FSU NAACP and GPE Organize Charity Fashion Show

FSU organizations hope to raise awareness about critical issues in Africa
Shay Filkill
Issue date: 12/3/07

The Miscellaneous Fashion Group modeled several different styles during the Rwanda segment of the FSU NAACP Crisis Couture Charity Fashion Show held Saturday night in the Union ballrooms.

Several different styles of clothing were modeled to represent some of the different conflicts in Africa at the NCAACP Crisis Couture Charity Fashion Show.

Several different styles of clothing were modeled to represent some of the different conflicts in Africa at the NCAACP Crisis Couture Charity Fashion Show.

(Far left) Ms. Shakira Williams performed a vocal selection during the Darfur, Sudan segment of the Crisis Couture Charity Fashion Show.

Several different styles of clothing were modeled to represent some of the different conflicts in Africa at the NCAACP Crisis Couture Charity Fashion Show.In honor of World AIDS Day, Saturday, Dec. 1, the Florida State University chapter of the NAACP hosted the First Annual Crisis Couture Charity Fashion Show and one of the goals of this event was to raise money and awareness for the One Here… One There, a program dedicated to covering the costs of children's education in Saharan Africa.The event was co-sponsored by the FSU Office of Multicultural Affairs, the African Student Association and the Global Peace Exchange in order to raise awareness about One Here… One There and other critical issues in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the One Here… One There Web site, "educating just a few children in one school will make a difference to the long term health and well-being of one local community. When tens of thousands of African youth are educated, stability in Africa will be a closer reality." The One Here… One There organization was founded by a mother of three college students who wanted to give less fortunate children the chance to receive an education."We're not actually looking for a certain amount," said FSU junior and FSU NAACP Secretary Amanda Spann, who organized the Crisis Couture Charity Fashion Show. "We're just asking students to give what they can. We understand times are hard, but any amount helps."Spann, a Fashion Merchandising major, organized the event by combining video clips, speeches, power point slides, dances, songs and modeling. Some of the models wore their own designs, while some wore clothes donated by Rag Junkie and Edwin Mackey."This is something (that) we're focusing on; it's one of our initiatives for the year," said FSU junior and President of the FSU Chapter of the NAACP Marvis Barnes of the event's goal to raise money for One Here… One There. Barnes added that their goal for this year is approximately $3,000.One Here… One There targets college students so they can donate money to help send an African student to school. About $20 can send a student to school for an entire year and also test them for HIV/AIDS. Some universities are even able to include the donation with their tuition bill to make it even easier for college students to donate. One Here… One There was brought to FSU by James Arinaitwe, who lived in Uganda until he entered high school. The current president of the FSU African Student Association, he then came to the United States to continue his education. A performance by Miscellaneous Fashion Group, dedicated to the 1994 conflict in Rwanda, kicked off the event. Some models wore outfits that looked like traditional African outfits and some wore military clothes to represent both sides. According to a speech about the conflict between the Hutu and the Tutsi tribes, about a million people were murdered and half a million women were raped. The Global Peace Exchange is, according to their pamphlet that was handed out at the event, "an initiative to coordinate and expand the service based exchange opportunities for students throughout the world." Next summer, for example, a group of 20 students are going to Rwanda to construct the Umuryango Technical School for Orphans in Rwanda. The school will not only provide an elementary education to children that have been orphaned by AIDS, the current conflicts going on or other means.After the segment on Rwanda, was a section on Uganda, FSU student Ecclesiaste Guerrier put on a spoken word performance that was followed by a video interviewing children and young adults that had been mutilated by machetes, lost limbs and siblings and had been forced to kill other people. Several people were moved nearly to tears. The next segment of the program focused on Darfur. After the Darfur presentation, there was a fashion set performed by Elite Modeling Troupe that illustrated some great clothes and helped lighten the mood a little in the Union Ballrooms. "We know that people aren't always aware of the things that are going on cause-wise," said Barnes. "So we thought that using the fashion with the purpose and the meaning of showing people about the importance of what's going on."Next was an intermission, with a vocal selection performed by Shakira Williams and was followed by a performance by the African Student Association Dance Troupe.The last segment of the evening discussed the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa. Arinaitwe gave an inspirational speech on his life in Uganda and his desire to help Uganda as a doctor someday. "We're just hoping to increase awareness and to educate people," said Spann. "We have an obligation to help our fellow man and educate ourselves."For more information on the One Here… One There organization, visit OneHereOneThere.org.