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
OAAA/GradSTAR 2019 Personal Branding Series
Wednesdays, October 16, 23, 30, Nov. 6 & Recognition Dinner Nov.13 – 6:00 pm-7:30 pm
Application deadline is Friday, October 4,2019 at 5:00 pm
Are you interested in learning how to market yourself, your skills, and your experiences to secure a full time job, internship or research opportunity? The 5th Annual OAAA/GradSTAR Personal Branding Seminar may be for you! This seminar workshop includes resume writing, delivering personal pitches, and networking tips hosted by OAAA and Altria Group Inc. Students from all years are encouraged to apply online. Apply Here! Questions? Feel free to reach out to Dean Grimes. Hope to see you there!
OAAA/GradSTAR Lunch Series: Tuesdays @ DuBois
Every Second & Fourth Tuesday 12:30 pm-2:00 pm
W.E.B. DuBois Conference Room - #2 Dawson’s Row
Join Dean Patrice Grimes for lunch and conversation. Space is limited. RSVP to reserve your spot: https://doodle.com/poll/7a6ew5e4wftk4tic
The Office of African-American Affairs is on FACEBOOK! LIKE US to keep up-to-date with events and more info about OAAA!
Mark Your Calendar
Saturday, October 5 – Tuesday October 8 – Fall Break/Reading Days (no classes)
Friday, October 18 - Sunday, October 20 – Family Weekend and Fall Convocation
Tuesday, October 23 – Last day to DROP a course with a “W”
Thursday, October 31 – Deadline to pay the annual premium for the Aetna Student Health Insurance plan
Wednesday, November 27 – Sunday, December 1 – Thanksgiving recess
Friday, December 6 – Courses end
Monday, December 9 – Tuesday, December 17 – Examinations
Thursday, December 12 & Sunday, December 15 – Reading Days
Tuesday, December 17 (no ceremony) – Fall degrees conferred
Quote of the Week
“True democracy is a project that’s much bigger than any one of us. It’s bigger than any one person, any one president, and any one government. It’s a job for all of us.” - Barack Obama
Spotlight on Student Achievements
William C. Pace is a Fourth Year student from Chesterfield, VA, majoring in foreign affairs. This past summer, he studied at Princeton University at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Currently, Will is conducting research with OAAA Associate Dean Michael Mason on public health and black student issues at UVA. He is an active member of the UVA Black Male Initiative, the Grad/Star Faculty-Student Mentoring Program, an OAAA Peer Advisor, and a member of Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship. After graduation, Will plans to seek employment in the government, international development or political sectors, before pursuing a graduate degree in Public/International Policy.
You can nominate someone (not yourself) to be in the Spotlight. Send your nominations to Dean Patrice Grimes (pgrimes@virginia.edu) every Thursday by 12 noon.
Quote's Corner
Barack H. Obama served as the 44th President of the United States from 2009-2017. President Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on August 4, 1961. After working his way through college and graduating from Columbia University, he attended Harvard Law School, where he became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. Upon graduation, he returned to Chicago to do community organizing, then, taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago. As a United States Senator from Illinois, he reached across the aisle to pass groundbreaking legislative reform, including locking up the world's most dangerous weapons, and bring transparency in federal government spending. Since leaving office, he has continued to engage in civic projects worldwide. A December 2018 Gallup poll found Obama to be the most admired man in America, for an unprecedented 11th consecutive year. Obama and his wife, Michelle, are the proud parents of two daughters, Malia and Sasha, and they now reside in Washington, DC.
Opportunites with Deadlines
Launch with HackCville’s Paid Summer Internship Program
Application Deadline: October 9 at 11:59 pm
Get trained in software engineering, digital marketing, data science, user experience (UX) design, or business development this summer, then go rock a guaranteed internship. Best of all, the cost of your training is covered and you can get $2,000 or more, all in 12 summer weeks. The next application deadline for Launch is October 9th at 11:59pm. Apply at hackcville.com/launch
Madison House Program Director Application
Application Due: Friday, October 11 at 11:59 pm
We have two new program director positions on our team: Coordinating and Outreach. The Outreach Program Director will work to promote Summer Programs and connect us to many different organizations. The Coordinating Program Director will work more closely with the team to organize and facilitate the placement of volunteers and support the needs of volunteers and Program Directors. Both jobs will offer the opportunity to define these new roles and to see more behind the scenes work at Madison House. No previous experience at Madison House needed. To apply. If you have any questions please contact Caroline Hallowell.
