The purpose of the First Class Steppers of Notre Dame is to educate the community of the University of Notre Dame, as well as the greater area of South Bend, Indiana, on the African-American tradition and culture of stepping, a modern form of traditional African dance. This is accomplished through the following means:
- Performing at numerous events throughout the academic year at Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College.
- As a form of service for the South Bend community, perform and provide South Bend’s youth with mentors and role models to persuade them to strive for higher forms of education.
- Advocate the cultural aspects of step’s roots while teaching the student body of Notre Dame to step via workshops and events, as sponsored by the First Class Steppers of Notre Dame or other organizations.
Our support for Alta Gracia stems from our mission as advocates for cultural awareness and acceptance. In the very beginning, First Class was drawn to the changes that Alta Gracia aimed to achieve in regards to the manufacturing of the clothing items sold in the Hammes Bookstore. It just made sense to support a company that manufactures clothing of the same quality and price as the items already being sold in the Bookstore minus the exploitation of labor and workers in international countries. Deeper than this, our organization appreciates and fully supports Alta Gracia's mission of "paying its workers a wage that enables them to provide adequate food, clean water, clothing, shelter, health care, child care, and education for themselves and their families--a 'living wage'—and hope for a better future." While many of our performances and events have a local impact, First Class desired to branch out and contribute to global change in a more direct way. Alta Gracia provided a means to do just this with the assurance that our contribution would support immediate change and improvement in the lives of others.
Check out a previous show by The First Class Steppers:
For opportunities to get more involved with the Alta Gracia check out: https://altagraciaapparel.com/get-involved
Like us on Facebook. Tag us and post photos of you and your friends sporting your Alta Gracia gear. Show your campus bookstore some love and post those photos on their page too.
Follow us on Twitter. Tweet about us, retweet us, and of course don’t forget to send some shout outs to your campus bookstore for carrying Alta Gracia.
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