Althea Gibson didn’t stop herself from becoming the first black woman to win championships at Grand Slam tournaments in the late 1950s.
Anika Noni Rose didn’t stop herself from gracing huge movie screens across the world by being a ‘Dream girl.’
Rapper Common didn’t let any obstacle from prevent him from being a success in the rap game. But when it comes to giving back to Florida A&M University, many alumni seem to stop themselves.
At times I have walked through FAMU’s campus feeling that attending FAMU is a struggle. This is not because of the education or the people on campus, but it is because of the resources we lack that other schools have.
If our alumni gave back to FAMU then our campus could have just as many amenities as Florida State University, but they do not. Because of the lack of alumni giving back, FAMU hasn’t had the funds to open up Sampson and Young dormitories.
FAMU has graduated a large amount of doctors, lawyers and entertainers over the past years. If you average the amount of highly paid students that have graduated from FAMU, then you can come to a conclusion about the amount of money that FAMU should receive, money that could expand FAMU’s campus and decrease parking problems and housing problems.
Since I have been at FAMU, the only celebrity alumni I have seen come to FAMU are the producers of “Stomp The Yard.”
Where are the other celebrities? If they really have love for their school then they would recruit more for their school.
Common attended FAMU, and he could have a major impact on promotion for FAMU. It seems when people obtain large amounts of money, they forget about their community or what got them there. FAMU’s School of Journalism and Graphic Communication helped Pam Oliver get on ESPN. She had the drive, but FAMU provided her a way.
Some alumni may say, “I don’t want to pay FAMU because I don’t know where my money is going.”
I believe alumni should trust in giving their money to FAMU like the money they use to pay their tithes at church.
At the church, they don’t know if their money is going directly to build the church because some people could mishandle it. These people that give to the church give out of love, something I believe some alumni lack.
People waste money on unnecessary items every day, such as a pair of shoes that are not needed. People even give donations to the bell ringers outside of Wal-Mart when they don’t know exactly where their money is going, but when it comes to helping out students at FAMU, some alumni “turn their backs” on them.
What if Harriet Tubman decided to “turn her back” on other slaves and just worried about herself? If all black people were out for themselves, society would still be segregated right now.
So if you can give money to church, the homeless, stem cell research or adopt a child for 99 cents in Africa, then you can give back to FAMU when you graduate.
Latasha Edwards is a junior public relations student from Houston. She can be reached at famuanopinions@hotmail.com.