In keeping with one principle of Kwanzaa, to unify, Unite is bringing unity to OU.

Last spring, the African-American community of OU made giant steps to gain visibility at OU and formed Unite.

The campus organization's purpose is to get a chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) at OU. With this chapter, Unite hopes to achieve its goal of unifying minority students in all aspects of life.

"Aims we came up with for our chapter include improving political, educational, social and economic status of minority groups; to eliminate racial prejudice, keep the public aware of the adverse effects of racial discrimination and to take action to secure its elimination consistent with efforts of the national organization," said treasurer Yolanda Dickerson.

The organization plans to present these goals through various activities as a chapter of the NAACP.

Unite will not be able to use the NAACP title until its charter is approved in the upcoming weeks.

The future chapter is planning programs for Black History Month, when members of NAACP will role play famous African Americans in history and present a play to elementary school students.

Also, the group hopes to set up a booth at Kwanzaa programs this week.

Activities like this will promote the National Chapter's objectives and will inform students of the problems affecting blacks and other minority groups.

Dickerson said they are here not only to make themselves known, but appreciated and respected.

"An objective of NAACP is to stimulate an appreciation of people of color, and their contributions to civilization," Dickerson said.

To make these contributions as an official NAACP chapter, Unite recruited 29 people to join the organization. This will be the second time OU has had an NAACP chapter in the past 20 years.

In 1982, OU's chapter ended because many of OU's black students graduated and interest waned, said Francine Childs, chair of the African American Studies department.

Although times have drastically changed, the goals of the chapter have not.

"We need for political linkage to bring justice where there is injustice. We need to look at where we are, look at the state of our society, and look at what we can do to help it," said Childs, who initiated the chapter that existed in 1975.

As the largest civil rights organization in the nation, being a part of the NAACP gives its members a voice when it comes to getting social, political and economic equality.

"It was started by people who wanted to fight inequality, and keep the "just" in justice. It's been a mission of the NAACP to keep balance," Childs said.