OAAA E-Weekly Newsletter
The Office of African-American Affairs Newsletter Highlighting Events and Opportunities for OAAA Students
"Young, Gifted & Black:
40 Years of Preparing Students for the Quest"
Special Announcement
In order to reduce the risk of exceeding the max capacity, the Office has created an email for you to send print requests. Click here to get more details about printing.
Also, to maintain social distancing and safety guidelines while still supporting you, OAAA will only be able to host a very limited number of persons by appointment only. Students will be able to reserve study space for 60 minutes each day. Click here to get more details and to make a reservation for study space.
Since we are all returning to Grounds, you may call our main number (434-924-7923), If you cannot reach us via phone please contact Mr. Smith (jcs9cz@virginia.edu) or Ms. Comfort (alc9r@virginia.edu) to assist you.
Let us continue to work together, staying focused and hopeful along the way and in ways that would enable us to do our best work in the midst of crises. We look forward to working with you this semester.
Sincerely,
The Office of African-American Affairs
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UVA COVID-19 PREVENTION, DETECTION, AND RESPONSE PLAN
The University is closely monitoring key metrics and has developed a COVID-19 dashboard that will be shared and will track key metrics like the rate of infections and our operational readiness to respond to the virus. We stand ready to alter our operations and plans based on these metrics. We are grateful to all members of our community for their diligence in following the guidelines outlined below. A printable copy of the UVA COVID-19 Prevention, Detection, and Response Plan is available.
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Plan Your Vote!
Mark your calendars. Everything you need to know about mail-in and early in-person voting, including the first day you can cast your ballot in the 2020 election. Click here.
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR
FALL 2020
Tuesday, October 13
Last Day to Drop a Class
Tuesday, October 20
Last Day to Withdraw from a Class (via SIS)
Will remain in session
No Fall Break
Family Weekend will be
cancelled for 2020
Monday, November 4 - Friday, December 13
Apply for May 2021 Graduation
Friday, November 13
Last Day to Withdraw from the University and Return for Spring 2021
Tuesday, November 24
Courses end
(No in-person instruction or assessments after November 24)
Wednesday, December 2 - Friday, December 11
Examinations (administered on-line only)
Monday, December 14
Undergraduate Enrollment for Spring 2021
To Be Determined
Fall degrees conferred
Quote of the Week
“You don't have the right to hold somebody accountable for standards you refuse to apply to yourself.” Steven A. Smith
Spotlight on Student Achievements
Dionne Regis is a Fourth-Year in the College of Arts and Sciences from Brooklyn, NY. She is double majoring in French and African-American and African Studies. She is a Peer Advisor for the Office-American Affairs, and currently on the Executive board for Selections Committee. Her current and past involvements at UVA and the Charlottesville community have been with the following organizations: Student Organization for Caribbean Awareness (SOCA), and serving as mentor for girls of color at Charlottesville High School with My Sister’s Keeper. Dionne has a strong passion for mental health and counseling and is planning to pursue a masters in counseling following graduation
Quote's Corner
Stephen Anthony Smith (born October 14, 1967) in the Bronx borough of New York City is an American sports television personality, sports radio host, and sports journalist. Smith is the fifth of six children. Smith's parents were originally from Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. After attending the Fashion Institute of Technology for one year, Smith received a basketball scholarship to attend Winston-Salem State University. In college, he played basketball under Hall of Fame coach Clarence Gaines. He is a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. Smith is a commentator on ESPN's First Take, where he appears with Max Kellerman and Molly Qerim. He also makes frequent appearances as an NBA analyst on SportsCenter. Smith also is an NBA analyst for ESPN on NBA Countdown and NBA broadcasts on ESPN. He also hosts The Stephen A. Smith Show on ESPN Radio. Smith is a featured columnist for ESPNNY.com, ESPN.com, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. In 2020, Smith served as a commentator for the after-party coverage of the 92nd Academy Awards on ABC.
Opportunites with Deadlines
The Rangel Graduate Fellowship
Application Deadline: Wednesday, October 14
The Rangel Graduate Fellowship is a premier U.S. Department of State program created to attract diverse talent to its Foreign Service. The program encourages the application of members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service, women, and those with financial need. The fellowship seeks individuals committed to promoting positive change in the world as U.S. diplomats for the Foreign Service. Selected fellows will receive support for graduate school, internships, and professional development. The fellowship provides a pathway to a uniquely rewarding career as a Foreign Service Officer representing the United States of America. Applicants must be college seniors or graduates, can come from any academic discipline and must be seeking entry into graduate school in fall 2021. Eligibility Requirements: U.S. citizenship, seeking admission to graduate school in fall 2021 for a two-year program in an area of relevance to the Foreign Service at a U.S-based institution, cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale at the time of application. For tips to submit a competitive application: Applications Tips. Review the FAQs page for details about grad school, the application and more. Visit: www.rangelprogram.org. Program Contact: rangelprogram@howard.edu
This Week in Black History
Did you know that? Most people think of Rosa Parks as the first person to refuse to give up their seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. There were actually several women who came before her; one of whom was Claudette Colvin. It was March 2, 1955, when the fifteen-year-old schoolgirl refused to move to the back of the bus, nine months before Rosa Parks’ stand that launched the Montgomery bus boycott. Claudette had been studying Black leaders like Harriet Tubman in her segregated school, those conversations had led to discussions around the current day Jim Crow laws they were all experiencing. When the bus driver ordered Claudette to get up, she refused, “It felt like Sojourner Truth was on one side pushing me down, and Harriet Tubman was on the other side of me pushing me down. I couldn't get up." Claudette Colvin’s stand didn’t stop there. Arrested and thrown in jail, she was one of four women who challenged the segregation law in court. If Browder v. Gayle became the court case that successfully overturned bus segregation laws in both Montgomery and Alabama, why has Claudette’s story been largely forgotten? For many years, Montgomery's black leaders did not publicize Colvin's pioneering effort. She was an unmarried teenager at the time, and was reportedly impregnated by a married man. Colvin has said, "Young people think Rosa Parks just sat down on a bus and ended segregation, but that wasn't the case at all. It is widely accepted that Colvin was not accredited by the civil rights campaigners at the time due to her pregnancy shortly after the incident, with even Rosa Parks saying "If the white press got ahold of that information, they would have [had] a field day. They'd call her a bad girl, and her case wouldn't have a chance.” At the time, the NAACP and other Black organizations felt Rosa Parks made a better icon for the movement than a teenager. As an adult with the right look, Rosa Parks was also the secretary of the NAACP, and was both well-known and respected – people would associate her with the middle class and that would attract support for the cause. But the struggle to end segregation was often fought by young people, more than half of which were women.