportunity to present on the various activities (internships, fellowships, research, etc.) they did this summer. Our panelist included Patrice Caldwell ’15 who interned for the Writers’ League of Texas, Meridian Wade ’16 who interned at Microsoft, Faith Fells ’15 who interned at DC Public Schools, Ogo Okoye ’17 who interned for Massachusetts Congressman Lynch, and Gerelle Powell ’16 who conducted scientific research.

Each panelist gave insight on their day-to-day tasks and their was an active Q&A session where panelist gave advice on searching for summer opportunities, nailing interviews and being a standout intern. Overall, the Ethos Summer Experience Panel was a great event that highlighted the professional accomplishments of Ethos members, while also helping current members begin thinking about how to successfully obtain future summer opportunities.

One Love, One Ethos, One Destiny
Gabrielle Chapman ’17
Ethos Academic Excellence Chair

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Day to Make A Difference

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Posted on September 21, 2014 

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This Day to Make a Difference, several of our Ethos members headed to Room to Grow in Boston. Room to Grow is a nonprofit organization that provides a wide array of resources to low-income families who are either expecting or are raising children ranging from the ages 0-3. They ensure that the mother receives socioeconomically aware advisement alongside all of these resources. As we spent the day folding baby clothes and admiring the incredulous array of items and inventory Room to Grow provided, we were enlightened by the careful methods implemented in the organization’s treatment of their clients. They highlight that it is critical that for their mothers feel the honor and respect that they deserve for bringing a life into the world.

 

Another set of our members kicked off the year volunteering at Rosie’s Place. The 11 members served 76 homeless women and children, just a small percentage of the homeless women and children in the Boston area. One of the Co-Community Service Chairs, Alexis Crayton shared, “While serving the women at Rosie’s Place I saw myself as well as my family members in the women and children. Not one woman looked like the cliché homeless person, they looked like my friends and family. I think that their similarity allowed me to realize that homelessness can truly happen to anyone, and that is why it is crucial to help out our homeless community in their time of need.” She, alongside Co-Chair Geralle Powell are grateful for Ethos’ outstanding participation in Day to Make a Difference this year through Wellesley’s Center for Work Services. She adds, “We will definitely be coordinating more volunteering events like this one in the future!”