By IU Corps

By IU Corps

As president of the IU student chapter of the NAACP, sophomore and anthropology major, Aissatou Mbengue, connects underrepresented minority students and student groups with service and advocacy opportunities for civil rights and social justice causes. Nationally, more than 2 million activists work through the NAACP to foster inclusiveness and provide issues education.

Q: Tell us about the NAACP.

A: NAACP was founded in 1909 and was the first civil rights organization in the United States. It came out of the Springfield massacre in Illinois, where Black businesses, homes and politicians were targeted and massacred. Gradually, NAACP expanded to include the and college division, which represents our chapter. We’ve been on IU’s campus since at least 1946. Our motto is to educate, embrace, and empower.

Q: Are you working on any exciting events or projects?

A: To celebrate Black History Month, the IU chapter held events each day during the week of Feb. 6, starting with an NAACP 101 event where attendees had the opportunity to meet with charter founders. During another event, the chapter partnered with Bloomington organization New Leaf, New Life to send letters to incarcerated people to prevent loneliness and foster community. In addition, they hosted a mental health event focused on the ways college life can impact wellbeing. The week ended with a cookout to get people excited for the annual IU NAACP Black Cabaret, which highlights Black excellence from students and faculty.

The IU is currently partnering with the IU Democrats and the Monroe County Black Democratic Caucus to work on progressive activism techniques.

NAACP is helping people do action-based activism — activism that is rooted in change and not just words and discussion. That’s what the NAACP prides itself on. When you come to our events, you will walk away with something. Whether it’s that you gain a new skill, you learn about a new resource, or we’ve opened your eyes to an issue that’s maybe impacting Black and Brown individuals, you won’t walk away from our events empty.

Q: What is the importance of Black History Month in your work?

A: One of my favorite parts of Black History Month is learning about the parts of Black history and culture that our schools don’t always teach. History can often be misconstrued, or things can get lost in translation. If you were to ask most people where MLK died, [they would say] it was on the March of Washington — but it was in Memphis, Tennessee. People die for this history. History is continuously repeating itself in that sense, and historically we have been set back in a multitude of ways. It’s important for us to keep working and serve as equalizers, because a lot of the places where Black individuals are displaced is resources.

Q: How can people help make a change?

A: I think what we need to focus more on is “How can we make changes in terms of programming, policy and legislation?” To me, that is the only way to make genuine change. On top of that, once those changes are made, how are we holding people accountable? The unfortunate reality is when a Black person walks into a room, no matter what their status is, they’re seen as a Black individual before anything else. It’s like, you’re not always wearing your credentials on your sleeve. You’re Black before anything.

By IU Corps

IU’s Too Tuff Tau chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., strives to cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards, promote unity and friendship among college women, alleviate issues that women face, and provide service. Alpha Kappa Alpha hosted a Blankets for a Kause event Jan. 23, at which members handmade tie blankets to donate to those in need during the winter season. Meet Chapter President Nia Henry to learn more.

Q: Tell us about Blankets for a Kause.

A: One of our missions is to serve the community. We plan to donate the blankets to the City Church Healing Hands Outreach Center.

Q: What is the importance of Black history in your work?

A: Helping other people learn more about the history beyond just what they learned in school, and showing more of the stuff that Black people have done in the past and even today. We have events Feb. 20 through Feb. 24 that will all be focused on Black History Month and Black facts. For one of our events, we’re doing a trivia game night where we’re going to talk about Black historical figures and Black historical figures within our sorority.

Q: Do you have a favorite Black historical figure?

A: The movie Hidden Figures — the three women were actually all a part of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

Q: How can others get involved with Alpha Kappa Alpha’s work?

A: All our events involve serving the community, and people can get involved through social media and beINvolved, where we post information event info. With Black History Month, take the time to actually read and make sure you’re understanding — don’t just read and forget about it the rest of the year. Know the history.

By IU Corps

African Women Leadership Organization is a student organization designed to motivate and empower women within the African diaspora, particularly those at Indiana University. Meet the group’s president and founder, Rochelle Adjei, a 2021 IU graduate with a degree in human biology.  

Q: What does the African Women’s Leadership Organization do?

A: We serve the IU Bloomington campus and offer fun events for people to fellowship. It is called African Women’s Leadership Organization, but it is for everybody — to spend time together, have a good time, and feel empowered to make positive change. We’re also learning more about crises that are going on within other countries.

Q: Are you working on any exciting events?

A: We are actively fundraising and collecting donations for Project Period, a fundraiser to provide period supplies to women and girls in Ghana schools. The goal is to raise $3,000 through our partnership with Ghana Girls Connect. The donations will go into little gift boxes with pads, tampons, sanitary wipes, and anything you would just need during that time of the month to women currently in a high school in Ghana. Some people may not know what period poverty is and it’s something that is happening worldwide. We sometimes can take it for granted because the supplies we need might be easily accessible, but oftentimes others do not have that option.

Q: What is the importance of Black history in your work?

A: We focus on educating people and empowering not only Afrocentric women but people in the diaspora, and people who want to learn a little more about Afrocentric women. Education is most important. If you are not educating others about your background, how are you able to make a good movement?

