by Scott Albright
Daily Lobo
Student Jahmelia Lindsay went to Coyolillo, Mexico, for a class during the summer.
"It was a transcendental experience," Lindsay said. "We wanted to get back."
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Lindsay is the president of Tercera Raiz, or Third Root, a student group dedicated to helping the international black community.
Lindsay said the group will bring donated computers to Mexico
in June.
Niki Gill, a member of the organization, said the summer trip gave her a chance to do one day of community service, which was
not enough.
"Kids recited poems, and we donated clothes, a bunch of school supplies," she said. "We walked around the school and looked for what they needed. We're trying to provide for them."
Gill said the group will spend four weeks doing community service on the June trip.
She said the community was poor but was getting better.
"They're content with what they're doing," she said. "One of the things I recognized is there are a lot of women. A lot of the men come to America to get work, and they send money back to their community. You can see the community slowly building up."
Gill said the group will bring hygiene products, toothpaste and women's products on the trip, as well as the computers.
She said the group got its charter this semester.
It held a fundraising event
Friday at the Guild Cinema.
It showed the movie "Favela Rising," a film about a squatter settlement struggling against violence and corruption in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
"We're just in the beginning stages," Gill said. "This was our first fundraiser, and we sold out."
Finnie Coleman, director of African-American Studies, said he was impressed with the group.
"There's some really brilliant leadership in that group," Coleman said.
Coleman said he met his wife on a similar trip when he was teaching at Texas A&M University. The trip expanded his knowledge of the history of international black
culture.
"I had no idea how strong the connections were between blacks in Mexico and blacks here in the United States and blacks across the black diaspora," Coleman said. "It was a life-changing experience."
Ivan Puentes, who attended the fundraiser, said the main goal was to help people out.
"When you get blessed, you have to give it back," Puentes said.
Lindsay said more donations would be appreciated for the group's cause.
"We're an organization that wants to travel, and we want to help people," she said. "We appreciate any support."
Lindsay said new members are welcome, and anyone interested in the group can go to its meetings on the fourth floor of Mesa Vista Hall on Tuesdays at 12:15 p.m.
Lindsay said the group's target amount for the trip is $10,000. She said it will have more fundraisers throughout the year.