Donald Payne International Development Fellowship
Application Deadline: Friday, November 1, 2019
The Payne Fellowship is a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Program, administered by Howard University, which seeks to attract and prepare outstanding individuals for careers as USAID Foreign Service Officers. Candidates can be graduating seniors or college graduates with strong academic records and a desire to promote positive change in the world. The Payne program encourages the application of members of historically underrepresented groups in the Foreign Service and those with financial need. Selected fellows will receive support for graduate school and gain employment with USAID in an exciting and rewarding career in the Foreign Service. Eligibility requirements: U.S. citizenship, seeking admission to graduate school in fall 2019 for a two-year program in an area of relevance to the Foreign Service at a U.S.-based institution, and cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher on a 4.0 scale at the time of application. Apply here.
This Week in Black History
Did you know…? Pearl Mae Bailey (March 29, 1918 – August 17, 1990) born in Newport News, Virginia, was an American actress and singer. After appearing in vaudeville she made her Broadway debut in St. Louis Woman in 1946. She won a Tony Award for the title role in the all-black production of Hello, Dolly! in 1968. In 1986, she won a Daytime Emmy award for her performance as a fairy godmother in the ABC Afterschool Special, Cindy Eller: A Modern Fairy Tale. Her rendition of "Takes Two to Tango" hit the top ten in 1952. She received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1976 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom on October 17, 1988.
Did you know…? Born on March 27, 1924, in Newark, New Jersey, Sarah Vaughan grew up with a love of music and performing. Winning a talent competition held at Harlem's Apollo Theater launched her singing career. She worked with bandleaders Earl Hines and Billy Eckstine before becoming a successful solo performer who commingled pop and jazz. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "The Divine One," Vaughan was a four-time Grammy Award winner, including a "Lifetime Achievement Award". The National Endowment for the Arts bestowed upon her its "highest honor in jazz", the NEA Jazz Masters Award, in 1989. Vaughan died in Hidden Hills, California, on April 3, 1990.
Did you know…? Bessie Blount was a physical therapist, whose work with injured soldiers in World War II inspired her to patent a device for amputees to feed themselves. The electrical device allowed a tube to deliver one mouthful of food at a time to a patient in a wheelchair or in a bed whenever he or she bit down on the tube. She was born in Hickory, Virginia in 1914 and later moved to New Jersey to study physical therapy and then furthered her training in Chicago. She was unable to successfully market her invention in the USA, so she gave the patent rights to the French government in 1952. Her patent was filed under her married name of Bessie Blount Griffin.
OAAA Announcements & Services
“Raising-the-Bar 4.0” Study Sessions with OAAA Peer Advisors - Fall 2019
Every Monday through Thursday – 4:00pm-8:00 pm – LPJ Cultural Center
Calculus Tutoring
(Tutoring for Monday, September 30 will be from 11:00 am-2:00 pm)
Every Monday & Thursday – 2:00 pm-4:30 pm – W.E.B DuBois Center Conference Room. #2 Dawson’s Row.
For more information, contact Travis Elliott (ste3an@virginia.edu)
UVA Writing Center
Need help with a writing assignment or term paper? The UVa Writing Center is a resource staffed by graduate and undergraduate student tutors and available to all students. Tutors work one-on-one with students in 50-minute appointments with drafting, revision, argument structure and other concerns (Note: This does not include proof-reading or editing). For more information, register at https://virginia.mywconline.com
Black Fridays
Every Friday – 1:30 pm - LPJ Black Cultural Center #3 Dawson’s Row
Come & join us for food & fellowship!
Black College Women (BCW) Book Club Meetings
Every Second & Fourth Sunday - 6:30 pm – New Cabell Hall - Room 415
Black President’s Council (BPC) Meetings
Every Second & Fourth Monday - 6:30 pm – Newcomb Hall Board Rm 376
Black College Women (BCW) - In the Company of my Sister
Every Wednesday - 12:00 pm - W.E.B Dubois Conference Room #2 Dawson’s Row
Contact: Dean Mason (mgm7g@virginia.edu) for more Information.
