FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Statement on Anti-Black Racism, Taking Accountability, and Moving Forward
Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc., condemns all forms of discrimination or violence against any of our Black or African American Sisters or members of the Black community. As an organization founded on the pillar of Cultural Diversity, we stand in solidarity with the Black community and our Black Sisters in that their lives matter, their voices matter, and ultimately they matter. Black Lives Matter. We must uplift and support our Black Sisters and continue to fight, advocate, and educate ourselves and our community to bring change. We know our Sisters are hurting right now, but we will never stop fighting to ensure that those Sisters truly feel supported and that their lives matter.
As National Board, we have committed to the following initiatives in order to better support our Black Sisters in solidarity:
- The establishment of the Ujima Committee, a cohort designed to create anti-racist policies and practices, address and rehabilitate anti-Black behaviors and actions, and provide an organized voice for Black Sisters—spearheaded and developed by Sisters.
- The immediate inclusion and implementation of Anti-Black racism and Black Lives Matter education into our upcoming national programming including workshops hosted by our own Sisters as well as the NAPA Black Coalition and a national town hall hosted and led by our own Sisters at our August National Conference. We are committed to incorporating long-term measures to continue the inclusion of this curriculum at national conferences, new member education programming, Chapter/Associate Chapters operations, and the organization as a whole.
- Re-adjust the sorority national budget in order to allocate funds for educational programming like training and workshops focused directly on anti-black racism and dismantling systemic oppression.
We, also, encourage our Sisters to educate themselves, fellow Sisters, and their community members. The resources below are valuable starting points for understanding and fostering a community based on Cultural Diversity and the implicit understanding that Black Lives Matter:
- Black Lives Matter Website. To learn about how the movement came to be, the growth over time, the overarching goals, and what anyone can do to help along the way.
- Website: https://blacklivesmatter.com/
- Anti-Racism Resource List. A digestible, comprehensive list of answers to common questions surrounding racism as well as links to articles, videos, and further resources for each individual topic.
- Website: http://antiracismforbeginners.com/
- Letters For Black Lives. Speaking to parents about important issues like Black Lives Matter and general systemic racism can be incredibly difficult due to a multitude of reasons including language barriers, generation gaps, and variance in news sources. Letters for Black Lives was created by a group of Asian Americans and Asian Canadians who sought to help make these conversations easier by having culturally-aware resources translated into a large number of languages.
- Website: https://lettersforblacklives.com/
- Asian American Organizing Project. This website/group was created to educate and empower Asian American citizens to become active in their civic duties in regards to political processes, activism, language access, and more.
- Website: http://aaopmn.org/resources/
- Ally Resources for Supporters. Advice as well as a list of resources for those who are continuing to learn about the systemic problems within our history and would like to know how to become a better ally.
The importance of the Black Lives Matter movement goes beyond supporting and caring for our Black Sisters. Ensuring that any and all persons within Black communities are able to sleep in their homes, take a run around the neighborhood, or do anything without fearing for their life or their safety is absolutely paramount. There is still so much work to be done, but Kappa Phi Lambda will continue to learn, grow, and fight for justice for our Black Sisters and the Black community.
If you have any questions, concerns, or information regarding matters stated above, please direct them to Teri Chung, Vice President of Standards & Risk Management at kpl.vp.standards@gmail.com.
Black Lives Matter.
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About Kappa Phi Lambda
Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc. (ΚΦΛ, also known as KPL) is an Asian-interest sorority founded on March 9th, 1995, at Binghamton University. As one of the fastest growing Asian-interest sororities in the United States, KPL strives to strengthen sisterhood amongst women by providing service and promoting cultural diversity to their members and their community. For more information, visit https://kplsorority.org.
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Contact
Teri Chung, National Vice President of Standards & Risk Management
Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority Inc.
kpl.vp.standards@gmail.com
