The Pearl Gazette - February 2022

Chartered January 29, 2000

Volume 12, Issue 2

February 2022

2022 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE v v v v v v v v v v v v v v

Kirsten Riddick – President LaToya Kearns – Vice President Lee Whitener – Secretary Sydney Hannah-Holliday – Vice Secretary Courtney Walker – Treasurer Essence Mitchell – Financial Secretary Ursula Snead – Parliamentarian Michele Swain – Hostess Deirdre Miles – Ivy Leaf Reporter Saunji Fyffe – Sergeant-At-Arms Anita Timmons – Historian Danielle Bridgeforth – Chaplain Vikki Pretlow – Correspondence Secretary Aliya Robinson – Member-At-Large

Past Basilei v v v v v v v

Sharon Worthy Kimberly Armstrong Michelle Thomas Lona Gordon Kimberly Walker Yvonne Jones Theresta Lanier

A Message From the President

Dearest Sorors,

Hearts That are Loyal…

My heart is already full! This month, we experienced sisterly love, fellowship, and connection!

For our Pink Goes Red Impact Day, our Soror Essence encouraged us to be heart healthy as she stretched beyond the boundaries of her comfort zone to share a beloved family tofu recipe through a virtual cooking class. As a chapter, we are stepping out for our health, as the Pretty Fit Challenge is well underway. We are counting steps and encouraging one another to engage in self-care.

We became informed and educated through our Phirst Pham Virtual Town Hall and Legislative Day. Participants became aware of pressing issues and concerns that relate to Virginians. Soror Romana Lavalas and the Connection and Social Action Committee were present and engaged, encouraging the chapter to do our part through advocacy. Phi Nu Omega Sorors sent letters to our elected officials regarding 8 specific issues, namely Criminal Justice Reform, Economic Empowerment, Education, Environment, Gun Control and Accountability, Healthcare and Education, Human Rights, and Voter Rights. During a virtual watch party of 900 plus, hosted by When We All Vote, we witnessed our Supreme Basileus and the Divine 9 Sorority Presidents encouraging us to get out the vote and continue in voter engagement in local and midterm elections.

I want to acknowledge and extend virtual pink tea roses to Soror Vikki Pretlow and The Founders’ Day Observance Committee for hosting an outstanding Virtual Founders’ Day Tea. I enjoyed honoring our trailblazing founders and charter members while sipping on tea in one of my favorite hats! Our fellowship, sincere and rare, was filled with history, music, and a reminder to take care of our personal mental “hearts.” We were reminded of the true hearts in our sisterhood and received a glimpse into the impact our service has on our community. Kudos to Soror Nicole White who leveraged the technology and worked behind the scenes to make our virtual experience worthwhile.

I am rejuvenated and ready to focus on greater laurels. Encouraged by the height and depths of our sisterhood, entrenched in love, and Inspired by your incredible words and actions, I am confident we will win and serve all mankind with grit and grace.

Sisterly yours, Kirstin

The Power of Listening Soror Danielle Bridgeforth

When three of Job’s friends heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him…When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized him. Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air over their heads to show their grief. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words. Job 2:11-13 (NLT) There is no shame in not knowing the right thing to say in certain circumstances.

In fact, it shows great humility, trust, and maturity to not speak rashly and without gathering all the necessary facts. (See Proverbs 18:13) Truth is, there are times in life when Holy Spirit can do more through our yielded quietness than through our best scripted words.

In the Book of Job, we read that his friends came to comfort and console him.

Yet, when they arrived, after reading the room, they realized what he needed most was not their words, but simply their presence. They sat with him for seven days and nights without uttering a word. Imagine that! Now, unfortunately, his friends did not stay silent long enough, and when they did speak, they said all the wrong things in the most incorrect ways. But at least they started right.

In the trying and troubling times in which we live, we would do well to prayerfully follow their early example. We are surrounded by people who are dealing with deep and weighty matters. Our friends, family, and community are navigating life-changing circumstances and they need our support. Indeed, we need the support and encouragement of others. Nevertheless, let us not assume that we know what is required in every situation. Take the time to pray and to listen. Take the time to learn another perspective. Take the time to sit with others and simply BE. You just may be amazed at how God can work through your tears, your silence, and your presence. Words do matter, and sometimes, it is the words we never speak that matter most of all.

