“cartoon netWORK” is emblazoned in red across the back of my line jacket for a reason. A driving force behind joining Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., was to offer the same support I received growing up. As a legacy, my life has been filled with Deltas from day one. I was in Delta Academy, a Delteen and Delta GEM, and I’m Miss Jabberwock 2008 for my mother’s chapter. I’ve never harbored big dreams for my Delta life. I’m not much for protocol or Robert’s Rules of Order. So how do I fulfill my support role? By chairing Delta G.E.M.S. for my local chapter over the last six years.
I didn’t seek the appointment out. When the previous chairs stepped down, they told me they planned to pass my name to the chapter president as one of their replacements. I don’t remember how I felt exactly, nervous, anxious probably. They weren’t leaving the committee yet and I wouldn’t be the only chair. We would also inherit a committee and a full roster.
G.E.M.S. stands for “Growing and Empowering Myself Successfully”. I take that seriously and my goal was to offer activities that would give the G.E.M.S. opportunities to build up or fortify their confidence and self-esteem. To know that when we met once a month, they didn’t have to do anything other than be themselves. I wanted to give them a memorable and enjoyable experience and a place to grow. I hope I did a good job.
We continually created space for the G.E.M.S. to explore self. Even when the group started out quiet, they all held a good sense of self and what they wanted to accomplish. They identified and challenged stereotypes and lies about Black women and girls with the truth. My therapist spoke once and shared tips for living a full life and achieving dreams.
The committee always strove for engaging activities. As a trivia loving nerd, Black History Month was a favorite. Almost every year I gathered random facts about Black people, our history, events, inventions, music, and accomplishments. Slave rebellions to magazine publications were covered in Kahoot quizzes and my pride and joy, Black Jeopardy. We visited the International Civil Rights Center & Museum, volunteered at a local food bank, and went bowling. Then the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down and cut a year short.
When school is virtual who wants to sit on Zoom on a Saturday morning? I didn’t know how this would work but was determined to try. I broke protocol and didn’t require cameras to be on in hopes of easing the strain. In an election year it’s important to be knowledgeable even if you’re not of voting age. We covered voting rights, gerrymandering, and our local districts. Mystery Escape Room provided a virtual escape experience with “Remember the Ghosts of Christmas”. For mental and physical health, we offered beginner friendly yoga with a Black woman owned studio. For end of year celebrations, we hosted virtual paint parties.
2022 brought back in person meetings. I didn’t have a consistent meeting place for the group, a miss on my part, but we persevered with programming. We used #CultureTags to foster interaction within the group at our first meeting. When it was apparent that the G.E.M.S. weren’t enthusiastic about putting on a Black History Program, I proposed celebrating Black Girl Joy and asked the G.E.M.S. what they wanted to cover. The program is about their growth and empowerment, speak to their needs directly.
We partnered with the Poe Center for an interactive session on Healthy Relationships. For Women’s History Month, the G.E.M.S. discussed the work of Dr. Maya Angelou and Porsha Olayiwola. They wrote their own poems as well. As a music lover, I requested that the G.E.M.S. submit songs for a playlist. There were no limits put on it, whatever they wanted to hear was included. Independent work time or free time can always use a soundtrack. Escape rooms came back to life, a fun time even if no one escaped this time around.
Creating vision boards was a regular activity. Whether prompted by reflection questions or looking forward to the year ahead, there’s power in tangible representation of desires. I always appreciated those who would share their creations with the larger group. I would share mine as well, I never asked them to do something I wasn’t willing to do myself.
Do you have questions about college? Then let’s bring in a Director of Admissions. Let’s discuss the pros and cons of HBCUs and PWIs. Presentations like “Payback” with Next Gen Personal Finance discussed costs associated with beginning college and into sophomore year. Past G.E.M.S. returned to share their college experiences and answer questions this past year. It’s important to hear from people who are close in age and know your experience.
We also had to touch on finances. Avoid the mistakes we made, like buying boots with your refund check money. A bank vice president spoke with the G.E.M.S. about budgeting, saving, and how to work with a bank. One of my favorite activities with our Economic Development committee was “The Reality of Money”. It is a simulation of paying monthly bills: housing, food, childcare, entertainment, student loans, transportation, everything. The activity consistently left the G.E.M.S. amazed by the costs of adulthood.
Nothing is possible without a strong committee, and I had the very best. Sorors helped to create and facilitate several presentations about college. The stages of planning, applying, covering costs, life on campus, and starting a new chapter. We always shared as many resources as possible and sent out the presentations for future reference. When we needed to pivot at the last minute, the committee helped me pull together a discussion on personal growth. The environment we fostered allowed for the G.E.M.S. to be vulnerable and to support and encourage one another. When we celebrated Black Girl Joy during Black History Month, our space was safe enough for the G.E.M.S. to share their experiences with mental health and learn how to help themselves and others. Our committee members led these discussions and fostered a nurturing environment.
Staying connected to the larger community was also one of our goals. For two years we facilitated a program we named “Adopt-A-Grandparent”. The purpose was to let residents of a local nursing facility know that they hadn’t been forgotten. The group wrote out birthday cards and holiday cards. We assembled care package bags at Valentine’s Day and Christmas based on needs noted by the facility. The G.E.M.S. also came out to support one of my line sisters at our local Walk MS event.
My crowning achievement took four years to bring to fruition. Aside from the G.E.M.S. themselves, it is the reason I stuck around. Since 2020, right before COVID-19 hit, I have held a grand plan and determination to visit the National Museum of African American History & Culture with the G.E.M.S.. It’s architecturally stunning and offers the richness of our history in the United States in exquisite detail. It is a must see and everyone who visits is overwhelmed. I’m a maximalist, I want it all and we had to get there.
We hit several walls but I’m stubborn. This was a singular goal. Once achieved, it would be someone else’s turn to lead. I was single minded and pushy from the beginning of the year. I’m not ashamed of it either. “We’re going” was my mantra at every committee meeting. With the support of chapter leadership, I was right in the end. Our end of year celebration was in Washington D.C. on the National Mall. We saw every floor, ate lunch in the Sweet Home Café, and experienced the special exhibit “Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures”.
We closed our day out at the mall for dinner. The G.E.M.S. went shopping before we ate, per their request. Why not? They’re a wonderful group and they rode with us all year. The least I could do was let them have some carefree fun. They enjoyed themselves and that was all I really wanted. Now my co-chair and I step back to let other Sorors lead. I happily remain on the committee for support. It’s time for the program to continue to thrive under another’s care. To take it further and make it better.
