This Panther has a passion for advocacy

Promise Joseph is a communications major and political science minor at Claflin University. (Panther photo by Damaia Davis)

From the campus to Orangeburg City Council, Claflin student Promise Joseph has been unafraid to be a voice for change -- and her journey started with a Netflix series.

Joseph's interest was sparked by Netflix’s “When They See Us,” a series based on the Central Park Five, a 1989 case in which five Black and Latino teens were wrongly convicted of raping a white jogger in New York City. After watching, she knew she wanted to pursue a career in law.

“I pretty much started to educate myself more on the policies and things that were being pushed out and put into play that would affect my people and our day-to-day life,” Joseph said. “And it essentially made me want to become a lawyer because I realized we needed more representation in the courtroom.”

She stays set on these goals by keeping herself busy. This year, she is spearheading the election efforts on campus through events such as the Aug. 26 student-led voter panel.

“I don't even give myself time to think about being discouraged,” Joseph said. “And in the work that I do, I don't have time to be discouraged.”

Joseph, a communications major and political science minor, came to Claflin knowing she wanted to run for something. When she lost in the freshman elections, she shifted her focus to networking.

Attending campus events and communicating her goals to faculty, Joseph was determined to make a name for herself.

“I made sure everyone knew who I was,” Joseph said. “Those connections are everything because I really wouldn't be anywhere that I am today without the connections that I've made along the way.”

Speaking up for her peers, Joseph became an active part of the Goff Avenue conversation with Orangeburg City Council, which over some protests earlier this year gave Claflin approval to close Goff to vehicular traffic in the portion of the street that runs through the campus.

“I went there meeting after meeting and said what needed to be said because who else was going to do it if I didn't?” Joseph said. “And that pretty much kind of got people paying attention a little bit more.”

Seeking education and getting involved on campus gave her confidence as an advocate, and she encourages other students to do the same.

“Being educated really just makes you want to fight for these things,” Joseph said, “because you understand what it took to get here, where we're at right now, and where we could go.”