Civic engagement plays an important role in shaping the health and well-being of our communities. When people participate in the decisions that affect their lives, they have a greater opportunity to influence policies and systems that shape access to health care, education, housing, and economic opportunity. That’s why Cone Health Foundation supports efforts to strengthen community voice and civic participation as part of our commitment to advancing health equity.
One example of this work is the student-led organizing taking place at North Carolina A&T State University. On October 15, the university’s NAACP chapter mobilized 500 students to walk 45 minutes to a voting site, overcoming barriers to voting and inspiring participation from students at UNCG and Bennett College. These efforts, led in part by chapter president Tatiana James, reflect a broader commitment to building civic engagement among college students. The Beloved Community Center, a Foundation advocacy partner, supports student voter engagement through its Black & Brown Women’s Voting Initiative, which promotes voter access and education through community events.
Christina Yongue spoke with Tatiana James about these efforts, the importance of student civic participation, and how young people are using their voices to help shape the future of their communities.
Christina: It was great meeting you at the October 24 “Get Out the Vote: Block Party,” hosted by the Beloved Community Center, Faith Community Church, and St. James Presbyterian Church as part of the Black and Brown Women’s Voting Initiative. Cone Health Foundation is proud to support this initiative and its efforts to strengthen civic engagement in our community. Why are events like this important for helping college students connect with and become engaged in the broader Greensboro community?
Tatiana: I love events like that. I love any type of cookout in the community. I think when students come, they get to meet the community leaders that are within their “home away from home,” which is Greensboro for us.
During the event, I was able to meet Reverend Wesley Morris, who is the pastor at Faith Community Church (and the Southern Vision Alliance Liaison at the Beloved Community Center). He showed me around the photo gallery that talks about Greensboro history. It’s those important conversations that need to be had, telling students more about Greensboro history. We need to know more than about the A&T Four, but also about the Greensboro Massacre from 1979. Community events like that are opportunities for students to be connected to people outside of campus. Also, just to have a family away from home because they’ve made themselves available to us. They told us, if we need anything, that they’re there.
Also, of course, pushing the initiative of voting because the center of the event was about voting. At the center is civic engagement. Civic engagement doesn’t necessarily mean only voting. It means literally how you engage with your community.
Christina: What do you wish funders better understood about the resources and support needed to organize and engage college students in civic activities?
Tatiana: Students are always so appreciative of any opportunity for outside organizations to pour into us or give funding for events because we’re students. Fundraising for events usually comes from us, and we have heavy schedules. So having those people who are willing to support our organizations helps. There is not a heavy financial strain to organize marches, but sometimes we do need water bottles and food because it’s good to have a meal after 45 minutes of marching to the polls. Sometimes there are needs for event promotion and advocacy signs, too.
Christina: What else would you like people to know about the work of your NAACP chapter and the ways you’re engaging students in the community?
Tatiana: I think that our ability to hold two marches on October 15 just shows really the momentum of college students, the fact that we were able to hold two monumental marches on the same day (our determination to vote early and in honor of Nolan Wells). We turned out over 500 students at the marches, and it included students from UNCG, Bennett College, High Point University, WSSU, and UNC-CH!
The NAACP Chapter at NC A&T State University is always looking for opportunities to collaborate with any outside organizations. We’re always looking for funding opportunities to continue our service projects and for our campus events. We organize our activities through three committees: (1) Political Action, (2) Health & Education, and (3) Press & Publicity.
One thing we’ve been trying to do now is raise money for books for children to set up a mentorship based on reading together. We go into elementary schools to organize this, and we want to expand to middle and high schools in the spring.
***************
Tatiana James is originally from Greenville, South Carolina, and is a senior majoring in criminal justice at North Carolina A&T State University. She serves as president of the university’s NAACP chapter and vice president of the NAACP Youth and College Division’s state chapter.
