3 minute read
Questions and Answers COVID-19 Webinar
Question & Answer COVID-19 Webinar
Advertisement
On February 24, 2022, The Greater Salt Lake Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated hosted a Physical and Mental Health Question & Answer COVID-19 Webinar. The guest speaker and presenter was Dr. LaShonda Spencer a member of the Foothill Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Dr. Spencer is a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Internal Medicine and an Infectious Disease Specialist. She is the Director of Drew CARES at Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science and serves as the Clinical Director of OASIS Clinic at Martin Luther King Jr. Outpatient Center.
Dr. Spencer did a superb presentation, which accomplished the objectives of the COVID-19 Webinar. The goal was to educate and update members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, community members, friends, and families regarding the science of Coronavirus as well as the physical/ mental and psychosocial impact on the public.
The presentation provided some of the challenges that the CDC, doctors, and experts are having as they are learning about the Coronavirus, its treatments, long term effects, as well as educating the public, and predicting the spread. Preventative measures, wearing mask, vaccines, handwashing, and social distancing are some of the ways of preventing and slowing the spread of COVID-19 virus.
Dr. Spencer explained the science of the viruses, how they mutate, the variants, and how the different viruses are named. Attendees were educated and given a clear understanding of the impact of COVID on the Black community. In addition, webinar participants learned about the medical and social disparities that influences our care and treatment, as well as the lack of treatment.
Dr. Spencer’s presentation left us with a better understanding of how to protect our health, our families, and our community as a whole. Participants were given an opportunity to have a Q & A session in a relaxed environment. This allowed for participants to connect with each other professionally and personally. In conclusion, valuable knowledge and experiences were shared with the intent of facilitating future interactions and collaborations. Our participants gained pertinent information on the latest scientific data, this will help us to understand and live with this virus.
Little Free Library
On December 5, 2021, the Social Action Committee of the Los Angeles Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, opened a “Little Free Library” (LFL) for the young people within our community. A small library house was purchased and placed at the Crenshaw Family YMCA located at 3820 Santa Rosalia Drive in Los Angeles, CA. The LFL was placed within our service area to provide young readers with an opportunity to have access to free books.
After each child borrows a book from the library, the books are to be returned so that other young readers will be afforded the same opportunity. Books in our library house are on various subject matters, including but not limited to, Black History, education, arts, sciences, fiction, and non-fiction.
This is a crucial time to help educate our children in a fun and engaging way. It also assists in the improvement of their reading comprehension skills, increases their knowledge of our history, and teaches them responsibility when taking and returning books.
Our LFL is a continuation of the legacy of the Sorority’s commitment to reading and educating the Black community. In an effort to overcome racial barriers in the Jim Crow South, where among other things, Blacks did not have access to the same books as whites, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., launched the National Library Project in 1945. If Blacks had any libraries in the South, it was either in a separate reading room at the library or in a separate branch that was often underfunded and had inferior books. Each Delta Chapter purchased ten (10) books at $2.50 a piece, and Grand Chapter paid for the portable book baskets that would be taken to the various locations in the South. Essentially, it was a traveling library. The Los Angeles Alumnae Chapter is honored to continue this important tradition.
Social Action Chair Winne Young and Co-Chair Evynn Davis, Submitted by Kemba N. Miles; firstvice@dstlachapter.com
