Greetings Everyone,
I wanted to take the opportunity to reply to the statement that was made in reference to my organization and a few others.
I am a founder of Delta Lambda Delta Sorority, Inc and I must say that in no way, shape, or form are we trying to recreate any of the D9 sororities. We are our own unique organization. We have every right to call ourselves a sorority, for if you check the definition of the word in the dictionary it says:
so·ror·i·ty ( P ) Pronunciation Key (s-rôr-t, -rr-)
n. pl. so·ror·i·ties
A chiefly social organization of women students at a college or university, usually designated by Greek letters.
An association or a society of women.
We are a society of women dedicated to making a difference not just in the lives of our members but in our community as well. Speaking on behalf of myself (and other people that I know, including a few of my sorors) there have been times that I indeed thought about joining a D9 organization when I was in college (and yes I am college educated as a matter of fact all of my members are) but after seeing so many of my close friends coming back to their dorms with bruises and cuts on their bodies, being rushed to the hospital with ashtma attacks brought on by certain activities in which they were not allowed to use their pumps, and seeing friends of mine laying in hospital beds for two months straight after the chapter they were pledging was suspended due to hazing, I decided that D9 organizations were not for me.
As far as starting an organization where you do not need to be a student in order to pursue membership, that right there is a given. D9 organizations are open to students and I have come across many women who for personal reasons could not attend school at the time. Is this to say that they should be denied the rights and advantages of a sisterhood? As far as a sorority for mothers goes, I cannot speak for the founders of that organization but I know a few women who attended informationals for a few D9 organizations and were denied the chance to pledge based on the fact that they were young, unwed, single mothers.
Please do not get me wrong. I truly and whole heartedly respect all of the D9 organizations. I have friends and family members who took that road, but just as someone said earlier, unfortunately some of your members have seemed to stray away
from the vision that your founders had for your organizations. I do not believe that all members have forgotten the true meaning behind the years of hard work that went into pioneering your organizations, but indeed a few members have and unfortunately it is making a lot of people look elsewhere.
As to why we chose to be a Greek letter organization, why did the founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha choose to use Greek letters? The first African American based Greek letter organizations in existence were Sigma Pi Phi and Gamma Phi. If they had given those that came after them the problem and strife that a lot of the D9 sororities are giving to the new sororities that are up and coming then your organizations would not be where they are today.
A lot of us never understood why it is that so many "white" organizations can be created and they are never given any heat for it but the minute an African-American based organization is created we are jumped on for our vision, our hard work, and our beliefs. I do not understand why we cannot just be commended for our efforts and supported the way that we still support and respect all of you regardless of all of the horrible stories and actual witnessing of hazing that some of us have had the displeasure of being exposed to.
Point blank...The D9 organizations were not the first Greek-letter organizations in existence and they will not be the last. You have Black Greek-letter organizations that have been in existence since the 1920's that are not a part of the D9, you have organizations that were formed in the 90's, and then you have those that were created within the past year. The same way that I and my sorors created Delta Lambda Delta Sorority, is the same way that 20 years from now other "sororities" will be created, and when they do, I will be willing to embrace them with open arms and help to guide them because we all have an ultimate vision, an ultimate goal, and an ultimate practice; SISTERHOOD.
Peace and Love,
Aisha
Delta Lambda Delta Sorority, Inc.