Black Male Initiative (BMI) Meetings
Every Monday, 12:00 noon – 1:30 pm – W.E.B. Dubois Conference Room #2 Dawson’s Row
Contact: Dean Mason for more information.
Upcoming Events
Upcoming Events at UVA (All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.)
Fellowships Series: Goldwater Scholarship Information Session
Monday, September 30 - 4:00 pm-5:00 pm – Rotunda Multipurpose Room (121)
Do you love research? Are you considering pursuing research science, mathematics, or engineering as a career? Are you simply a STEM student and want to at least explore an exciting opportunity? Come learn about the award and the process for nomination by the University of Virginia. Apply as a second or third year – so first years should definitely come!
Cinema, Architecture, Art: Envisioning Aesthetics, Politics, Citizenship and Personal Stories
Wednesday October 2-Friday, October 4 – Minor Hall and other film screening sites
The Festival of Indian Documentaries is free and open to the public! View a variety of films, discussions and receptions, moderated by UVA’s own Geeta Patel. For more information, visit the Fralin Museum website at https://uvafralinartmuseum.virginia.edu
UVa Upward Bound Volunteer Tutors
Are you eager for an opportunity to invest in the academic success of talented, local high school scholars? Upward Bound is a federally funded college preparatory program that provides academic support to high school students from Charlottesville and several neighboring county school systems. Any questions? Contact Davonda Smith, Education and Outreach Coordinator (davonda.smith@virginia.edu, 434.982.4553).
African American Teaching Fellows
Interested in becoming a teacher? Check out African American Teaching Fellows! AATF works to recruit, support, develop, and retain a cadre of African American teachers to serve the public schools of Charlottesville and Albemarle County. The Curry Teacher Education program partners with AATF; fellows are undergraduate or graduate students in one of Curry’s programs. Fellows become part of a network of African-American educators in the region, participate in a teacher-leader summer institute, receive mentorship and support from local teachers and administrators, and receive funding toward the cost of tuition. Fellows commit to teaching in the Charlottesville/Albemarle area for several years after graduation. You can read more about AATF on their website: https://www.aatf.org/. Interested students should contact Jaime Hawkins, program director, at mailto:jamie@aatf.org.
In the Community
B & J African-American Bookfest
Saturday, October 12 – 1:00pm-4:00pm – Gordon Avenue Library, 1500 Gordon Avenue, Charlottesville
Come to this event to hear Mrs. Alex-Zan (author), Ann Wicks Carter (local hisotiran), Paige Hill (storyteller) with Michelle Gachettefacilitating. There will be tributes to local trailblazers and much more, For more information, contact Mr. Alex-Zan at 434-202-0773 or alexzan!i-c.net
Charlottesville – Albemarle NAACP Monthly Membership Meeting
Second Monday of each month - 7:00 pm - Jefferson School City Center, 233 4th Street NW, Charlottesville, VA 22901
Meet in the Mary Williams Center on the first floor adjacent to the Vinegar Hill Café. Free parking is available on site.
The 32nd Annual Virginia Film Festival
October 23-27, 2019 – various sites in Charlottesville
IT'S OFFICIAL! Tickets for the 2019 Virginia Film Festival are on sale! You can purchase tickets online, visit the UVA Arts Box Office or order by phone at 434-924-3376. Visit our Tickets page for box office hours, locations, and more! Not sure which films to choose? Take a look at our comprehensive Film Guide or Schedule for more information.All full-time UVA students can receive one complimentary ticket to all films, as available, made possible by the Art$ program.
Determined: the 400-Year Struggle for Black Equality (exhibit)
Now through March 2020 – Virginia Museum of History and Culture, Richmond, VA
The Virginia Museum of History & Culture is offering free admission to UVA students through the end of next March while a special exhibition, Determined: The 400-Year Struggle for Black Equality, is on display. Through profiles of 30 individuals, more than 100 evocative objects, and multimedia interpretive content, the exhibition commemorates the arrival of enslaved Africans in Virginia in 1619. UVA is a University Partner sponsoring the project.