Ebony WilliamsThere’s a lot to choose from when deciding which organizations to join at N.C. Central University. Whether they fit your major, promote mentoring, or create lifelong friendships like sororities and fraternities.
One organization that has been here for 13 years is the National Council of Negro Women. Established on campus in 2010, NCNW promotes commitment, unity, and self-reliance to female students. The most important thing that NCNW promotes is sisterhood.
With different bonding events like movie nights, general body meetings, girl talk, members and potential members get to create friendships. Alexis Hyman, senior a general member of NCNW, attended almost all the events in the past two years. “One event that I enjoyed the most was the Rainbow Party,” she said. “Everyone was assigned a color and had to bring food that matches that color.”
As the school year started, NCNW has been encouraging students to join. While some women joined the organization to make new friends and get community service hours, Danielle Joyner, potential member and freshman joined the group because of a relative.
“I wanted to join NCNW because of my sister and I also wanted to meet new people,” she said.
NCNW was founded in 1935 by civil rights activist, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune. According to their website’s mission statement, NCNW’s goal is to:
“Lead, empower, and advocate women of African descent, their families, and communities. The organization is known to have comprised of 330 campus and community-based sections and 33 national women’s organizations that enlightens, inspires, and connects more than 2,000,000 women and men. NCNW also promotes education, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, healthcare access, civic engagement, and social justice.”
NCNW is also known for serving the community. Here on campus, NCNW hosts different community service events such as highway cleanups, feminine hygiene drives for women that are homeless, Christmas cards for senior citizens, and Valentine’s Day cards for women in shelters.
Ava Phillips, general member and junior, enjoys helping the community. “I would say that the highway cleanup was one of my favorite community service events,” she said.
Like other organizations on campus, NCNW has an E-Board. The positions include President, Secretary, Treasurer, Historian, Miss NCNW and Mr. NCNW. Most of the people that are on the E-board are the ones that plan some of the events.
Chancelee McGrew, president and general member, said that she takes her job seriously. “Serving as president means being a leader that others can rely on in my community,” she said. “Having this position always leads to a lot of personal growth and development as a person.”
An event that NCNW have close to the end of the year is the induction ceremony. When a potential member reaches 85% mark for participation, they are guaranteed to get inducted.
To get 85% of participation they would have to attend the events, the general body meetings, and the homecoming parade. At the induction, members will receive a certificate and a pen to show that you are officially a member.
You will no longer be known as a potential member, but now a general member. As a general member, it won’t be required for you to participate in 85% of the events and you can also run for any position on the E-Board.
