Pan-African Community Program Proposal

 Katelin Helen Shipp  

Thursday February, 26, 2026  

African American Literature  

Dr. Harris  

Pan-African Community Program Proposal  

 Main Text  

The community engagement program I envisioned was primarily influenced by Alan  Locke’s “Enter the New Negro”, as in this essay he describes a new type of African American  that is spiritually emancipated from social intimidation for they are occupied imagining “a new  vision of opportunity”. 101 years after this essay, African Americans may have improved their  socioeconomic standing, but have only strayed further from this “New Negro” Locke had  envisioned. In the contemporary era that we live in, Black Americans operate in survival mode,  self policing, dividing, disparaging, all while carrying a distorted sense of self that is formed by  outside perspectives. This division, policing and distortion is only exacerbated by social media,  which grants any opinionated person, whether right or wrong, productive or unproductive, a  platform to share and an audience that will listen. Locke describes the “Old Negro” as the topic  of discussion yet not involved in the discussion, facilitating this process through engaging in  social mimicry, a once necessary trait for survival. Code switching, and the assertion of non black values on black bodies is this same social mimicry, although it is no longer necessary in  modern society. Later in the passage, Alan Lock makes a statement that reigns true today even a  century later, “…lacking self-understanding, we have been almost as much of a problem to 

ourselves as we still are to others”. Determining belonging based on trivial differences, and  refusing to extend grace to another are learned behaviors forged in stringent conditions. These  methods of survival that were once necessary have severely inhibited the black community’s  ability to genuinely progress and truly understand everyone within the African Diaspora.  

Justification  

Simply recognizing that this thinking no longer serves us is meaningless if we do not a  make a sustained effort to evolve past it. In order to truly rid ourselves of this thought process we  must consistently make a conscious effort to foster community and encourage unity in the face of  division and differences. In bell hook’s “In Sisterhood: Political Solidarity Between Women”,  hooks asserts that solidarity among women is a radical thought as society indoctrinates women to  see one another as adversaries and discredits the importance of meaningful connections between  women. I believe the same can be applied to the black community, as society in the past has  blatantly encouraged division through the legal distinction of a “mulatto” race. Through fostering  genuine community across the African diaspora, we can progress shared goals, and challenge  governing systems that stall the social and economic development of the Diaspora. In an effort to  cultivate community among individuals with different genders, ages, values, beliefs, and  behaviors, I envisioned a program I refer to as SUWL, Standing United We Live. Through this  16 to 17 week long program I hope to foster a sense of belonging and understanding of ones’  place in the world by connecting with fellow participants who may share a similar disposition.  This program will mainly aim to educate participants of each others’ differences and beliefs 

surrounding various relevant topics to challenge the notion that a difference in opinions means  one or the another is inherently wrong.  

Target Audience 

The target audience for this program would be ages 16 and older. Because many of the  activities throughout the program will incorporate literature, media, and films that are suggestive  or explicit, 16 is the youngest age a participant can be. As long as older participants can  participate physically and communicate effectively, there is no age limit. Participants will be  divided into letter groups based on their ages 16-25 (F), 26-35 (A), 36-45 (M), 46-55 (I), 55-66  (L), and 67+ (Y), in an effort to facilitate the connection between peers, and clearly distinguish  groups that must connect further. Across the Diaspora, black people in different generations live  completely different realities due to the ever-evolving nature of the world. Each generation has  unique struggles and experiences that shape their perception and understanding, ones that other  generations often cannot begin to understand. Despite this, we can still work to try through open  discussion that is not about being right or wrong, but ensuring mutual understanding and respect  for individual opinions and beliefs.  

Structure  

The SUWL program will have a duration of four months, with two hour meetings every  Sunday at 1pm. There will be 4 participants within each letter group, making a total of 24  participants for each program. While program meetings will be exclusively held once a week,  participants will be encouraged, and later required to connect with other participants within and 

outside of their letter groups. Every meeting will be structured as the first hour being an  introduction and exploration of the topic and the second being a participant-led discussion that  will be moderated by a third-party person. During meetings 1 through 4 the topic will be  representation, exploring representation in politics, media, music, and literature. In weeks 5  through 7, relationships both personal and professional, and romantic will be explored and  discussed. Weeks 8 through 11 will consist of routines, sharing practices, cooking styles, games,  and stories that are culturally defined and unique to individuals. Weeks 12 to 14 will focus on  respect, teaching the origins of certain cultural practices and norms while providing a  background to current contemporary forms of expression. Weeks 15 to 17 will reflection on  meaningful experiences and culturally significant events as a closure to the program.  

Activities  

The activities will be consistent with the various Rs that will be explored throughout the  program. In the topic of Representation, there will be explorations of various forms black art and  literature created throughout the years, with discussions centered around how accurately the film  represents the black experience. Discussion will also be held around current representation  within politics and media. In the topic of Relationships, there will be activities that work to  identify participants love languages, and explore how to healthily develop various forms of  relationships. For the topic of Routine, there will be participant-led cooking lessons and games  that are culturally significant to participants. Respect will aim to foster a sense of cultural pride  and self-respect as groups will exchange stories and cultural teachings in order to establish a rich  understanding of their cultural backgrounds. During the Reflection and final meetings of the 

program, there will be scrapbooking and participant led presentations around culturally  significant events either ones within their lifetime or those that had a long-lasting impact. There  will also be time to reflect on the impact the program had on their perspective.  

Resources  

The program will provide the necessary resources for the activities so that participants do  not have to come out of pocket for them. This includes materials for reading, cooking lessons,  games, scrapbooking, and other creative expressions. The staff will be volunteer-based and will  provide light refreshments and snacks throughout the duration of the program. Funding to make  these resources available will be secured through donations and fundraisers that will occur  between programs.