Elon University students, community celebrate NAACP Founders Day

Alamance County has a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People youth council, a college division and an adult branch for the first time ever. The NAACP is a civil rights organization founded on Feb. 12, 1909. Their mission is to fight for racial equality for all people.

The celebration for NAACP Founders Day featured food and Black History Month trivia games on Sunday evening. It was held in the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education in upstairs at Moseley Student Center. 

“I really wanted the community engagement. That was the above-all for this event [and] to bridge Elon University with Alamance County,” Elon University’s NAACP Collegiate Chapter President and sophomore Fancy Mitchell said. “Not only is this the first college chapter, this is the first time in Alamance County that there is a youth council, there is an adult branch and a college chapter working altogether.”

Students and community members came, including the Alamance Branch President Barrett Brown. He said it is fantastic to see young people involved in NAACP’s mission.     

“It shows dedication and a resurgence of enthusiasm for civil rights and the work that we do to eliminate racism,” Brown said.   

Elon University’s NAACP Collegiate Chapter was chartered on campus in fall 2022. Mitchell said she started the chapter to make a difference for minority students on campus. 

“Black students and brown students want to feel heard through the administration and through the rest of the community at Elon because we are already a minority in this school,” Mitchell said.   

Mitchell also said the chapter plans to launch a podcast in the future to discuss Black social issues. 

“We’re going to hit hard on these discussions and we hope that everyone will enjoy it,” Mitchell said. 

To keep up with the upcoming podcast and other events, follow the organization’s Instagram page at @elonnaacp. 

“The work that we do is sometimes hard and arduous,” Brown said. “Civil rights and social justice is not a marathon, it's a baton race. We are moving the baton as far as we can. Then, we pass it back to people and know there are people coming behind this who are going to carry on this work with enthusiasm and [that] dedication is uplifting.”