PURPOSE
ASO strives to create cultural awareness on campus of various cultures within Africa to enlighten Pitt students and contribute to the educational, cultural, and social climate of the University of Pittsburgh by providing an effective environment for students to network with and support one another.
MISSION STATEMENT
The University of Pittsburgh African Students Organization is an organization built on spreading the ideals and values of the various African cultures throughout the Pittsburgh community. Our mission is to inform others of these ideals and hope that others become excited about the various aspects of African culture. Our vision is to create a stronger network between our organization, our alumni and our community in order to assist in the development of innovative leaders.
OUR SPONSOR
FROM CRITICAL AND SYSTEMATIC STUDY of ancient through contemporary African and African Diasporan cultures, the African Studies Programs helps students to extract and evaluate clues on how to secure social justice against the pull of oppression, that is, how to achieve justice even in palpably unjust places where Africans on the Continent and in the Diaspora often live. Toward this end the curriculum and scholarship focuses on three cultural movements and three programmatic applications which underlie three departmental expectations.
RESOURCES
The Union of African Communities in South Western PA (UACSWPA)
UAC is an umbrella Organization for all African Communities in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Our activities are exclusively not-for-profit making. The union is constituted by leadership/representatives from 25 plus African Countries/communities (Immigrants, Refugees, Students, and Internationals) represented and living in this region.
Our Mission To foster unity, empowerment, linkages and improve the quality of life of Africans in Southwestern Pennsylvania, through acting upon the needs, concerns, challenges, and opportunities.
Our Vision To have a well informed, empowered and united African Communities in Southwestern Pennsylvania, entire United States and the African continent.
Our Goals/Objectives:
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To foster unity among African Community members.
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To empower and improve the quality of life of Africans in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
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To enhance linkages and bridge the gaps between Africans and other residents in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
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Identify community needs, concerns, and challenges and seek collaboration/partnership with other agencies to provide solutions.
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Create Awareness and provide a voice for Africans in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
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Promote African cultural heritage.
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Promote exchange programs and encourage business relationship with our respective African Countries.
PAN-AFRICAN GRADUATE & PROFESSIONAL STUDENT UNION
The PanAf GPSU philosophy is to design blueprints and build collaborative mechanisms for the Black community on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt). As a union of Pan-African organizations and administrative entities, we seek to network with all charitable, diversity, minority professional, National Pan-Hellenic Council’s sororities and fraternities, and cultural organizations. Our role is then to coordinate efforts that improve the quality of cross-cultural relationships and education for students of color in higher education. In effect, strengthening the Pan-African network allows us to collectively be of greater service to the cultural and research interests at Pitt.
By promoting community awareness, we aspire to protect and project a sense of community that celebrates the breadth of Pan-African diversity, while also guiding our network of groups within the union to support the same ideals. In essence, PanAf GPSU works to build bridges with Black scholars across schools and departments, while infusing campus-wide activities that support interdisciplinary connections and outward exposure into the city of Pittsburgh. At the same time, we exist to ensure that all Black graduate and professional students at Pitt have an organization directly receptive to their needs in the absence of a school and/or departmental level organization.