Executive board of African American Society poses for photo
From left to right: Kayonna Williams, upperclassmen representative; Arik Stewart, president; Rachel Hames, public relations chair; Johnathan Hicks, vice president; Jasmine Floyd, first-year representative; and Tevin McDowell, former treasurer.

Campus Spotlight: African American Society

Executive board of African American Society poses for photo
Members of the African-American Society executive board from left to right: Kayonna Williams, upperclassmen representative; Arik Stewart, president; Rachel Hames, public relations chair; Johnathan Hicks, vice president; Jasmine Floyd, first-year representative; and Tevin McDowell, former treasurer. Not pictured: Kendall McConico, historian, and Munya Mangwende, secretary.

The African American Society is among the oldest student organizations on campus. Formed as the Afro-American Society in 1968, the organization counts the late Stephanie Tubbs Jones among its alumni and former leaders. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the organization’s founding by Tubbs Jones and her colleagues.

The organization seeks to support the university’s African-American community.

Members of the group are “devoted to promoting awareness and acceptance of African-American culture in the CWRU student body.” They also aim to give minority students the opportunity to create social ties and seek assistance.

The organization’s impact extends beyond campus and into the community. At its 44th annual Ebony Ball, a longstanding campus tradition, the organization announced a new scholarship in honor of Michael Chappman, a John Hay High School student and football player who was shot in a drive-by shooting in July and later passed away. The Michael Chappman Scholarship will go to a Cleveland Metropolitan School District student.

Read more about the organization’s history.