06/05/2020
Alpha's formal statement regarding Black Lives Matter is currently live on our website and will be in text attached to this post. Alpha recognizes its position as a predominantly white institution and hopes to further the conversation regarding racism. For the formal statement please see below.
Alpha Lambda Phi Alpha stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and is dedicated to using our resources to amplify Black voices and fight for women of color both within our community and organization. We recognize that we are a predominately white sorority at a predominantly white school. White feminism permeates sororities, and we acknowledge that it is prevalent in Alpha as well. When we preach about fighting for women, we need to make sure to actively include Black women, WOC, and trans women in our conversations. If we are not standing up for all women, then we aren’t standing up at all. Our Creed includes the phrase, “to abhor that which is evil,” and by allowing white feminism to linger within our sorority, we have not upheld that. The first step in changing is recognizing our shortcomings as an organization, and as we continue to move forward, we want to use our platform to uplift and encourage the BLM movement and the Black community at Occidental College.
Currently, our organization is in the process of developing a concrete and long term plan aimed to uplift the Black community. Starting during the fall 2020 semester, Alpha will implement implicit bias training as a requirement for membership. We are reviewing and revising our bylaws in order to contain more inclusive language in the very core of our organization. We will work hard towards developing strong and ever-evolving literature in order to achieve a more equitable environment. In the fall and following semesters, we will partner with groups on- and off-campus to collaboratively fundraise for various organizations that work to support the BLM movement. Considering Alpha was originally founded as a literacy club for the women attending Occidental Academy, we will start a book club where we read and discuss literature regarding white privilege, systemic racism, etc. Additionally, we intend to augment our book club with a speaker series in order to facilitate further discussions. In the next few weeks, Alpha will be publishing our full action plan that will contain specifics on how we will uphold these ideals and promises. We hope that this can be a necessary anchor to heal the inequalities that exist so prevalently in our sorority, on campus, and in our society.
There is a lot more work to be done, and we don’t have all the answers, but as an organization that preaches kindness and the abhorrence of evil, we need to take this time to stand up. We are standing for those whose lives were tragically taken. We are standing for those that are racially profiled every day, even on our campus. We are standing for a mission of justice and equity. We stand with the BLM movement, and we stand with you.
photo credit (instagram: courtneyahndesign)
