Grit, Grace and Growth (3G) is a new student organization on Howard’s campus focused on open conversation, creativity and community building.
The organization was founded by Ruth Atta, a musical theatre major and theater arts administration minor from Harlem, New York.
The organization aims to give students a place to discuss social issues in a safe space with dignity and respect. Atta said the idea came from years of learning to build relationships without technology.
“When I was growing up every summer, I used to go to a summer camp in Otisville, Maine, where I wasn’t allowed to have my phone,” she said. “I had to find other ways to connect with people. Creativity, talking, being present — those things shaped who I am.”
Atta said the name reflects the process she hopes students experience within the organization.
“Grit is about having hard and honest conversations,” she said. “Grace is about being empathetic even after those conversations. Growth is the empowerment we get from being vulnerable with each other.”
She said 3G fills a gap she felt on campus.
“There are spaces for activism and spaces for art,” Atta said. “But I wanted a space where those
things could blend without pressure, without feeling like you have to perform.”
Atta explained that the group started small with conversations between close friends where she explained what she wanted to create
She said one moment early in the semester confirmed the organization’s purpose.
Atta said she hopes the organization continues long after she graduates.
“I want to see 3G at different schools,” she said. “I want people to use this platform to express themselves through film, photography, conversation, whatever speaks to them.”
Atta added that she wants people to know the organization is open to anyone interested in community.
Marcus Pollard, a junior theatre administration major and dance minor from Clinton, Mississippi, serves as the historian for the organization. He said Grit, Grace and Growth is a place where students can express themselves openly.
“I would describe [3G] as an organization where students are free to voice their opinions and come together to find a safe space to talk,” Pollard said. “Even at a prestigious HBCU like Howard, we still have our own troubles, our trials, our day-to-day challenges.”
Pollard said the organization’s recurring event Common Spark has become central to its mission. The event provokes thought and prospective shifting conversation as people speak their truth, share their point of views, engage with the community, etc. every other Thursday.
“It is where students can come together, voice their opinions, and see things from different perspectives,” he said.
He said he stepped into an executive board role because he wanted to help build the organization
from the ground up.
“I wanted to preserve the history, the constitution, the first meetings, the signatures,” Pollard said. “All of that matters when you are starting something new.”
Pollard said the organization hopes to increase visibility during its first full year.
“Our main goal is to put ourselves out there and gain more traction,” he said. “We have been posting on Instagram, doing community service cleanups, opening applications, even doing photo shoots.”
Pollard said students can expect creative projects in the coming months.
“We are trying to cast and find people to help with a short film we are producing,” he said. “Next
semester there will be more films, more photo shoots, more events.”
Pollard said balancing Fine Arts commitments with launching a new organization has been challenging.
He said the process has also required patience.
“We do not have experience starting an organization from scratch,” he said. “But we are patient with ourselves and with each other because we know how much this can grow.”
He said he hopes the campus recognizes 3G as something unique.
“I want people to say they have never been a part of something like this,” he said. “Something
that gave them confidence, connections, and a new experience.”
Sophomore musical theatre major Gabrielle Oliver said she joined to engage more deeply in social issues.
“I am always interested in what our generation is dealing with,” Oliver said. “3G gives us space to talk about it and be creative about it.”
Oliver said she first heard about the organization from a friend who invited her to go to Common Spark and the space has given her room to understand her own voice.
“I went and felt welcomed immediately. It feels warm. You walk in and people actually care about what you think,” she said. “I want to learn what is happening in our world and how I can be part of the change.”
She also said participating has helped her form new connections on campus.
Oliver said she hopes more students take advantage of the space 3G offers.
She encouraged other students to remain open to new experiences.
“Follow your heart,” she said. “Take care of yourself. Do not let fear stop you from trying something new.”
Pollard ended with a message he hopes students will carry beyond Howard.
“You have to be comfortable being uncomfortable in order to grow,” he said. “It may be uncomfortable trying something new, working with people you do not know, or stepping into leadership, but that is where growth happens.”
Copy edited by D’Nyah Jefferson – Philmore
