Ancestors Dream Initiative is on a mission to support student-led organizations, preserve cultural traditions and facilities—without dependence on state-directed funding. Every dollar moves us closer to reclaiming the legacy we built on campus.

At a time when support for multicultural programs are being stripped away, your contribution to Ancestors Dream Initiative is more than a donation — it’s a declaration. We are not waiting for change. We are creating it. 

three reasons why your support matters:

  1. Our Programs, Our traditions, Our Responsibility

In response to Florida House Bill 999 and Senate Bill 266, Florida universities have had to enact major changes that impact programs historically created to support and celebrate Black students. These laws prohibit public institutions from using state or federal funds to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

As a result:

  • All DEI positions and offices at UF have been eliminated

  • Staff support for identity-centered student organizations has been withdrawn

  • Student-led groups are now left without essential resources or guidance

Student organizations have long been vital to leadership development, cultural celebration, and academic success. Events at risk include, but are not limited to:

  • Black Student Assembly

  • Black History Month Events

  • Black Community Awards

  • Umoja Graduation

These programs have been instrumental in providing spaces where Black students found their voices, built communities, and celebrated their heritage. To ensure that current and future students continue to have access to these transformative experiences, alumni support is more crucial than ever. Your contribution can help sustain these vital programs and affirm the university's commitment to diversity and inclusion.

2. Black Student Recruitment Efforts must continue

The UF Association of Black Alumni (ABA) has long played a vital role in shaping UF’s Black student experience—especially through recruitment.

For years, ABA organized impactful outreach efforts, including:

  • Annual Black Student Recruitment Conference

  • Invitation-only campus visits for Black students

  • Destination ABA – Local alumni-hosted events welcoming admitted students before decision day

Today, UF can no longer support dedicated Black student recruitment efforts. Despite increased interest from Black students, enrollment has stalled:

  • Black undergraduate applications rose by 83% (Fall 2012–Fall 2022)

  • Yet enrollment has remained flat—around 500–600 students per cycle

Without culturally relevant recruitment and support programs, this gap is likely to widen.

With the state’s withdrawal from these recruitment efforts, the responsibility now falls on alumni and community supporters to continue the legacy of outreach, mentorship, and culturally relevant engagement for prospective and current Black students. Your donation can help bridge this gap, ensuring that Black students have access to the opportunities and support systems that have historically been instrumental in their academic and personal success at UF.

3. We Are Keepers of the Dream

This is not about charity. It’s about community care. About keeping our traditions alive when legislation won’t. About ensuring the next generation of Black Gators know they belong—and know that their community stands behind them.

Your donation to Ancestors Dream Initiative directly funds:

  • Student-led organizations and cultural programming

  • Leadership development and legacy preservation

  • Campus celebrations, service initiatives, and community impact

  • Operational and organizational expenses that keep the mission moving

These initiatives are more than events—they are a form of resilience, and remembrance. By giving, you affirm that our traditions are worth sustaining, our students are worth investing in, and our legacy is worth protecting.

As Dream Keepers, we take care of our own. Let’s ensure Black organizations on campus—our legacy—knows we have their back.