In honor of Black History Month 2018, the Tufts Chapter of Student National Dental Association (SNDA) spent the month of February celebrating over a variety of professional development, community service, and social events. SNDA’s guiding theme as an organization this year is “Stronger, Together.” This motto was chosen to reflect the growing number of individuals from underrepresented backgrounds within the TUSDM student body and the collective strength, skills, and leadership we are striving to contribute within the greater Tufts community.
Matthew Downes (D20) reflects: “SNDA kicked off the month by taking it back to our roots with a fun African Dance Class at The Dance Complex in Cambridge, and then followed with a fundraiser for our Global Service Learning Trip to Haiti that will take place this August. “Love and Happiness,” a community service event, provided us with the opportunity to come together and make dozens of heartfelt cards that were delivered to inpatients of the Tufts Floating Hospital for Children just in time for Valentine’s Day. One of our most popular events, Paint Night, took on a new spin in honor of Black History Month: we painted beautiful portraits of the Sankofa bird, a symbol within African Diaspora culture which symbolizes the importance of reaching back to one’s roots in order to see the way for the future. As we closed out the month, we hosted enjoyed the first-ever SNDA Black Alumni Career Panel, gaining advice, wisdom, and encouragement from five dynamic Tufts alumni who have paved the way for members of our organization to be Tufts Dental students today. With raffles, live entertainment, and of course, delicious soul food, our 2018 Annual Black History Dinner was the perfect culmination to what was an unforgettable month of reflection and celebration of both our past and present as descendants of the African, Afro-Caribbean, and African-American trailblazers! Black History Month 2018 showed us that as individuals, we may be able to go fast, but together, we are able to go FAR. SNDA is indeed STRONGER, TOGETHER!”
