Black Lives Matter
January 16, 2017
We, the Sisters of Delta Kappa Delta Sorority, Inc., have an obligation to speak up about injustices we can address. We can not be silent any longer, and today, we loudly say, BLACK LIVES MATTER.
As a Greek Organization with cultural roots, our platform is founded on civic engagement with issues that affect our society and those within our reach to make a difference. Organizations like ours were founded to provide a voice for those marginalized within the higher education environment as well as the circles we continue to maintain a presence in, beyond the collegiate experience. As a result, we cannot ignore the injustices that face our Black sisters and brothers in this country and world systematically, institutionally, and frequently.
Being from South Asian roots, we are aware of racial issues present within our own identities that provide obstacles in the United States. A majority of our membership consists of South Asian women who face cultural, religious, and societal barriers in their everyday lives. The model minority myth continues to pressure Asians and other People of Color to maintain a stereotypical image that continues to bring us collectively down. The rampant anti-blackness that is present in Asian and South-Asian culture, stemming from colonialist attitudes that our families have passed down for generations, lingers. And in response to that, we say no more. No longer will we ignore or pretend like it is normal, and no longer will we make excuses. These dangerous attitudes contribute to a complacency that we can no longer afford to partake in, as Black citizens of America are unfairly treated under the eyes of the law and under the eyes of the country. Being from cultural backgrounds from across the world, we are fully aware of the anti-blackness that is prevalent across the world, not just in this country, and permeates cultures, societies and attitudes to this day. Our commitment to saying, “Black Lives Matter” comes with a larger commitment to address and eliminate anti-blackness attitudes within our communities, and to educate our families, friends, and acquaintances to know better, and to do better.
Delta Kappa Delta commits itself to the betterment of the community through humanitarian services, and we cannot by-pass a societal issue that continues to oppress, disregard, and harms Black women, men, and children in this country. Delta Kappa Delta operates on five values that define our organization; Service, Sisterhood, Education, Culture, and Indomitable Spirit. These five values also reinforce our obligation to this movement, and urge us to take action on this issue through multiple avenues. Police brutality is a serious issue that we can demand stronger accountability for, but there are other ways we can also effectuate change, whether it be through voting, donating to victims’ families, signing petitions, organizing to demand government transparency, and/or educating yourselves and others on racial inequality in the U.S. and the effects of it. While this list includes a lot of options to taking the first steps, it is definitely not exhaustive of the remedies we can take to combat the issues surrounding racial injustice in the United States.
You can Donate, Educate, Collaborate, Empower to make a difference. Educate yourselves and others by reading more on the issue: blacklivesmatter.com. Empower by passing this message along: BLACK LIVES MATTER.
We encourage all of our members, chapters, charters, entities, and affiliates to educate themselves about the systematic, structural, and institutional racism present throughout our communities, and to take action to correct these actions. We encourage you to say, and to show that Black Lives Matter.