Q: How can others get involved?

A: Just be open-minded to listen to other people. Also, be willing to volunteer and learn more through that.

By Christy Avery

Channeling her grandmother’s spirit of volunteerism

Senior Lauren Miller works with Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard in Bloomington to provide food and clothing donations to libraries across Indiana that can put them out for people to pick up as needed. Although some rural towns don’t have food pantries, most have a library that can collect donations, Miller said, making it a more accessible way for people to get items like canned goods and clothing.

Food insecurity is a prevalent issue, Miller said, but she doesn’t often hear people discuss it openly. The pandemic as well as inflation and recession have also contributed to a rise in food insecurity. Miller said she sees this issue particularly in college students.

“A lot of college students’ funds tend to be pretty tight,” Miller said. “When they don’t have that money, one of the first things to go is going to be the quality of the food and the amount of food that you eat, because it’s expensive and it’s only gotten more expensive. I think it gets overshadowed by the ‘rich college student’ ideology.”

Mother Hubbard’s also helps Bloomington’s unhoused community, Miller said. Bloomington’s most recent Food Access Report from Sept. 21 stated one in ten Bloomington residents cannot access the food they need, and 45 percent need more of at least one type of food.

Miller said she sees many people go without food because they don’t have access to a food pantry or feel ashamed to visit one.

“People who need help don’t want to ask, especially about food, because it’s just a sensitive subject,” she said. “It’s something that a lot of people go through and they go through silently.”

Along with the library initiative, Miller also works with the garden center at Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, helping teach people the value of growing their own produce. The garden center often gives produce-bearing plants to clients, a tangible way to share the impact of the work in the community, Miller said.

Miller became interested in volunteer work after her grandmother — who had contributed nearly 100,000 hours to a local hospital over her lifetime — passed away. Giving back to her community is a way to honor her grandmother’s legacy.

“I see that and I think in a lot of ways, she’s probably one of the kindest women I’ve ever known,” Miller said. “I’m trying to bring the spirit of her into the volunteer work that I do.”

During the 2021-22 academic year, Miller also worked with IU’s Student Agile Response Team at the Huntington City-Township Public Library in Huntington, Indiana. After renovations in 2018 and 2019 that expanded the building, the library was in need of signage that was accessible to all patrons, many of whom cannot read. Miller helped the library plan out and design image-based signage to guide visitors through the building.

“No one knew where to go for pretty much anything at the library, which obviously was a problem,” Miller said. “Some of the signs they had up were paper signs with words on them, but if you’re illiterate, that’s not super helpful. What they needed was to create some signage that was inclusive and was able to direct patrons to the areas which would most benefit them.”

In addition to the signs, Miller created a variety of virtual maps of the library to help visitors better see and understand the area. These maps were often used in PowerPoints during library programming and events.

Miller said designing the signage gave her the opportunity to learn about graphic design and digital software programs such as Adobe Illustrator and 3-D modeling for the first time.

“It made me a lot more interested in graphic design and the ways in which various graphic design software could be used,” she said.

Miller said many people do not think about accessibility until they are in a situation like the library’s, where accessibility needs extra consideration.

“Then you’re actually faced with that situation when you’re the owner of a building or of some kind of facility and then you do realize that’s a problem,” Miller said. “You can see it all around us, accessibility— in your malls, your airports. They have all these accessibility features where it’s like, when you start to notice it, you notice it everywhere.”

Miller said she believes those who have the time and capacity to volunteer have a duty to ensure their community is as well-rounded as possible and receives the help it needs to thrive.

“If you can help the people who have the least, then the whole community is better off.”

Outside the Bloomington bubble

Grant Trompen is finding another way to give back through libraries through a technology initiative with the IU Center for Rural Engagement. Trompen and other students in the Kelley School of Business are working to provide technology help at public libraries in counties across the state, where people can drop in for help with technology and career development skills.

The project aims to provide people of all ages with help with skills such as Microsoft Excel, website design, and resume-building. Student volunteers travel to various locations across Indiana, where they bring Crumbl Cookies and hold office-hours-style meetings each month at public libraries. So far, Trompen said, they’ve traveled to four libraries, and have a long list of counties they plan to visit.

“It’s really good to go see outside of the Bloomington bubble where we all have access to these classes and where we can learn about technology and Excel as we want to,” he said. “There are a lot of places 30 minutes away that just don’t have that at all. It’s good for seeing what else is out there in the real world and giving back to people around us.”

Trompen and his classmates are continuously looking for ways to diversify resources and keep up with developments in technology to better serve the communities they visit. He said they’ve started using a 3D printer. Some of his classmates who are fluent in Spanish are focusing on Latino engagement, working with Latino people and businesses.

“Often these communities don’t have access to resources that, as students at IU, we sometimes take for granted,” Trompen said. “You’re already at that place, but if English is your second language it’s even more difficult.”

Trompen said people of all ages stop by, from senior citizens who no longer have family to assist them to high schoolers looking for college preparation. He said the library serves as a center for the community, and where people can also build relationships with each other. He’s hoping to build relationships with people who will come back each month for whom Trompen and his classmates can become familiar faces.

“That resource also builds an important sense of community,” he said.