The Black Student Union, Target Corp. and the Louisiana Children’s Defense Fund have teamed up in an effort to foster professional and community partnerships within LSU’s black community.
The Black Student Union hosted a reception Wednesday night celebrating the partnership and the opportunities it will offer to the University’s minority students.
“We are here tonight to uplift and invite students to reach out into the corporate world and the community,” said Erica Washington, a biological sciences junior and BSU education and outreach committee chair.
The partnership has been a personal goal of BSU President Brandon Smith since he attended a Children’s Defense Fund conference last summer. At the conference, he realized the connection between CDF and children of ethnic minorities is significant.
CDF is an organization committed to creating a world in which every child, regardless of economic and social situation, can have education, food and healthy living conditions, said Adren Wilson, head of the Louisiana Children’s Defense Fund.
“A disproportionate number of children who are affected by the ills that CDF addresses are minorities,” he said. “We need to make this campus aware of that.”
The relationship between CDF and BSU offers boundless possibilities, Wilson said.
“Together, we can work to ensure that every child has a fair start in life,” he said.
Raising University awareness about CDF is one of BSU’s most important goals for the year, Smith said. BSU plans to launch a publicity campaign on campus to inform students of CDF’s mission.
For Monique Breaux, a mass communication sophomore, reaching out to Louisiana’s children is imperative.
“LSU is not the only thing going on in the world,” Breaux said. “I want students to be aware that there is a political advocacy organization working to solve a very real problem in this state. Students need to get involved.”
The relationship Target Corp. offers University students is more exciting to Rachel Brown, a general studies senior.
“I just love that they offer job opportunities at a growing company within Louisiana,” she said. “I want to stay in this state and that’s going to be difficult, so I appreciate the opportunity Target is offering me.”
Charity Gherardini, assistant manager of Baton Rouge’s Target store, stressed the importance of diversity to Target.
“Some of the most bright people are bright because of their diverse background,” she said. “At Target, we need and want what diversity can offer.”
Gherardini, who attended a local Baton Rouge public school, said the lessons she learned from the school’s diverse student population were important to her education and her career.
“Diversity is good for the workplace,” she said. “We want every guest who walks in our door to feel like there is someone in our store like them.”
BSU learned that Target was launching a nationwide effort to increase diversity within the company two years ago, Smith said.
The company gave BSU a $5,000 grant last year. With the money, BSU will start the “Tiger Target Fellowship Program” this year.
The fellowship program will be open to minority students and will provide them with opportunities to network with employees of Target and instruct them on how to succeed in corporate America, Smith said.
“Target is interested in these students,” he said. “From the people who design their clothes to the people who market them, Target is seeking diversity. And we’re going to help provide that.”
For Smith, community and professional opportunities are what the University’s minority students need.
“We have a dedicated and committed interest to connecting students to the organizations,” he said. “We want to connect them with the real world – the real, diverse world.”