The Association of Black Princeton Alumni (ABPA) has launched a fundraising campaign to cover the organization’s operational costs and move away from a dues-based system. Following a soft launch in July 2021, the Adam C. Henry ’91 Fund fully rolled out this July with a goal of $100,000. As of early September, more than $40,000 had been raised.
This shift in funding is an opportunity for more alumni to get involved with the affinity group and to support the needs of the organization moving forward, says ABPA president Eric Plummer ’10. “What we saw over time was that the idea of dues, people paying or not paying dues, became restrictive to people’s willingness or ability to engage with ABPA,” he says. “We thought it was an artificial barrier.” Annual dues were $30 a year, or members could pay a one-time lifetime membership fee of $500, according to Plummer.
The fund was seeded by Karen Jackson-Weaver ’94 and John “Jay” Weaver ’92 as a graduation gift in honor of their daughter, Adia Grace Weaver ’21. This fundraiser will support ABPA events at Homecoming, Alumni Day, and Reunions, as well as fund regional events and guest speakers, and support alumni by offsetting the costs to return to campus for events.
Plummer says he hopes future generations are able to operate ABPA without worrying about funding. “We’re the oldest affinity group at the University (founded in 1972) and being able to make sure this affinity group exists well beyond any of us being here is the goal of this fund.”