Angela Pender

Staff Writer

ESU offers many clubs and organizations in which students can get involved in that will help makes their college experience even better.

You can belong to organizations such as Greek Life, the Campus Activity Board, or even just finding a job on campus that will expose you to many different people while taking you out of your comfort zone, but there is one club on campus that is not like no other, and that is The National Council of Negro Women at ESU.

NCNW stands for the National Council of Negro Women which was founded by Mary McLeod Bethune in 1935.

This organization was the most influential national women’s organization during the civil rights movement and represented 850,000 members, including Coretta Scott King.

NCNW ESU was recognized and established by the university on Jan. 25, 2018 where they officially became The East Stroudsburg University Collegiate Section of the National Council of Negro Women.

The organization was proposed by former President and Vice President Ashlyn Jackson and Taina Moore.

The organization was founded on the empowerment and the upbringing of women, and their new president, Nyla Coleman, believes that they are fulfilling their duties.

The reason that NCNW ESU was established was “The reality of underrepresentation of successful African American female leaders both on campus and in male-dominated fields have caused an uncertainty in young women striving to be outstanding,” says NCNW president Nyla Coleman, “This need is what pushed for a group of young women to work hard and establish NCNW ESU.”

NCNW ESU is an organization that strives to help others and to educate young ambitious students on how to help themselves in many different areas including entrepreneurship and facing adversity in the workplace.

Their mission statement is “to promote the unity of action among all women in matters of affecting educational, cultural, economic, social and civic life.”

Aside from social events such as their annual Black Jeopardy game, they have done a lot of activities to both promote their mission and help others in causes that they valued.

“We have held a ‘Chicken and Waffles’ fundraiser where we cooked meals in order to raise money for Relay for Life Foundation. We have participated in ESU’s Timeless Women’s Expo where many different organizations on campus helped shine a light on women who excelled in industries that are usually male-dominated,” says Coleman. “We also assisted the Residence Hall Association with a Haunted Hall event where we helped obtain food and clothing for those in need. We have also assisted our sisters at the Greater Pocono Section of the National Council of Negro Women in providing home cooked meals for the homeless as well as residents of nearby nursing homes during the Thanksgiving season.”

This organization is still fairly new and are still working on ideas to grow their club; however, in the short period of time, they have broken barriers and involved themselves in many different aspects that have been important to their members.

Coleman explains, “The first step in unifying forces is to educate others on the issues that students of color are facing as not only college students, but as young individuals preparing to enter the world with new beginnings. We have been able to achieve that goal in promoting healthy lifestyles for young adults, creating an opportunity for mentorship for our members as well as encouraging our members to be mentors to others, and raising awareness of racial, ethical, and economic issues.”

NCNW ESU is also an inclusive organization and all are welcome to join.

They have many male and female members in their organization who help to achieve their mission and encourage anyone to join.

If you are looking forward to any of their events, this February, NCNW ESU will be having their first NCNW Week where they will be hosting multiple events and socials related to their values on education, health, and entrepreneurship.

The events will take place on the week of Feb. 25-March 1which will include the NCNW ESU Buffet on Sunday, March 3. Also, don’t miss their annual Black Jeopardy event on Feb. 20! All events will be posted on all their social media accounts just type in “NCNW ESU”.

Being involved in any organization that serves a purpose that relates to you is important because it allows people to be a part of something greater than themselves.

NCNW ESU is an organization that strives to help others and to educate young ambitious students on how to help themselves in many different areas including entrepreneurship and facing adversity in the workplace

Email Angela at:

apender1@live.esu.edu