W OM E N OF A C HI EV EM EN T 1985. “I pledged Zeta because of what the sorority exemplifies through its founding principles of service, scholarship, sisterly love and finer womanhood,” Barbara says. “We want to directly affect positive change; we are a community-conscious, action-oriented organization.” Barbara, who is a senior technologist in a molecular oncology laboratory and also Carrboro’s mayor pro tem, is an active member and the basileus of the Eta Phi Zeta Graduate Chapter. The group partners with nonprofits such as the Compass Center and participates in events like the African American Read-In at Estes Hills Elementary School and the Back-toSchool Bash with the Rogers-Eubanks Neighborhood Association. “It is a blessing not only to be in touch with my Zeta sorors, but also to engage with women in the other Divine Nine sororities,” Barbara says. “We can always count on one another and look for ways to support one another within the community.” Realtor Tabitha Elien attended Florida A&M University but did not join a sorority until after graduation. After moving to Orange County in 2011, she was initiated into the Gamma Rho Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. as a graduate member six years ago, joining her mother, cousins and family friends in the sisterhood. “I grew up watching the positive impact that these amazing women had on the lives of those in the community,” Tabitha says. “I have always served the community either through work or my community involvement, and I knew I wanted to be a part of something bigger than me.” Tabitha currently works with AKA’s Chapel Hill graduate chapter, Mu Omicron Omega. The chapter is active, hosting an annual Black History Knowledge Bowl and Poetry Slam with the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools’ AVID program. Additionally, the chapter provides annual scholarships to high school seniors. During the pandemic, its members focused on food and toiletry needs in the community. They collaborated with EmPOWERment, Inc. and the Lincoln High School Alumni Association to provide household items to the Chase Park and Elliott Woods communities and helped stock the pantries at the Rogers-Eubanks Neighborhood Association Community Center and Hillside Church. V. Dianne Peerman-Pledger, a lifelong Orange County resident and the vice president of development and communications for Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, was initiated into the Alpha Lambda Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. at North Carolina Central University in the fall of 1978, joining her mother and sister. “I sought membership into DST to affiliate with an organization of bold and action-oriented women whose mission is to lead, empower and engage through public service, social action and work to become a change agent for my community as a servant leader,” Dianne says. Dianne’s been an active member of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Area Alumnae Chapter of DST for more than 25 years. The chapter’s goal is to develop and implement projects and programs to focus on issues that affect African Americans and the community. The group hosts events like its annual MLK Blood Drive and provides scholarships to graduating Orange and Chatham students, totaling more than $150,000. The alumnae group collaborates with various sororities, including Zeta’s local chapter, on programs like a Women Running for Public Office Forum. “It is extremely gratifying to join other like-minded, college-educated women, members of the Divine Nine who join the movement to engage the community and embrace public service,” Dianne says. – by Anne Tate 46
chapelhillmagazine.com
May/June 2021
H ei di K im E n glis h an d Comparative Lite rature Pr o f esso r , UN C & D ire ctor, As ian Ame rican Ce n t er
f you ask UNC professor Heidi Kim about her favorite spots in town, she’ll probably mention being a Battle Park devotee, as well as her love for the Chapel Hill Public Library. The latter comes as no surprise, as Heidi is an associate professor (soon to be full professor, following a promotion this summer) in the English and Comparative Literature department. Heidi came to UNC in 2010 after completing her Ph.D. in English at Northwestern University. Her teaching and research interests range across 19th- and 20th-century American literature and Asian American studies. She also founded and currently co-chairs the English department’s Diversity & Inclusion committee and advises graduate students. And her book “Illegal Immigrants/Model Minorities: The Cold War of Chinese American Narrative” was published in February. To manage that workload, Heidi lives by what she calls the 80-20 rule, which means that 80% of the work you do is accomplished in 20% of the time you spend on it. “I really try to keep that philosophy in mind to maintain some kind of balance,” Heidi says. Outside of work, Heidi previously served on the Town of Chapel Hill’s Environmental Stewardship Advisory Board and is the chair of the board of North Carolina Asian Americans Together along with working with various nonprofits that do educational or civic work. Last July, Heidi was tapped to found the new Asian American Center at UNC. She’s spent the year preparing for a physical opening and planning virtual events including scholarly talks, interactive workshops and student-curated events. “We’ve had a lot of great collaborations and partnerships across campus which was really important to me,” Heidi says. “The goal is to educate and engage the entire campus on Asian American studies and Asian American issues and communities, and that work is really best done in partnership.” Through the AAC, Heidi kick-started a Fellows Program that brings visiting scholars and artists to campus to engage in in-depth dialogues with campus and community members. “When I look back, I’m kind of amazed at the sheer volume of what we were able to do,” Heidi says. “I was advised, mind you, to start slowly, which is clearly not advice I followed, although I definitely agree with it, but I think it wouldn’t have been acceptable to our community [to start small].” The day after the Atlanta shootings in March claimed the lives of six women of Asian descent, Heidi planned a virtual vigil in partnership with North Carolina Asian Americans Together. Hundreds of people attended. “That was tremendously meaningful,” Heidi says. “That really was a moment where I felt like all of the effort that I had been putting in all year with the Asian American Center really paid off, because so many of those partnerships came together and served the community in a really powerful way.” – by Greta Travaglia
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