My Beautiful Delta Finds…...

So while I was in DC, I did some MAJOR paraphernalia shopping. I saved for this moment for three years….YUP, I had a special "Delta Savings" account separated from my other savings and checking accounts. The great thing about going to National and Regional Conferences are VENDORRRRRSSSSS!!!!! (In my Oprah Winfrey Voice).

At first, I was VERY disappointed because they gave us "color-coded" bracelets and we were only allowed to visit the vendors during a particular time frame depending on our color. This sucked for me since most of my times were during choir rehearsals. At any rate after getting over my disappointment, I decided to make the best of the little time I did have.

Two days later, they made a decision NOT to worry about the color bracelets and would monitor how many people they would allow in the vending hall at a time. This was pure music to my ears. I was finally able to hit the vendors on day three, and I wanted to go with my ships. One was on her way back home to the Chi, so it was imperative that we all went together.

We just finished touring Howard, and my feet were KILLING ME! The first thing I was on the hunt for was Delta Slippers. Thankfully my one of my ships found me a pair. My feet were thanking me as I stepped out of my heels and into a piece of what seemed like heaven.

After stepping into heaven, we spent a  couple of hours in there until it closed (12 am) and I must say that we found some EXCELLENT para. So glad I saved my money for this moment. When I walked in and saw soooooo much Delta Red, My eyes lit up like a Christmas Tree. I didn't even know where to begin. During that time, I knew that I made the best decision of saving up for this very moment. Since this is the LARGEST convention, Delta decided to have three different locations for Vendors which included Howard Bookstore, the Renaissance Hotel, the Convention Center (which is where we were).

The funniest thing that happened was I ordered a special made Delta chair for myself right before the convention. I wanted it for the "Deltas On the Mall" function with  Singer "Brandy," but the owner of the shop, and I played phone the week before I was leaving for DC.  The shop was in Chicago, and after missing each other, I decided to try to connect with them when I returned home. Imagine my shock when I stumbled upon it at the Convention Center in DC while we were shopping. At first, I was like, Wow that's my chapter name, and then I was like, wait, that's my Ships' name, And then when I saw the crossing date and my line name I was like WAIT, THATS.MY.CHAIR!!!!!!! I whipped out my Credit Card to pay for it, but the owners were like PLEASE it's the only one we brought from Chicago, and I am getting a lot of orders because of it. I told them sure but laughed hysterically. We both decided that we would connect after the convention, so they could continue advertising my chair.

 My Personalize Delta Chair

When I returned home, we finally connected again and I am happy to report my chair made it back to me in one piece. Another great thing is they gave me a NICE discount since I allowed them to advertise.

Two of my ships bought this BEAUTIFUL case, and I am kicking myself for not getting one for myself.

I ended up finding some cute AKA (Yes, as in Alpha Kappa Alpha) stuff for my sister-n-love. She has always been there for me, so I couldn't pass up treating her with some pink and green.

Three hours later, I purchased quite a bit of stuff for myself……Here are a few photos of my Delta Finds…..I haven't worn them all as of yet, but I am looking forward to it. It was terrific browsing the vendors. I hate I only went to two of the three locations. (Howard and the Convention Center). I never made my way to the Renaissance Hotel and found out later that they had the BEST items there. (Go Figure) Thankfully, I was able to get a list of vendors there and connect with them online after the convention. I bought some CUTE "Delta Couture" from a vendor TMIR...Will post about that later especially for those of you are considering pledging Delta, AKA, Omega, or Kappa.  I bought EVERY SINGLE ITEM she had. Once again, none of the pictures below feature her items, as I feel she deserves her very own post, ;-)

One Small Portion....

My CUTE Delta Key Chain, Bracelets, and Necklace  

This is PERFECT for my Desk at School!  

I got a STEAL on these shirts, especially my "High Maintenance" High Heel Shirt

I love my new Delta mirror compact and bracelet! 

My Collective Delta Haul

I ended up buying a few hats, Shoes, 2 Jackets, 6 Shirts, 4 Sweaters, a Plaque, Watch, Pens, Pencils and a host of other things…... You name it; I bought it! :-) I felt like it was crossing night and I was at my neophyte celebration all over again. It was WONDERFUL!

Worth the Wait!!!!

Hello, Inspiring future Greek-ers!!! (Okay so I know that's not a word)
With the Fall Semester behind us,  I know most of you are gearing up for hopefully becoming a member of XYZ Sorority/Fraternity next semester (For those of you in College) or in the Spring (For those of you inspiring to join an Alumnae Chapter)

This is a time where your nerves may kick in, you are on the watch for flyers posted around your college campus/or in the community, or depending on the organization you want to join, you are praying that someone will sponsor you and ask you to an invitation-only Rush. (The latter usually happens only at the alumnae level only)

PREPARE!!!!

