Latino Greek Letter Organizations

[Animate]

Originally Posted by Amanuet3

I personally think it’s great to see many organizations (Black, Latino and Multicultural) embracing different cultures, through their programming, community service and membership. And I feel that the main concern is not that we are accepting different members within these orgs, but how we are presenting it.
There are many non-African American members in many of the D9 organization… However, they don’t claim to be a Black-multicultural org…WHY? ---Because they will never change the identity or the vision that their founders set for their organization. This is the problem I find---What does Latino-multicultural mean? Multicultural means EVERYONE!---without emphasizing any culture, or shadowing the others.
For some of the “TRUE” multicultural organization, they were founded because there was a need to embrace everyone and a thirst for knowledge about different cultures, religions and backgrounds. This was at a time that there were not many others that were offering this type of sisterhood. The founders for “SOME” of our multicultural organizations didn’t just want to provide service and support to one ethnicity, but to EVERYONE.
The hard work our founders struggled to provide is diminished, when other Non-Multicultural orgs, want to “STAMP” the acceptance of diversity. My Founders knew there was a need and envisioned it…If the vision of your founders was not to embrace all cultures, then to ME…Your not multicultural. And if the majority of your members want to change the vision set out by your founders, then to ME…Your in the WRONG org.

I hate quoting old posts but this jumped out to me (the red lettering helped a bit). What makes your organization "more multicultural" than others? The fact that you say you are multicultural? All of our orgs are multicultural, some of us just don't feel the need to shout it from the mountaintops.

[brownsugar952]

Originally Posted by Animate

I hate quoting old posts but this jumped out to me (the red lettering helped a bit). What makes your organization "more multicultural" than others? The fact that you say you are multicultural? All of our orgs are multicultural, some of us just don't feel the need to shout it from the mountaintops.

Besides having multicultural membership, what makes your organization "multicultural?"

[Animate]

Originally Posted by brownsugar952

Besides having multicultural membership, what makes your organization "multicultural?"

Besides having multicultural membership, what makes your organization "multicultural?"

[Senusret I]

Frat,

First of all, I too believe in the 7.

Anyway.... Multicultural GLOs are organizations that intentionally promote multiculturalism and cultural pluralism through their mission, programs, and history.

There have been lively discussions about the topic prior to you getting to GC, but I can't recall their titles.

[Ch2tf]

Originally Posted by Animate

I hate quoting old posts but this jumped out to me (the red lettering helped a bit). What makes your organization "more multicultural" than others? The fact that you say you are multicultural? All of our orgs are multicultural, some of us just don't feel the need to shout it from the mountaintops.

ZChi4Life provided an answer to this on page 10 when she stated:
"I can only speak for my org, but I'm sure other MCGLOs will agree, MC for us comes from membership AND the entire focus/purpose of our organization. Multiculturalism is encompassed in our programming, community service, etc, etc. We don't serve just one type of ethnic/racial community, we serve everyone."

I'm sure one of the reasons Alpha Phi Alpha isn't shouting it from the mountaintops is that it is not the purpose of your organization. While you have a multicultural membership you have always, and I suspect always will, serve the African American community.

[Animate]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

Frat,

First of all, I too believe in the 7.

Anyway.... Multicultural GLOs are organizations that intentionally promote multiculturalism and cultural pluralism through their mission, programs, and history.

There have been lively discussions about the topic prior to you getting to GC, but I can't recall their titles.

Originally Posted by Ch2tf

ZChi4Life provided an answer to this on page 10 when she stated:
"I can only speak for my org, but I'm sure other MCGLOs will agree, MC for us comes from membership AND the entire focus/purpose of our organization. Multiculturalism is encompassed in our programming, community service, etc, etc. We don't serve just one type of ethnic/racial community, we serve everyone."

I'm sure one of the reasons Alpha Phi Alpha isn't shouting it from the mountaintops is that it is not the purpose of your organization. While you have a multicultural membership you have always, and I suspect always will, serve the African American community.

Thank you both for an answer to my original question. I must have overlooked it since it was presented earlier.

[rhoyaltempest]

Originally Posted by Ch2tf

ZChi4Life provided an answer to this on page 10 when she stated:
"I can only speak for my org, but I'm sure other MCGLOs will agree, MC for us comes from membership AND the entire focus/purpose of our organization. Multiculturalism is encompassed in our programming, community service, etc, etc. We don't serve just one type of ethnic/racial community, we serve everyone."

