HU2U Podcast: A Legacy of Paying It Forward: 30 Years of Howard's Alternative Spring Break

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Publishing Date: August 27, 2024

A Legacy of Paying It Forward: 30 Years of Howard's Alternative Spring Break

[00:00:00] Autumn Coleman: Throughout the 30-year history of Alternative Spring Break, or ASB for short, Howard University students have demonstrated that community service does not have to be exclusively for your own community. When was the last time you’ve offered help to someone in need? Did you do it without thinking about what you might get in return? If so, then you already know a thing or two about how Howard University students spend their spring break.

Traveling to different locations within the country, participants of Rankin Chapel’s Alternative Spring Break committed their week-long break to serving different communities. ASB’s mission is embedded in Howard’s model of truth and service. The yearly event seeks to involve students in meaningful service project, develop the next generation of servant leaders. Let’s dig into it.

Welcome to the HU2U Podcast, where we’re bringing today’s important topics and stories from Howard University right to you. I’m your host, Autumn Coleman, student correspondent for university communications. And I’m here today to spotlight one of Howard’s traditions as it turns 30 years old this year.

This year’s theme was “A Legacy of Paying it Forward: 30 Years of Service,” which commemorates the decades of service in communities throughout the globe. Weeks ahead of the trips, students applied to participate in ASB by filling out an online form and specifying their preferences for different community initiatives that are dictated by the needs of each city available. The available initiatives vary from youth holistic wellness, environmental justice, to violence prevention, and developing pathways to food stability. Each location takes months of preparation for the Chapel’s team of site coordinators who lead these trips once students reach their destination. As students themselves, site coordinators for responsible for each day’s itinerary, relaying the initiatives of youth empowerment and social justice.

For the Chicago trip, Alina Britt, a junior, was one of two site coordinators on the service trip to Chicago, with roughly 100 participants.

[00:02:11] Alina Britt: We started working on it back in October. I want to say, right before winter break, we found out where we were going. And then it was like crunch time. We got to plan this, make these calls, we have to send these emails. There were a lot of times where I was like, “Okay, I'm drained,” because it would either be during, like, finals or, like, midterms. And it would be a lot, but at the end of the day, I knew, I remembered my purpose, I remember my why, and I just kept going with that.

[00:02:37] Autumn Coleman: Britt continues and explains her process in scheduling service opportunities around the Chicago area. Her drive is attached to a desire for participants to get the most out of their ASB experience.

[00:02:49] Alina Britt: I had a vision for how I wanted this trip to go. And I want to keep in mind that it's also spring break and I want to keep in mind that this is also a service trip. I was like, “Okay, people like music, people like instruments, let's do this.” So, with, like, all these ideas in mind, it's just like, whatever I want to do, we can do it. It's going to be like I want to make it something beautiful.

Reaching out to these people and saying that you're from Howard University, like, hold up. Hold up, Howard University? Yes. Yes. You're serving? Yes. So, it was never like I got a hard no from anyone.

[00:03:29] Autumn Coleman: For the last 30 years, the week-long service committed by Howard students has had an impact among the communities served. Deborah Boatwright has been a trip advisor for Alternative Spring Break for the last 15 years. Each year, Boatwright has traveled to Chicago to help facilitate Howard students in their service.

[00:03:53] Deborah Boatwright: I got my start with ASB when I used to work for the former president of the university, Sidney Ribeau. So, Dr. P, that's what we called his wife. She came in and she was a strong proponent for students first. And then when she found out about ASB, she jumped right in. We got together. We started planning from there. And since I was working in the office of the president, they're recruiting people to go to sites as an advisor. And I was like, “Oh, my god, I'm scared. I don't know, Dr. P, if I can do that. I don't know if I could be the chaperone of 50 students, effectively give them guidance.” And I said, “Why would they listen to me, you know, because they’re students, you know?”