A well-spoken word at just the right moment is like golden apples in settings of silver. Proverbs 25:11 (VOICE)

Happy Black History Month!

“Truth is powerful and it prevails.”

- Sojourner Truth “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”

- Frederick Douglas

Twenty Pearls: The Story of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® Click on the poster above or the link below to watch the trailer: https://vimeo.com/679276266/621adf1dd5

Black History Month Fun Facts From https://www.biography.com/news/black-history-facts

Fact #1: As a child, Muhammad Ali was refused an autograph by his boxing idol, Sugar Ray Robinson. When Ali became a prizefighter, he vowed to never to deny an autograph request, which he honored throughout his career.

Fact #2: Ali, the self-proclaimed "greatest [boxer] of all time," was originally named after his father, who was named after the 19th-century abolitionist and politician Cassius Marcellus Clay.

Fact #3: Allensworth is the first all-Black Californian township, founded and financed by African Americans. Created by Lieutenant Colonel Allen Allensworth in 1908, the town was built with the intention of establishing a self-sufficient city where African Americans could live their lives free of racial prejudice.

Fact #4: Jazz, an African American musical form born out of the blues, ragtime and marching bands, originated in Louisiana during the turn of the 19th century. The word "jazz" is a slang term that at one point referred to a sexual act.

Fact #5: During the 1930s, painter Charles Alston founded the 306 group, which convened in his studio space and provided support and apprenticeship for African American artists, including Langston Hughes; sculptor Augusta Savage; and mixed-media visionary Romare Bearden.

Fact #6: Before Wally Amos became famous for his "Famous Amos" chocolate chip cookies, he was a talent agent at the William Morris Agency, where he worked with the likes of The Supremes and Simon & Garfunkel.

Fact #7: Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on friend Maya Angelou's birthday, on April 4, 1968. Angelou stopped celebrating her birthday for years afterward, and sent flowers to King's widow, Coretta Scott King, for more than 30 years, until Coretta's death in 2006.

Fact #8: Louis Armstrong learned how to play the cornet while living at the Colored Waif's Home for Boys.

Fact #9: Armstrong earned the nickname "Satchmo" which was a shortened version of the moniker "satchel mouth."

Fact #10: After a long career as an actress and singer, Pearl Bailey earned a bachelor's degree in theology from Georgetown University in 1985.

Founder’s Day 2022 The Founder’s Day Virtual Tea Party was held on Sunday, February 13, 2022. The Founders' Day Observance Committee meticulously crafted gift boxes with love. The virtual tea was especially sweet.

Pink goes Red! Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated is proud to join the American Heart Association in the fight against heart disease in order to improve the health of all women. This month, Alpha Kappa Alpha women will take off our pink and wear red for the day to raise awareness of this deadly disease and promote life changes that will increase the longevity and quality of the lives of women around the globe.

2022 Leadership workshop Empowered and Equipped to Lead!

The Phi Nu Omega 2022 Leadership Development Workshop will remain an experience to remember for all sorors who attended. Even with a packed agenda, we managed to have fun.

Sorors were welcomed with a powerful message from Soror Danielle Bridgeforth. Next, Soror Kirstin Riddick delivered a “State of the Chapter Address” that detailed her vision and goals for PNO. A major highlight was our guest speaker, Dr. Phyllis Pajardo, Superintendent at City of Fairfax Schools, and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha. Dr. Pajardo skillfully led us through the four areas of a leadership reflective cycle. Sorors Aliya Robinson and Michele Swain offered tips for staying engaged and connected followed by a panel discussion on opportunities to lead.

The workshop ended with a group activity during which sorors set individual goals for the remainder of this year. Your leadership development committee is grateful to each soror who gave her talent, time, and expertise to ensure a meaningful, inspiring growth experience for us all. If you missed the workshop, a recording and workshop materials are available via Google Drive.

Birthdays February 14th : Soror Danielle Bridgeforth February 16th : Soror Ursula Snead

AKAversaries February ‘87: Soror Michele Swain

Community Partners

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Shelter House ALIVE! Carpenter’s Shelter BRAWS Alexandria City Public Schools Nanci’s Gift Friends of the Guest House