I'm sure one of the reasons Alpha Phi Alpha isn't shouting it from the mountaintops is that it is not the purpose of your organization. While you have a multicultural membership you have always, and I suspect always will, serve the African American community.

This is true. As long as the need is great (and I suspect it always will be), our number 1 priority is the African American community although I also suspect that we will serve others more and more. This is happening already since some communities which were once 100% Black are now becoming more diverse. We've also had non-African Americans receive scholarship awards for college so it's just about where the greatest need is and since African Americans are among the greatest in need (and always have been in this country) and because our founders deemed us responsible, we can never lose our focus.

[Serenity]

Originally Posted by LatinaAlumna

Some of the organizations have DROPPED the word "Latina/o" altogether if you check out their websites.

Wow! I didn't know that. That's deep... I guess for some it's all about the QUANTITY of members and not the QUALITY of members. To some orgs, it's all about the numbers, numbers, numbers. Too bad... It's like some orgs wanna have 150,000 members a minute after their founding. Calm down...

Originally Posted by LatinaAlumna

Personally, I joined a LATINA sorority, and thankfully no one has ever suggested that we start calling ourselves anything else. I would be furious if my organization was now calling itself "multicultural with Latina founders" or any other phrasing that we're starting to see. Sometimes I wonder how older members of these orgs. feel.

AMEN!! That would so not be OK with me. IMO that's just plain shady... If I were a PM, I would definitely think twice about joining an organization that did this. Who's to say what their focus will be in 5, 10, 15 years from now when some new "trend" (for lack of a better word) pops up. What next? Gonna change the focus again?

[Senusret I]

Y'all need to stop pussy-footin and name some names up in here.

[Ch2tf]

Originally Posted by LatinaAlumna

^Co-sign with your ENTIRE post. Some of the organizations have DROPPED the word "Latina/o" altogether if you check out their websites. Personally, I joined a LATINA sorority, and thankfully no one has ever suggested that we start calling ourselves anything else. I would be furious if my organization was now calling itself "multicultural with Latina founders" or any other phrasing that we're starting to see. Sometimes I wonder how older members of these orgs. feel.

I've seem some orgs drop "latino/a" on their national site and members now claim that they are a multicultural organization but have seen some chapter websites of said orgs that claim they are the largest latino/a org in the nation, just as recently as this morning, as a matter of fact.

Yo no se

[Ch2tf]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

Y'all need to stop pussy-footin and name some names up in here.

LOL. Is your PM status back up or do I have to dig through old emails to find your email address?

[Senusret I]

I turned them back on, at least until the next stalker tries to blow it up.

[Serenity]

Originally Posted by Ch2tf

I've seem some orgs drop "latino/a" on their national site and members now claim that they are a multicultural organization but have seen some chapter websites of said orgs that claim they are the largest latino/a org in the nation, just as recently as this morning, as a matter of fact.

Yo no se

Wow... That's tacky. Plus ~ where is the consistency between Chapter and National organization? Does it even exist anymore? Is that too "old school"?

[preciousjeni]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

Y'all need to stop pussy-footin and name some names up in here.

You are SUCH a bad influence!

Originally Posted by Serenity

Is that too "old school"?

I don't know why but this made me laugh!

On the topic, I believe for ALL of our organizations, old heads treat many of the newest changes with disdain. Some changes are understandable and are a natural progression as new generations enter the orgs. However, when an org attempts to alter its original purpose, older members will be less likely to financially support the org and it will become unstable. That's the LAST thing you want as a younger organization.

[nitido357]

Originally Posted by Ch2tf

I would speculate the use of "Spanish" in the above quote was appropriate at the time/in the place that it was originally written. I'm from the northeast and prior to going to college (1999/200) "Spanish" was commonly used as a descriptor by both Latinos and non Latinos. In fact, I never really heard/used the term Latino until I entered college. The use of the term Latino is still debated in some areas with some people preferring the use of Latino over Hispanic and vice versa (I'm currently searching for an article I read on this topic a while ago). I know people who still describe themselves as Spanish. To each their own I guess.

I don't know. The terms Latino and Hispanic are not something that came up from a movement like the evolution of the words negro, black and african-american. Both terms have been around for a while and taught at most schools in Latino American countries.

Now, maybe they grew up here and no one told them about the difference between a descriptor of a language and a descriptor of a group of people in many nationalities that share more than just the language.

Or perhaps they were going for what poorly foreign history educated Unitedstatians would understand...who knows