Support Student Driven Scholarship Campaign

View closed captioned version of the video here.

UPDATE:

Exciting news! An anonymous donor has put forth a matching gift donation up to $50,000 for this campaign. Give today and double your donation!

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“What side of history do you want to be on?” 

Dear friends: 

Our names are Zakariya Abdullahi and Mallory Ferguson - seniors at Minnesota's first university where the majority of students are people of color. Augsburg University serves our community and we are proud to be a part of this student-led fundraising effort. 

Why are we excited to do this?

Like many of you, we’ve experienced firsthand the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our administration, faculty, and staff are working to offer some semblance of normalcy, but campus life is peculiar right now. 

Like many of you, we’ve experienced the social unrest following the death of George Floyd. Our campus is minutes away from the destruction the world witnessed during the unrest in Minneapolis. Many of our fellow students, their families, and their friends call the Twin Cities home and are facing difficulties due to violence, lost jobs, and disrupted communities. 

Like many of you, we believe that it’s vital right now to do our part in creating immediate and systemic change. 

Building upon the critical work of Augsburg alumni involved with “One Day in May” following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we invite you to join our efforts to raise funding for scholarships for students involved with the Pan-Afrikan Center and future scholarships for the newly announced Critical Race and Ethnic Studies department.

Your support will have an impact on students to help shape a diverse university that honors, respects, and advocates for the lives, histories, and traditions of all. 

In solidarity, 

Zakariya Abdullahi ’21 & Mallory Ferguson ’21

ABOUT ZAKARIYAH ABDULLAHI

Zakariya is a Political Science and International Relations double major. He is currently the President of the Pan Afrikan Student Union and actively involved with his Somali community in Minnesota. Zakariya also works to build community at Augsburg through experiences such as educational development and debate coaching. 

ABOUT MALLORY FERGUSON

Mallory is a Communications and Film double major from the South Side of Chicago. Mallory owns his own freelance photography and videography business which gives him many opportunities to make community connections and be philanthropic.

ABOUT THE PAN-AFRIKAN CENTER

The Pan-Afrikan Center at Augsburg University promotes programs that support the personal, social, and academic success of students of African descent. Our programs focus on exploring Black identity, education, advocacy, and community building. We strive to develop leaders that will contribute to social progress, democracy, and create sustainable changes in our communities. Find out more here.

RECENT NEWS ABOUT THE CRITICAL RACE AND ETHNICITY STUDIES DEPARTMENT

The M. Anita Gay Hawthorne Professor of Critical Race and Ethnicity Studies was created on the recommendation of a working group of students, faculty, and staff who advanced, simultaneously, a vision for the creation of a new academic department in critical race and ethnicity studies at Augsburg University. The professorship aims to honor senior faculty with an extensive record of achievement, as well as a deep commitment to critical race and ethnicity studies. It seeks to embody the student and community orientation embedded in critical race and ethnicity studies. It aims to make concrete Augsburg’s commitment to critical race and ethnicity studies as a formal and significant component of Augsburg’s undergraduate and graduate curricula. It honors the legacy of Margaret Anita Gay Hawthorne (“Anita”), who drew upon the concept of Pan-Afrikanism to create a program at Augsburg unique to any college in the country. Read more here. 

ABOUT ONE DAY IN MAY

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968. His untimely death spawned great chaotic confusion. Rebellions exploded across American cities like never before. One part of this story is the revelation that took place at Augsburg during these tumultuous times. In response to Dr. King’s assassination and the political, cultural, and social chaos that followed, Augsburg conceived the idea of “One Day In May”. Read more here.

ABOUT AUGSBURG UNIVERSITY 

Augsburg University educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. The Augsburg Experience is supported by an engaged community that is committed to intentional diversity in its life and work. An Augsburg education is defined by excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies, guided by the faith and values of the Lutheran church, and shaped by its urban and global settings. Read more here.