Addressing the Community in

Addressing the Community in Crisis Eta Pi Zeta Protects Its Citizens

By Nanyamka Hales

Social Action Chair Eta Pi Zeta Chapter

When injustice and racism showed its true colors, Eta Pi Zeta stepped out in front with dialogue regarding protecting its community citizens, preserving the voice of the people, and serving the community when and where it was needed the most.

In September 2016, in response to heightened incidents of police brutality, Eta Pi Zeta hosted a police and community relations forum which was attended by over 100 people. Eta Pi Zeta collaborated with its community partners: the Montgomery County Office of Human Rights, Montgomery County Police Department and the NAACP. The forum focused on educating the community and its youth about their rights, rights of the police, and how to advance legislative initiatives that serve to reduce conflict in the community. In March 2017 Eta Pi Zeta co-sponsored a follow-up event, Montgomery College’s Presidential Dialog Series 2017 – Civility in Action: Dialogues Across Difference. In an effort to identify ways to reduce community tension, this event consisted of a conversation about police integration in the Montgomery County community.

Recognizing the need to strategically enforce its efforts by empowering women in the fight for justice and racial equity, Eta Pi Zeta annually partners with the Montgomery County Commission for Women at its Women’s Legislative Briefing events to assist with planning, networking and programming to inform the residents of the county and Maryland at large about legislative proposals before local, state, and national legislative bodies that address issues of specific concern to women. Additionally, in March 2019 the Chapter held an all-women’s diversity panel discussion, entitled Changing the Narrative of Diversity Challenges, to address racial injustice situations and a common ground to address the atrocities brought on by racial injustice. The Chapter joined forces with several organizations for this event: the Montgomery County Office of Human Rights; the United Methodist Women of Goshen United Methodist Church; NAACP; Montgomery College; Durham County Department of Public Health; International Black Women’s Public Policy Institute; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated; and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

In the Sorority’s “Centennial Year”, the Chapter would face its hardest mountain to climb in the war on racial justice. As the pandemic hit, there was also a rise in racial injustice incidents across minority communities. With the combination intensifying the mental health conditions of the citizens of our community, the Chapter saw the importance in assisting the community with mental health information. In May 2020 the Chapter held a mental health webinar entitled Surviving the Pandemic - A Mental Health Perspective that addressed mental health conditions exasperated by our current social, economic, and racial divide that exists today. Each panelist shared their professional talent to provide vital information on topics that included the effect of social isolation on families, stress management, and self-care.

As 2020 comes to a close, Eta Pi Zeta will continue to be trailblazers in the fight for social justice with dynamic programming and county partnerships to enhance the lives of the residents of Montgomery County, MD.

Soror Alesha Tyson and Soror Arlinda Clark in picture together at 2019 Women’s Legislative Briefing Event and Soror Arlinda Clark at Women’s Legislative Briefing 40th Anniversary Event in 2020. In October 2020, Soror Arlinda Clark was appointed as a Commissioner to the Montgomery County Commission for Women.