Page 9 - The Fayetteville Press Newspaper February 2021

The Fayetteville Press February/March 2021 Edition Page 9

Lafayette Society Establishes an Endowment at FSU

by Hank Parfitt,
(910) 678-8899
President
Lafayette Society
For more than 150 years,
Fayetteville State University (FSU)
has provided a quality education
for the citizens of this city, state and
nation as the second-oldest public
institution in the prestigious Univer-
sity of North Carolina System. The
Lafayette Society of Fayetteville is
honored to establish “The
LaFayette Society Endowed
Scholarship” to help FSU continue
its legacy of learning, teaching, and
scholarship.

The Lafayette Society was
founded in 1981 with an educa-
tional goal of promoting a better
understanding of Lafayette’s im-
portance in American history and
his advocacy for Emancipation and
equality for all human kind. As part
of it civic mission, the Lafayette
Society also supports activities
within our community that encour-
age leadership, patriotism, and
generosity - traits exemplified by
Lafayette throughout his life. Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin presents the FSU Black History Scholars with copies of historian Stanley Idzerda’s France and the American War for Independence at the
Lafayette Society’s annual meeting and luncheon social on March 1. The late Dr. Idzerda was Editor-in-Chief of the Lafayette Papers Project at Cornell University, taught at Michigan
State University, served as Dean at Wesleyan University, and as President of the Catholic College of St. Benedict in Minnesota. (Photo by Linda McAlister, Lafayette Society)
Lafayette left France to fight
for our country’s freedom in the all mankind and he vigorously opposed slavery and oppression in all its forms. In that spirit, the Lafayette Society has established the Lafayette Fund for the Study
American Revolution at the age of of the Age of Revolutions, Emancipation, and Civil Rights at FSU. The purpose of this fund is to encourage scholarly study of the history of the Americas from
only nineteen and served as a the 1790s to the present with an emphasis on the Black experience.
Major General under George
Washington. Because of his influ- The Lafayette Society has already funded a lending library for students and sponsored guest speakers on campus about Lafayette and his support of human
ence with King Louis XVI, he was rights and another about the Haitian Revolution. We also decided to start an endowment to assure the sustainability of our support of FSU students. Proceeds from
able to persuade the powerful na- the endowment will go toward educational programming and grants in partnership with the Black History Scholars Association.
tion of France to join us as an ally.
Lafayette’s leadership was key to The endowment must reach $25,000 before it can be tapped and it must be fully funded within five years. To reach that goal, the Lafayette Society itself is
our victory at the Battle of donating $2000 a year and is leading a fundraising campaign. We are over halfway to that goal in less than two years thanks to the generosity of others. Jimmy Harvey,
Yorktown in 1781, which decided radio host at WIDU and a donor himself, has graciously given us airtime on the radio to talk about Lafayette, his support of human rights, and the goals of the Lafayette
the outcome of the war in our fa- Society.
vor. We hope readers will visit www.lafayettesociety.org for more information and click on the “outreach” button for a direct link to FSU to donate, then scroll

After he returned to France, down the alphabetical listing to “LaFayette Society Endowed Scholarship.” You may also send a check, written to the endowment, to FSU Advancement Services,
Lafayette fought for equal rights for 1200 Murchison Road, Fayetteville NC 28301.

“My MBA from FSU

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nd
- 2 Lt. Dwayne “Duke” Bostic, ’19

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Whether you’re transitioning out of the military, dealing with frequent deployments,
or balancing your work, school and family life as a military spouse, Fayetteville State

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