Align, Educate & Participate

Updated July 30, 2021

We are in awe of the steps our chapters and members have taken against racial injustice and bigotry, and we celebrate you. Alpha Omicron Pi is committed to do better and we want you to know we are listening and appreciate your perspective. We recognize we have not done nearly enough in the past. We are taking this time to educate ourselves and looking to the future on how to better educate our chapters and take action to improve our support for the Black Community and all POC within our chapters and our communities. We are working on an action plan moving forward, and educating ourselves on ways that we can implement this action into our day-to-day Fraternity operations for all AOII sisters that now are or will be in time to come.

Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic a rise in hate crimes and racism toward the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities has grown exponentially in the U.S., Canada and across the world. Research released by reporting forum Stop AAPI Hate revealed nearly 3,800 incidents were reported over the course of roughly a year during the pandemic. Women made up a far higher share of the reports, at 68 percent, compared to men, who made up 29 percent of respondents.

The women of Alpha Omicron Pi are devastated by the violence against the AAPI Community and stand with our Asian sisters, friends and family to condemn the blatant racism toward this community. We ask our members and friends to to speak out against these crimes and take action to support the AAPI Community. Take some time to review the resources below to see how you can help!

Align, Educate & Participate

We would like to thank our sisters from Kappa Omicron (Rhodes College) and Nu Omicron (Vanderbilt University) for sharing their Align, Educate and Participate information below as we continue to build a space to share resources.

Align Yourself With a Cause

• • Examine your values and how your actions outwardly reflect upon those values
  • Listen thoughtfully to those whose experiences differ from your own
  • Hold yourself accountable to call out instances of bigotry
  • Be mindful to share images and videos that are appropriate and respectful

Educate Yourself On the History of Inequality in America

• • Take initiative to independently seek out knowledge without relying upon others to teach you
  • Read articles, books, speeches, and website from a variety of perspectives, ensuring to include works written by POC 
  • Reflect upon art, movies, comedy, and literature created by artists of color through a lens of empathy and understanding
  • Encourage conversation among your peers and family
  • Attend campus events hosted by cultural organizations

Participate

• • Identify groups or organizations with goals and values similar to your own 
  • Donate as you are able to organizations that support those impacted by injustice or violence 
  • Sign petitions to express your voice
  • Exercise your right to vote for officials at every level who advocate for the principles in which you believe
  • Use any platform at your disposal to raise awareness for injustice and violations of humanity
  • Remain committed to your own education and engagement over time, in the absence of heavy news coverage

Resources

We understand that words are meaningless unless we accept our responsibility to work towards an equitable future. And as a Fraternity, we are committed to Inspiring Ambition in all that we do, not just through our words, but also through action. To that end, we have compiled several resources to help our members and groups who wish to take action in their communities.