After being reinstated as an active organization in January, the African Student Association kicked off fall semester with their first meeting. The event featured cultural music, pizza and games.
Cindy Bouldin, event coordinator for ASA, said they plan to host two events per month moving forward, that will include having African food, listening to music and dancing.
ASA’s mission is dedicated to promoting the cultural, social and academic success of African-diaspora students and engage the wider Marquette community.
Benedicta Beniana, the President of ASA and a junior in the College of Business Administration, said the current executive board decided last school year to bring back ASA to Marquette, after previously being inactive for two years.
“We decided there really wasn’t much multicultural organizations on campus that were active, so we decided to reactive it,” Beniana said.
Beniana said this event was primarily to get to know first-years, and to host a space for fun events for all attendees.
“A goal of ours is being able to host events and have a big outcome, just making sure we are allowing people to feel safe, feel welcome and have a place, a group, a community to identify with,” Bouldin said. “We are a very welcoming community, you don’t have to be an African student in order to participate…it will give you an opportunity to meet new people and build connections.”
Natan Fessahaye, the Vice President of ASA, and junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said the executive board spent a large majority of last year trying to get the organization reinstated, making this general body meeting event a huge kickoff.
Fessahaye said every college with African diaspora, a dispersion of people or culture that used to be primarily in one place now living in separate communities, should have ASA, as it can be a place to connect with one other, eat good food and just have fun. Universities across the country such as University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Washington have active ASA chapters.
“We just wanted to connect all of the African diaspora here on campus and give them a place to show off their heritage and culture,” Fessahaye said.
Beniana said being a part of this community has allowed her to meet all sorts of people ranging from first-years to seniors, while also providing her with a support system and opportunities.
Beniana said the cultural fashion show is still in the works, but to look out for future events. ASA also plans to have minor events that can help with internships, giving back to the community or giving back to people in Africa who are less fortunate.
Anyone interested in joining or becoming involved in ASA can attend the general body meetings, contact the executive board and follow the instagram.
This story was written by Trinity Zapotocky. She can be reached at [email protected].
