Two dollars may seem like only spare change, but to a group of students from seven local colleges and universities, it’s something else entirely.

Two dollars can buy a cup of coffee. Or it could go toward the Ignite Greensboro [got two?] Project, a “student-led, student-built and student-run project aimed to reestablish a sense of obligation to the community, culture and history of Greensboro.” This is the mission around which more than 100 student members have become galvanized.

“We really want to give back to the generations that preceded us. It’s inspiring to realize what we’ve accomplished in just a few months,” says senior Stephanie Dappenbrook, a chemistry and biology double major.

The Ignite Greensboro project was founded by UNCG senior Zim Ugochukwu. The driving force is the opening of the International Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro in February, but the ultimate goal is to boost the level of student engagement.

If we could collect $2 from each student, they would own a part of history.

Reigniting the passion
Once, Greensboro was a hotbed of activism. The Woolworth sit-in helped launch the civil rights movement. These days, few students are aware of plans to open the International Civil Rights Museum located in the Elm Street building where the famous protest took place, Zim says.

Bridging commonalities among students, institutions and the community is the goal of Ignite Greensboro. Speakers, service projects and scholarships are among the potential positive outcomes. And it all starts with one question: Got two?

Zim and the Ignite Greensboro group, which includes students from UNCG, NC A&T, Bennett College, Guilford College, and Guilford Tech, collect $2 from fellow students and community residents. Donations symbolize the cups of coffee four freshman NC A&T students attempted to order at the Woolworth lunch counter in 1960.

“That idea stuck with me,” Zim says. “If we could collect $2 from each student, they would own a part of history.”

The idea germinated from a meeting with Mayor Yvonne Johnson. Zim had taken a political science class that led her to work on the Obama campaign. From there, she developed a passion for getting people involved. As lack of student awareness and activism weighed on her, she met with the mayor to brainstorm what she could do to make a difference.

Students making a difference
Sure enough, Zim’s inspiration has ignited an enthusiasm for community activism among local college students. So far, they’ve raised more than $500 and several thousand in pledges toward the goal of $30,000 to $50,000. The money will be used to support the museum with intergenerational gifts [given from one generation to the next], attract speakers, pay for service projects and create scholarships for elementary through college-age students.

“It’s about much more than the museum,” says Zim. “It’s about getting out there and doing something. It’s about reestablishing a sense of obligation among young people to the community.”

In July, Zim traveled to Washington, DC to receive a national student leader award for her efforts from Campus Progress, an event at which she introduced former President Bill Clinton. And in August, the Ignite Greensboro group won a grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro.

“I hope we can change lives,” she says.

Read about the Flash Mob created by the Ignite Greensboro group.

By Andrea Spencer, University Relations

Photography by Chris English, University Relations