But she went out, told me, said, “Ms. Boatwright, you can do it.” She brought me up here prior to me, coming. We flew up in one day, met, and went to different sites. I met the people at the sites. I felt more comfortable. So, then, when I came back up with the students on the bus, later in the year, I had already, you know, acclimated myself as to the things that we had to do and to actually how to navigate that situation. So, since then, it's been rewarding.

[00:05:09] Autumn Coleman: The amount of thought put into planning the experience of Alternative Spring Break shows up in the participants’ experiences. Sophomore, Mecca Moore, says her ASB experience was eye-opening for her.

[00:05:27] Mecca Moore: Just, like, being in the different environments, like, the first place we went was the school in Dunn Elementary. And it was really cool because, at first, like, the kids were, kind of, like, in their own worlds, they weren't really talking that much. I got to, like, walk around. And then when I really started interacting with the kids, there was this young boy. He, like, was struggling to do his work. And so, I wouldn't, like, tell him what the answer was, even though, like, I could've. But I, kind of, like, asked him questions so he could figure it out on his own. So, it was really nice to, like, just see how kids interact and learn different.

[00:05:55] Autumn Coleman: The love was seemingly mutual between Howard students and the sites they visit. Emily Summers is a director of engagement and major gifts for Ignite Chicago, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating promise for youth experiencing homelessness in the Chicago area. This is the second year that Ignite has hosted Howard students for their ASB service trip.

[00:06:16] Emily Summers: Last year, you all came and helped us keep our space beautiful for our clients. We did a talking circle about college experience, and it helped expose some of our clients who were thinking about college or, maybe, were still in high school to the benefits and the, kind of, scope of experience that they could have in college.

And today, you are helping us beautify our wonderful neighborhood of Bronzeville, which is so important because we know that, if you look around and the community you're in feels cared for, you feel like you want to care for it and you want to care for yourself.

[00:06:50] Autumn Coleman: Another location for service in the Garfield Park area of Chicago, a community music center opened its doors to Howard students to aid in inventory for a year’s worth of well-loved instruments. Howard Sandifer is the executive director and co-founder of the music center, alongside his wife, Darlene Sandifer, who is the co-founder and managing director. Their program’s purpose is to uplift the community’s mindset with the power of music.

[00:07:17] Howard Sandifer: We’ve been wanting to do an inventory of all of our equipment for years. And so, your assistance has been very, very invaluable today. And really, a group of energetic, intelligent, helpful students came in today, and we're very proud that you guys were here.

[00:07:34] Autumn Coleman: The Chicago West Community Music Center fights to build a strong community through music education.

[00:07:39] Howard Sandifer: 90% of the folks who take lessons here are in scholarships. So, we're not a completely free organization, but we try to provide the highest quality music education.

[00:07:48] Autumn Coleman: Every ASB site is outfitted with coordinators and team leads. Team leads, who are also students, assist site coordinators in making their image come to life. Whether it’s the keeping everyone’s energy up on long days or reminding students of their why, ASB team leads, such as senior Melvin McLawhorn, play an important role in making the ASB experience what it is.

[00:08:12] Melvin McLawhorn: I wanted to, kind of, create a capstone before I go out into the real world, per se, just to give back to my community. I could have spent any of my time, especially my break, maybe out partying or anything, but truth and service has always been instilled in me. So, I couldn't find any way better to spend my time.

[00:08:32] Autumn Coleman: Throughout ASB’s 30 years of existence, the motto of truth and service still rings true. The service conducted at each site during the week of Alternative Spring Break offers needed help to communities across the country and worldwide. People such as Howard and Darlene Sandifer and Emily Summers see first hand the impact Howard University students can have on their respective organizations.

Community work is a need that is never quite satisfied, but Howard students rose to the occasion, synced on the task of community engagement for communities across Chicago, with truth in their hearts and service in their minds.

Thanks for listening to this episode of HU2U, the Howard University Podcast, where we bring today’s important topics and stories from the yard right to you. I’m Autumn Coleman, and we hope you’ll listen to us again soon. HU! You know!