Well, I think I covered most of it in my previous blogs……….But here is one thing that I can't stress enough, make sure you triple, quadruple check your application. I have heard a lot of sad stories where people were denied based on the fact that their application was not complete. Also, make sure you KNOW the person who is writing your letter of recommendation. Another horror thing I heard was people getting letters of recs from INACTIVE members. Now the members should know better than to write you a letter of rec, knowing good-n-well they are not financial.

(Financial- Members who pay dues annually to the organization) That's why it is better than you ask someone you are close with, someone you know. Personally to write you a letter of recommendation. I have had some prospective members ask me HERE on this blog if I would write them one. Umm….I don't know you like that. Sure you sent me an email every now or then (and some that were the FIRST email they sent me), but I am not writing a LOR for anyone I don't personally know. Now there is one lady that I have established a relationship with since I started writing this blog four years ago. She was a  Junior in HS back then, and we have too many emails going back and forth to count. She also friended me on FB. Since then I felt as if I know her, and if SHE was to ask me to write her one, I might consider it because I feel as if I "know her."

Get your finances in order. Now, do I have to tell you that? I hope not! I would wish that the moment you decided to join a Greek letter organization, you started to save up. Also, make sure you know that IF you are chosen, being a member can be quite expensive. I can't even tell you how much money I spent on Delta….from national dues, conventions, conferences, etc. so be prepared!

All the other stuff is covered in my previous blogs, be there on time, dress to impress, etc.

Good luck to you all, and HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!! I hope to receive a ton of emails from you stating that you crossed into (insert_greek_letter) LAND!

White or Black Greek Letter Organizations,,,,,Does it MATTER????

Hiya Readers out there!!!! I am currently on Fall Break from my school, so I can post this week. (YAY) Some of you have contacted me and informed me that you are currently going through MIP right now which is fantastic, I wish you an incredible journey into Greek-Land, and some of you are anxiously awaiting for the signage to go up announcing Rush for next semester.

Now I know the name of this blog is Black Greek 101, however what if you are Black and you are thinking about joining a White Greek Letter Organization? Will you be looked down upon? Are their Challenges? Will you be considered a "sell out" amongst your friends?

Although I am a Delta, I am a member of SEVERAL predominately White Greek Letter Organizations. I am active in ALL of them except two, and they include:

Sigma Alpha Iota Fraternity Inc. (A Music Fraternity- I was the ONLY Black in our pledge class, and the only Black Member my entire time while I was on campus. I am happy to report I am STILL active and a member of the Alumnae Chapter here in town.)

Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity Inc. (Service Organization- Once again I was the ONLY Black in my pledge class, and up until I graduated I was the only black in the organization. I am a Life Member and very active with the local chapter)

And the others were Honor Societies (too many to list) and Gold Key Honor Society.

When I made up in my mind I wanted to join Sigma Alpha Iota (otherwise known as SAI) color was never an issue. I knew it was a music org made up of predominately  White women, but that didn't stop me for wanting to join. After doing research, and attending several chapter events, I loved how the women supported each other musically. Several of the members were already members of other Sororities such as Alpha Phi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Tri Delta, and many others. They said that pledging SAI was similar to when they joined these Orgs. I never felt out of place, and at the chapter events, these ladies embraced me and did not see "color."

I experienced the same ordeal when I joined Alpha Phi Omega. I love serving the community which drew me into both Delta AND Alpha Phi Omega. My pledge class was 77, and although to some I stuck out like a sore thumb, my pledge class, pledge mom and pledge dad never made me feel that way. I loved how they embraced me.

Now, these are MY experiences, and I am not saying that if you are Black and want to join a White Greek Letter Organization, that they will embrace you the same because chances are you may face some challenges. Even in 2013, I am sad to admit it still exists. Don't believe me?

