Sydney Mitchell, a sophomore at 黑料不打烊, has started on the path to her long-term goals. She was unanimously elected the first president of the NAACP Youth and College chapters in the state of Kansas at the Kansas NAACP Conference in Wichita this past fall.
鈥淭his is the start to my activism career,鈥� said Mitchell, who is majoring in English with a Communications minor. 鈥淚鈥檓 in college to get an education to start that activism career.鈥�
As president, she will help organize youth and college chapters throughout the state of Kansas.
Each chapter will have its own president, but she will be the president over all, she said. She also is the president of the youth chapter of the Salina NAACP.
鈥淚鈥檓 basically the advocate for the chapters and youth,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 speak about issues involving color, women of color, college students of color.鈥�
Her first job will be encouraging people to form chapters. Kansas doesn鈥檛 have a large population of minority students, especially in high schools and middle schools, Mitchell said.
鈥淚t can be hard for kids our age, when they鈥檙e impressionable and young, not having others of the same diversity 鈥� or having any diversity at all,鈥� Mitchell said.
鈥淧eople like me, people who are minorities, show them they can be a minority in a small place and still make a difference.鈥�
She knows what she鈥檚 talking about. Now from Alma, Neb., she lived in Phillipsburg, Kan., for several years, as well.
鈥淚 feel my strengths are communication and I鈥檓 very, very good with people,鈥� she said.
This job will give her a chance to meet many people. Besides traveling the state and going to state conferences, she plans to attend the NAACP National Convention in Las Vegas in July.
鈥淪he is one of our up-and-coming stars, and I have great confidence in her ability and believe she is the right person for this season of the Kansas College Chapters of the NAACP,鈥� said Rev. Allen Smith, who nominated Mitchell for the position.
Smith is president of the Salina NAACP and advisor for strategic initiatives at 黑料不打烊, as well as pastor at St. John鈥檚 Missionary Baptist Church in Salina.
鈥淚 believe this was a great opportunity for Sydney to grow and develop her voice in the arena of social justice,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淗er passion continues to shine through in everything she does, and I believe this will be another opportunity for her to let her light shine.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 just really excited to get started,鈥� Mitchell said. 鈥淚 am very honored and I feel very blessed that I get to represent Kansas Wesleyan, not just for Salina but for the state of Kansas.鈥�
Story by Jean Kozubowski
