Greek Week: Where Are Our Positive Images?

[caption id="attachment_1533" align="aligncenter" width="336" caption="Photo Credit: NJ Coalition of Divine 9 Online"][/caption]

It is said that a good name is better than riches and should be desired above silver and gold. This definitely applies to Greek life as well. Too often we see negativity about our organizations brought to the forefront. Hazing incidents, accusations of excessive alcoholism and simply existing to party, financial scandals and negative stereotypes are usually the first thing out of the mouths of those unfamiliar with Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs).  But how is this so when our fraternities and sororities were created with high ideals in mind?

Think about the Principles that your founders laid out. Then ask yourself, "Am I helping to promote these principles, or am I hindering them?" More and more, I ask what I am doing to display Scholarship, Service, Sisterly Love and Finer Womanhood, both within the confines of Zeta Phi Beta and in everyday life as simply Tori D. At some point, we have to realize the importance of our own organizations, otherwise, how will the rest of the world? It is a must that we strive to make a difference on our campuses and in our communities and then make it known. It's okay to take your own horn, especially when you are combating negativity.

When people think of you and your organization, they should think of more than the scandals and lawsuits. They should say more than, "XYZ has the hottest parties" or "ABD makes the best punch/oil/juice." What service activities do people see? What can they say about you academically? What can be said of the character of your chapter/org members? I challenge all Greeks, myself included, to do more to honor our founding principles and portray our esteemed organizations in a positive light.

Did They Die in Vain?

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Forty-three years ago today, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, TN. His legacy of fighting for equality and civil rights lives on to this day. He dreamed of a better day for his people and for all people. Some would argue that this has happened, in that we cannot legally be discriminated against based on color, nationality, and gender. Some go as far as to say the fact that President Obama is in office the the culmination of Dr. King's dream. I am not one of those with rose-colored glasses. I know that the dream has not been fully realized, as racial profiling, economic inequality and the "glass ceiling" that minorities face in business is still very real.

But we must take a look inward to see what we have done to either further his dream or hinder it. Have we as a people lost focus of what's truly important? Does equality and the chance to achieve the "American dream" hold as much weight as the latest dance or what our favorite reality TV stars are doing? Do we as a people still have the sense of unity and community that we once had? When we remember the legacy of men like Dr. King, Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, Rosa Parks and countless others--known and unknown--it is not enough to say "thank you." We must show that we are thankful for their sacrifices by living up to our potential, continuing the fight for equality and refocusing on the things that matter most. Every day that we don't, we are saying that they died in vain.

Notes from the Mississippi Delta

This post was actually supposed to go up several weeks ago after momma and I made a trip to Shaw, MS and ended up at a community picnic. Buuuut I'm just getting around to it now, so... yeah!

 

1. There is NOTHING like actual homemade ice cream! Nope, not even Bluebell Homemade Vanilla (and my people know I am a Bluebell girl to the heart lol)


2. This is mean, I know; I am so tickled when middle-aged and older people talk about not being able to figure out stuff on their computer. IDK why, but it's just funny to me!


3. My 99-year-old grandfather dreaming about being in 3rd grade: priceless! ^_^


4. I met one of my grandfather's childhood friends (on her 98th birthday) and my aunt's "old boyfriend" (not really her BF, but one of their older brothers' friends who she claimed). How cute is that? It's really rare that I get to see that "we were young once" side of my older relatives.


5. Chivalry is not dead! There was a guy there (an Omega, no less ^_^) with his son who looked to be high school aged. His son was so well-mannered! Getting up to help older people to their seats, giving up his seat for a lady, helping with cleanup, even rushing to my aid after an incident with red cream soda & my cute lil outfit. He didn't know anyone there other than his father (they'd just moved there) but he was so respectful and so sweet! Proof that it's not the time that we're in, it's the training these kids receive that makes the difference.


6. Is there such a thing as bad fried catfish? I don't think there is! I'm just sayin'....


7. Funniest moment: Little girl walks up to the table where we were sitting. Random woman asks my mom, "Who's little girl is that?" The little girl gets loud and says "My daddy! I'm his girl!" and walks off. All of us sitting there with our faces broken. I cried laughing! Crying laughing thinking about it now!


8. I didn't think it was possible to be country AND ghetto, but ummmm, it is! I couldn't help but SMH at some of the things I heard and saw from girls not that much younger than me. Craziness.

Aight, that's it for now. I'm sure there were some other things I meant to share, but since it's not in the BlackBerry, it's gone!