Read the Article Here
Sorority Segregation At University Of Alabama

I believed I addressed in my first posting about how my college roommate was looking forward to rushing and wanted me to rush with her. Although I had NO interest in pledging a WGLO, I went with her to support her. I will NEVER forget when we both went. All the houses were HUGE, with the Greek Letters on the outside, and by huge I mean they looked like Mansions. As we browsed from home to house, it was amazing to see these women, dressed in their heels, with cute sundresses trying to win over potential pledges. I don't think I ever have seen so much FOOD , and I mean there was food everywhere. Each house had a presentation of why their organizations were "The BEST" organization on campus, showing slideshows, videos, doing skits, etc. This experience was different than what BGLO have on campus. By the end of the night as my roommate and I were walking back to our dorm bellies full of some good eats, she was confiding that she narrowed it down to two Sororities. It was a tie between Delta Zeta and Alpha Gamma Delta, and she was praying to get a bid from both of them. Although the ladies didn't treat me as an outsider as I was one of the only "ones" that attended the rush event, I couldn't help but noticed that a few sororities were PUSHING for me consider their "house" (which is another way of saying joining their org).

My Roommate ended up pledging Alpha Gamma Delta, and she loved every minute of it.  I will never forget the night she was chosen, her Big Sisters decorated our dorm room door and gave her SO MUCH GREEK STUFF as a "welcome to the family" before she even started her process.  Everything we do is such a secret. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit envious because this type of thing doesn't happen in BGLOs. The following year, I started a friendship with a girl who confided in me that she was interested in pledging. I ASSumed it was one of the BGLOs, but she was interested in pledging a WGLO. She later ended up joining Delta Zeta and told me it was the BEST decision she ever made.  She enjoyed her pledge process, had an incredible bond with her 65 pledge sisters. Her mom who is an AKA and her grandmother who is a Delta didn't understand and couldn't process why she decided to join a WGLO.

I say this, FOLLOW YOUR HEART! Joining a Greek Letter Organization to me is like picking your mate. You love, who love and Love has no boundaries when it comes to color. Just know that there might be times when you may face some adversities, but as women and men of color, that's just life. So if you have your heart of going against the norm, I say DO IT, because YOU and only YOU have to live with this life-long decision.

Ciao for now!

Centennial Celebration in DC/National Convention Recap Day 4- The End…..

So I decided to sum up the rest of my time during the centennial. There is so much to mention during these days, and nights, as they all seemed like a blur. I will say it was WONDERFUL attending the Social Action Luncheon especially since the entire verdict of Trayvon Martin.  Over the next few days, we had some incredible prominent speakers who address the Delta Body. Speakers such as Hilary Clinton, Bernice King, Attorney General Eric Holder, and many others. They made me feel PROUD of being a member of the best sorority in the world.

I felt bad about neglecting my husband, so I cleared one day for just him and me! We went to see the Lincoln Memorial, the Martin Luther King Memorial, the White House, and everything in DC. It was wonderful, and I had a blast with him. I LOVED the fact that he was able to take a picture in front of his FRAT Memorial, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The only downfall was it was HOT, and by hot I mean HOTTER THAN I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED (and I am in Phoenix). I had to sit down a few times from not passing out.

As the convention was winding down, reality set it that my ships/neos were going to go back to their "normal" lives and fly home.  (Michigan, St. Louis, Illinois). I realized that I had to find time to spend with them. After taking care of "Delta Business," we ended up going to Howard University to shop, visit, and take pictures at the "Famous" Delta Tree, and Fortitude. We met up with our Neos and had a blast! There was a whole sea of "red" taking pictures everywhere! We laughed, cried, shopped, and we made a ton of connections with other sorors.

Overall the weather in DC was hot. I had to stand in line for almost FOUR hours to get inside of our National Headquarters. It was worth the wait, but as I stated before, I was tired, and drenched in sweat, and there were times I had to sit down from feeling like I was going to faint.

I don't think I got any rest this entire trip, and thankfully since I am a school teacher I was okay with that. (Thank GOD for summers) I think I was living off of an average of 3 hours of sleep every day.

On the last day, I was sorrowful about leaving, but at the same time, I couldn't WAIT to get back home into my own bed! It has been an excellent time/journey with my sorors, and I applaud the EXEC board and everyone involved for doing a fantastic job and making this a memorable convention.

Here are a few pictures to recap my last few days in DC.

Me and My Beautiful Ships  

 My Ships and a small portion of our Neos. (DS 9MM and DS. 21-Derful F.O.R.C.E.S.)

 DS. 9 MM

A small portion of my undergraduate chapter!

 NICE A Phi A Plaque at Howard

Fortitude

 My lovely Husband representing his Phrat

 Me and My Boo!!!!

 So Proud of this,,,,They named a street after us! HOW COOL!!!!

 Me in front of NHQ!

  The FOUR hour long line to get into National HQ

 I had to represent my SAI (Sigma Alpha Iota) At Howard

It's been a blast, See ya in Houston Sorors!!!!!

