Organizations
Black Student Association
The Black Student Association (BSA) provides social and academic support to Black students and serves as their representative and advocate to the Student Association and University administration. BSA offers opportunities for all students to grow in their understanding and appreciation of the differences and similarities among individuals and various cultures. In addition, the program creates a context for Black students to develop organizational and leadership skills.
We want to unite students who are from Africa and those interested in Africa. We also want to provide opportunities to experience authentic African culture through campus events, educational opportunities, social events, workshops and meetings. We hope to be a cross cultural bridge joining the North Park community to other Chicago based institutions and schools that are interested in working for positive change in Africa.
The Sankofa Experience
The Sankofa Experience features a 60-hour bus tour through several southern states with stops at sites relevant to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The forty-five participating students are assigned a partner of a different ethnicity with whom to discuss and experience cultural diversity before, after, and during the trip. The Sankofa Experience includes films and discussions on such topics as racism and discrimination, while creating meaningful relationships among students of differing ethnic backgrounds.
NAACP Student Branch
The student branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) subscribes to the mission statement of the parent organization which is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination." To this end the North Park chapter sponsors a series of events that promote social justice generally and African-American consciousness specifically throughout the school year. It strives to make the university community aware of Black perspectives on the foremost issues of the day.
What’s Goin’ On?
What’s Goin’On? is a monthly community forum sponsored by the student branch of the NAACP that interprets Black socio-political issues from an Afrocentric perspective. It provides opportunity for a candid and spirited discussion of such topics as the career and ideology of Barack Obama, the history and philosophy of the reparations movement, and the political significance of Hispanic immigration for the Black community. What’s Goin’ On? also offers a platform for exploring such volatile issues as Black/White student dating, and campus racism and discrimination.