AHSA REFLECTIONS

Whoopi Goldberg
We're here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark.

American Humanics is a national alliance of colleges, universities, and nonprofits; our mission is to educate, prepare, and certify professionals to strengthen and lead nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit organizations have a history of providing services for communities where the government cannot or will not. We have chosen to be active members of this organization so that we can become not only leaders for America and the global community like Howard has trained us to be, but to be leaders for America’s nonprofits as well. We aim to lead our communities out of the darkness of improper education, lack of financial opportunity, and positive knowledge awareness of not only our own culture but that of others as well. We hope to be the torches that lead our people into the light.

Jesse Owens: Quotations: Responsibility
We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.

Determination, dedication, self-discipline and effort are characteristics that have been passed down to us from generations of family members. Their personal responsibility has allowed us to grow and flourish as members of this prestigious university. We hope to make the dreams of our ancestors a reality by employing these characteristics and understanding our responsibility to ourselves, our families, and our communities.
Martin Luther King, Jr.: Quotes: Helping
Life's most urgent question is: What are you doing for others?
Martin Luther King, Jr. challenged the entire nation by asking what are we doing for others. What we gain in material goods in this life is not important, its what we do for our people spiritually, mentally, and theoretically that will have a lasting impression on the community and its future. This organization embodies a credo of working for others. We are working to be leaders but not your average leader, your servant leader, a leader who works for the good and betterment of a community and people and not for glorification or recognition.
The Reverend Jesse Jackson, American Civil Rights Leader: Quotes: Helping
Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up.
It is imperative that we remain humble as future leaders in the nonprofit community. Just as the resilient culture of New Orleans remains intact despite a 18 month long period of discouragement and disappointment through the humble and gracious members of the community, we must employ these same character traits as we help change and inspire a community of degraded, despised, and loathed people. Not strangers, but family. Not enemies, but friends. Not immigrants, but ancestors. Our people…African Americans, members of the African Diaspora. No one is any better than anyone else in this cycle of empowerment, we all play a significant role in turning things around for our community.
Thurgood Marshall: Quotes: Helping
None of us has gotten where we are solely by pulling ourselves up from our own bootstraps. We got here because somebody bent down and helped us.
We recognize the fact that none of us would be here if it was solely up to our own efforts to make it here. Each of us has a support system inclusive of family, friends, and community members that have helped us get to where we are now. As we commemorate the work we have done throughout the last academic year, we recognize and appreciate all the inspiration, support, and encouragement that we have received from everyone in this room. We thank Ms. Jones for her dedication to the success of our organization year after year. We thank our board for supporting us through monetary gifts and notes of encouragement. We thank all of our community members for supporting our efforts and supporting the programs we are a part of in the community.

As members of American Humanics Student Association – Howard Chapter we know that service isn’t about padding one’s resume, it isn’t about doing things so that one might be proud and arrogant about it. But it is the dawning realization of to the greater understanding our humanity, our fragility and a greater appreciation of the great lives that so many of us lead and deem to be “normal” – when it pretty much is extraordinary in its own respect relative to many other individuals around the world. "