Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Are We Adding Value or Are We Replaceable?

To be honest, I spend half of the time that I spend thinking about BGLOs about our value added.

And I keep circling back to this song and Beyonce's lyrics:
Don't you ever for a second get to thinkin'
You're irreplaceable

I think this is apt for historically Black Greek-letter fraternities and sororities.

We think that we are it. The bee's knees. The best and the brightest. The leaders. The doers. The tastemakers. The changemakers.

Basically, we believe that we are the shh...ish.

For many years, that's been the common mindset of so many. Year after year, I hear the same tired lines from chapters, members of other groups, and the leadership of our organizations.
My sorority/fraternity is the ish. We do so much.
We provide real service to the community.
We don't write checks. We do service.
We give out 10 bazillion in scholarships.

Yeah, some chapters do that. A lot of chapters and individuals don't. Most organizations do. And many sit on the sidelines when it comes to real issues. (Um, how many NPHC organizations have national programs on environmental sustainability, food deserts, the commercial sexual exploitation of children,access to clean water and proper sanitation across the globe, modern slavery, or intimate partner violence/domestic violence?) How many organizations maintain consistent, sustaining programs with community partners rather than quickie, hit-and-quit-it programs/one-time photo op days of service/in-name only support of awareness days?

Honest to God: What is the purpose of our organizations?

As Black Socialite said in her blog post on the founding anniversary of Alpha Kappa Alpha, "more lives have been positively transformed than negatively impacted because of our existence."

That's great and all. But are we living up to those purposes? Are we meeting or exceeding the missions that the Founders set forth? How do we show qualitatively and quantitatively that we matter and that we are doing something?

Most of the time, I think we are falling short. Way short of the mark and the intended goals.

Maybe it is time for us to be replaced. But that time has been coming for awhile.

I think that sums up society's response to BGLOs. We are replaceable.
Sidenote: I can't stand Beyonce most days of the week, but I developed a new soft spot for her because of this article on her and my boyfriend-in-my head/her real-life husband, Jay-Z.

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