The Black Rose Society blooms in the Kean community
By Sade Cox
What started as “just an idea,” is blossoming into a different kind of womanhood on campus. The women of The Black Rose Society of Kean University offer an excellent opportunity for women of all nationalities on campus to change society’s views on women today.
The club was first introduced in Fall 2013 and has been going steady this semester. The Black Rose Society’s purpose is to build up women intellectually and financially through developing a support system for young woman in college. Tiara Lewis, a Nathan Weiss graduate student studying conflict resolution and communication, is the president and the founder of the club.
“When I first started Kean in 2006, I didn’t really know anything about Kean,” said Lewis. “But when I came here I had a faculty member who was a really good mentor to me, and she helped me get through the earlier years. I thought maybe it would be better if someone else was able to help the younger women to understand that you can actually go further than what people think you are capable of.”
The club invites all women of every ethnicity and grade level to join. Their mission is to educate, enlighten, and uplift young women of all ethnicities from a high school freshman to a college senior by mentoring younger women.
“A rose comes in a variety of colors; women come in all walks of life,” Latysha Gaines, club advisor, said. “I encourage women to join clubs on campus to meet new people and build a sisterhood while you are in college.”
The Black Rose Society covers a variety of topics including finances, societal issues, double standards amongst women, success tips, how to uplift one another, and hosts of topics about campus life.
The club currently has 17 active student members. The Black Rose Society executive board members are Danielle Ingram as vice president, Deanna Hailstork as secretary and Brittany Fortson as public relations representative.
The Black Rose Society is at its early stages here at Kean, and the club represents the rose and separates into three parts to represent the transitional stages of going from a girl, to a young lady, to a woman. The club is a mentorship program for sisterhood and assists in equipping young ladies today to become women of tomorrow.
The mentors of Black Rose Society instill in young women the importance of embracing, building up, and encouraging one another through sisterhood and community service. The club strives to develop better peer to peer relationships while preparing young ladies with the knowledge and preparation for everyday living in college.
The club motto derives the lyrics of an Aretha Franklin song, “A rose is still a rose, but baby girl you’re still a flower.”
The Black Rose Society desires young women to become better women, leaders, and friends. Students interested in finding more information on the Black Rose Society are encouraged to inquire through the Cougar Link account.
The club meets every Thursday for their general body meetings from 3:30-4:30 p.m.