Blaire Jones, a junior biology major, hosted an “I Have a Dream” clothing drive during MLK Day weekend. Her idea was born from underclassmen expressing their concerns regarding professional wear.
Over winter break, Jones spoke to her freshman mentees, many of whom asked for advice on the type of professional attire they should get for the upcoming semester and summer break.
“It made me realize that as a freshman, especially here at Howard [University], I definitely understand how we are not equipped with the proper professional attire,” Jones said. “At Howard, you definitely need those essential pieces to be successful and walk into spaces like meetings and interviews.”
The conversations with her mentees motivated her to do a professional clothing drive targeting freshmen.
She recalled seeing boxes throughout campus, such as in the dorms and Blackburn, but most of the time, there wasn’t much in them. Jones knew that an extra step had to be done in order to attract students.
Jones mentioned that it’s not that people don’t have anything to donate, but rather that it’s easy to walk past an empty box and not read the flyer, and that there isn’t much that’s engaging about a box sitting in solitude. Jones had to consider how to make people come to her box, making the experience more interactive and engaging.
“I’m gonna have a box and I’m gonna have a flyer, but I need to be sitting out there with the box so I can kind of engage with the students and explain to them what exactly this drive is,” Jones said.
Jones posted a promotion video to Instagram on MLK Day, bringing attention to the drive and encouraging people to donate. The next day, Tuesday, Jan. 20, Jones began collecting clothing donations.
Jones collected donations throughout the week amongst multiple locations on campus, such as Blackburn, Towers and Annex.
“I had different times. I was out there for an hour, after every two hours, so it definitely gave people time to look through their closet and donate to the drive,” Jones said.
Jones encouraged contributors to return on Friday to find something to wear. Jones ended donations on Thursday, Jan. 22, and the next day, Friday, she began distributing the clothing to Howard students.
Shylah Mitchell, a sophomore marketing major from Chicago, came and supported the event. She said heard about the clothing drive through word of mouth on campus and on social media, and is interested in events that give back to the community.
Mitchell said the space felt really welcoming and that it was easy to walk around and browse what was available.
“The clothing drive had racks and tables set up with donated clothes organized so people could easily look through everything. There were different types of items like jackets, shirts and other everyday pieces that people could take if they needed them,” Mitchell said.
Though Mitchell didn’t get anything, she contributed to the drive by spreading the word. She said that services like the “I Have a Dream” clothing drive bring people together by allowing students to provide for and encourage one another.
“One thing I took away from this experience is how important small acts of service can be. Events like this remind people that helping others doesn’t always have to be complicated,” Mitchell said. “For the Howard community, initiatives like this are essential because they strengthen the sense of unity and support among students.”
Pauly Piña, a sophomore health sciences major from Queens, New York, came across the clothing drive as she was leaving Blackburn cafe after having lunch with her friends. Piña and her friends looked around to see if anything piqued their interest and spoke with Jones.
After Jones mentioned the clothes were free, Piña and her friends began rummaging through the piles without hesitation.
“Because I didn’t have a larger bag on me, I wasn’t able to grab as much as I wanted to. However, my friends practically took half of the things that were on the table,” Piña said. “I got a few blouses and a cardigan. I was able to use the clothes at job interviews and the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences career fair.”
The clothes were organized by type, and Piña noticed a range of clothing from modern essentials one might find at H&M to statement pieces from the early 2000s. She said there were numerous clothes, more than enough for people to grab.
Piña said that as young adults and college students, it’s easy to struggle with money management and priorities. One might choose to buy that jacket they really want instead of building on that collection of business professional clothes they don’t have and investing in their future.
“With a clothing drive of this sort, you can provide students with the things that they need for success at no cost. It shows great support and genuine care for the well-being of your community.” Piña said.
Jones remembered some attendees’ excitement as they picked out heels and dresses they needed for organization events, while others gravitated toward belts, ties and suit jackets. There was a wide selection of new clothing made from quality materials for students to enjoy.
The initial goal was to stop distributing clothes on Friday, but Jones had so many clothes left that she wanted to do another tabling event. A week after the winter storm, Jones hosted another tabling event on Thursday, Feb. 5, and donated the remainder of the clothes to the Howard University Student Association closet, a student-led resource run by the HUSA Department that provides students with free professional attire, as well as an active donation drive in the College Hall South dormitory.
“I do understand how expensive professional attire and shoes are, and so things that they can just have for free definitely warms my heart, and that’s the whole point of this drive,” Jones said.
At her clothing drive, Jones was approached by another nonprofit organization called MIRR Mentors, a youth-led nonprofit that encourages student success (ages 13-18), higher education and academic excellence. Jones is currently working towards continuing the professional clothing drive concept in collaboration with MIRR Mentors, aiming to do similar acts of service in the near future.
“She asked me to be a part of it and I agreed and so this past week I continued collecting professional attire with her organization,” Jones said.
Jones expressed her deep gratitude for the opportunity to make an impact on those in need. Jones was able to give away all of the shoes she had available for distribution and took pride in her contribution to service for MLK weekend. Having never done week-long service, she valued the opportunity to provide for numerous students.
“The only thing that I did was construct the whole thing, but each student who donated made an impact in another Howard student’s life as well. That’s the beautiful thing about this project,” Jones said.
Copy edited by Kennedi Bryant