Committee Corner

Arts & Letters

The Richland County Alumnae Chapter shared the winning moment for the Arts & Letters award with our sister chapter Columbia (SC) Alumnae during our 29th Sensational South Atlantic Regional Conference.

The award-winning Oratorical Contest is an annual event, which provides middle school students in the service area the opportunity to enhance their public speaking skills, promote self-confidence, aid in educational enrichment, and facilitate character building.

The National Commission on Arts and Letters was established in 1973 by then National President Lillian Benbow. The mission of the Arts and Letters Committee is directly aligned with that of the National Commission on Arts and Letters. We strive to promote a positive image of African Americans and other minorities in our community through the medium of music, dance, drama, and poetry. The committee promotes worthwhile cultural endeavors and artists through activities and events such as Delta Red Carpet/theatre outings, concerts, plays, book clubs, painting, and artists’ showcases.Other signature Initiatives of the National Commission on Arts and Letters include Delta Red Carpet (films produced and performed by African-Americans featuring positive stories); Deltas See Television (DSTv) which supports African-American network and cable television shows and movies; Music Ministry (a database of professional musicians); Delta Authors on Tour (DAOT); and Pride in our Heritage.

Program Planning and Development

For the 2020-2021 sorority year, Program Planning and Development is focusing all programming and projects around five overarching themes. These themes reflect Richland County Alumnae’s (RCA) alignment with the Delta’s Five-Point Programmatic Thrusts and data collected from our 2020 Community Feedback Survey. See our fall programs below, and we look forward to exciting opportunities for engagement in Spring 2021!

RCA Outreach Programs

21 Days Trek to Thanksgiving Walk for Life Walk to End Domestic Violence World AIDS Day Diabetes Awareness Month Delta GEMS Hot Chocolate Holiday Holiday Helpings & Hope Red Envelope Project

Physical & Mental Health

This Fall, Physical & Mental Health highlighted a wealth of total health initiatives. The 21-Day Trek to Thanksgiving initiative included members walking for over 672 miles and reported numerous positive physical and mental health outcomes. In addition to internal engagement, the Physical & Mental Health Committee also organized several virtual walking groups in support of local organizations and initiatives with common commitments. In October, RCA participated in the Walk for Life for Breast Cancer and the Walk to End Domestic Violence. In November, the chapter participated in the World Diabetes Day awareness campaign on social media and encouraged those in our service area to sweeten our dispositions, not our diets. As we entered the holiday season, the committee encouraged everyone to keep moving, drink lots of water, and give thanks.

Community Service Outreach & Delta Gems

RCA Spreads Holiday Joy During these unprecedented and uncertain times, RCA, powered by the Community Service Outreach Committee and Delta GEMS, spread joy to families and young people in our service area. In collaboration with the Prisma Health Holiday Helping and Hope initiative, RCA shared in the joy of giving for both the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Because of the generosity of chapter members, RCA was able to spread even more joy to families in need. The chapter also had a great time celebrating a Hot Chocolate Holiday with our Delta GEMS. The virtual celebration included lots of exciting activities, opportunities to build relationships, and reflections on the lessons of 2020. Our 2020-2021 GEMS are simply brilliant! We thank their parents for sharing them with us and look forward to the spring.

Program Planning & Development

World AIDS DayWorld AIDS Day is celebrated on December 1st. This year RCA’s Delta GEMS and Physical & Mental Health collaborated with Rock the Red Ribbon to promote awareness of the global pandemic. Delta GEMS had the opportunity to discuss the pandemic from the vantage point of societal norms, transmission data, and impact data with Toya Murph, Ph.D.; in addition to the importance of positive wellness decisions with Rose Hutson. After the session, the groups worked to create PSAs. The PSA’s can be found on RCA’s social media pages: Facebook (Richland County Alumnae Chapter) and Instagram (richlandcountydeltas). Like and share!

Social Action

Richland County Alumnae Chapter (RCA) is a sisterhood rooted in social action, and the Social Action Committee provided many opportunities for outreach during the past six months. The Social Action Committee was able to shed light on social justice with the virtual forum entitled Let’s Talk About R.A.C.E. –Relationship, Attitude, Cultural Diversity, and Engagement: Bridging Gaps between Law Enforcement and the Community. We partied with a purpose with the When We All Vote Virtual Voter Registration Couch Party. Additionally, RCA partnered with The Fortitude Foundation and was awarded a $5000.00 grant for the Black Voters Matter: Get Out the Vote (GOTV) initiative. Radio ads, videos, water, and snacks were purchased with the funds. The State of the Black Woman initiative, a three-part series on domestic violence, began in October 2020. Lastly, the committee introduced the 5 Calls App to the chapter. This app aided RCA members in using our voices to contact elected officials for “Callto-Action” legislative concerns.