Centennial Celebration in DC/National Convention Recap Day 3

First off: Happy Anniversary Baby!!!! Today was a very special day for me, and I was hoping to spend some time celebrating the "Endless Love" (our wedding theme) that my husband and I have for each other. I am enterally grateful that he postponed the celebrating our anniversary for my centennial.

As I was hitting snooze, I was thinking how I sure could go for a message, or I wish I were back at home so I can go to a spa for some relaxation. I have been living off of a minimum of 3 1/2 hours of sleep. At any rate, as I  crawled out of bed, I wanted to hit my darling husband who was sleeping next to me as he hugged the covers....Snoring......BOO! I got dressed in my White excited for today's event kissed my snoring hubby and headed downstairs to the lobby to join other Choir Sorors as we waited for a cab to take us to the convention center.

Without going into specifics, the Opening Ceremony was beautiful, I enjoyed every second of it. We sounded great, and by the end we had six brand new sorors join our illustrious sisterhood!  They are:

Dr. Tererari Trent

Angela Bassett

Paula Madison

Susan Taylor

Suzan D. Johnson-Cook

Lisa Jackson

I had to leave the ceremony earlier than expected because I needed to get to my Undergraduate Chapter Meetup Luncheon. I have been planning this for months, and I was praying that it would all work out in the end. Thankfully, one of my chapter soror's uncle was gracious enough to allow us to use his Bonus Room in his Condo for the meetup. The catered food was awesome, and the turnout was incredible! We laughed, cried, sung,  prayed, reminisced about the good ole days, and how our Chapter is the BEST chapter around. We did line introductions and said a few words about our individual pledge lines. It was wonderful to see my Big Sisters, My Spec, My Neo's and the babies of the chapter. When everything ended, I ended up getting ready to go BACK to the convention center to take care of "Delta Business."

Later on that evening, hubby and I got dressed, and was ready to go to the Signature Gala! We had a wonderful time listening to different artists. Here is a re-cap of what I was able to capture from that beautiful evening…..

The artists were fantastic. The only part of the Gala that was sad was when they announced the George Zimmerman was found not guilty in the trial of Trayvon Martin. Everyone was sad and confused. We said a prayer for the Martin family, and it was discussed on how the justice system failed his family. We quickly turned the sadness into a celebration of Trayvon Martin's life.


My darling husband and I finally got back to the hotel roughly around midnight. Although I was tired, we took a quick shower, got dressed and headed back out to Club Delta. The Alphas were hosting Club Delta on tonight so that was one of the main reasons why I decided to go. I wanted my hubby to be around his fraternity brothers. We had  a great time, but I think the lack of sleep was catching up with me.

Once we left We out to Delta Club, and I was EXHAUSTED! So I decided to call it a night and crawl into bed. I  FINALLY fell asleep around 4 am…..

Centennial Celebration in DC/National Convention Recap Day 2

I didn't get much sleep, but I am up EARRRLLLYYY in the AM dressed and ready to get my sing/praise on with my sorors at Choir practice. After kissing my wonderful husband goodbye, I headed down to the lobby to catch the Delta Shuttle (Which is a GREAT Shuttle btw) to head to the convention center for choir practice.

Once I got to the convention center, I was embraced by some SANGIN sorors! It was wonderful, and we sounded SO good! Being a member of a White Church back home, I forgot how beautiful a  traditional Black Church sound.

As I was in rehearsal, I was envious because my Ships were kicking it hard on the Mall.  But then when we started praising God all that envious-ness (I know SO not a word) went out the window. We had a GOOD OLE FASHION time praising God through song. Once we were finally done, and I exchanged phone numbers and emails with several sorors,

I went on a 10 min break. Not only was I a member of the Centennial Choir, but I was also a member of the Praise Team and were meeting for rehearsal. I texted my ships, and I found out that the line at the Verizon Box Office was CRAZY, and I needed to pick up tickets soon for the Stepshow, Signature Gala, and Gospel Fest.  I was afraid that I was not going to get there in enough time to pick up me and Hubby's Tickets.  I guess I had favor because when we finished rehearsal, I RAN to the box office and there was NO LINE!

I got home, quickly changed for the step show and the hubby, and I caught the Delta Shuttle to the Verizon Center for the Step show. It was GREAT to see so much crimson cream in this place. I was told that the step show was SOLD OUT and seeing the crowd outside while waiting for the doors to open only confirmed it.

Once we FINALLY got on the inside, we scrambled to find some great seats since:

A: The show was sold out, and
B: There was general seating

Thanks to my darling husband, he found us some FABULOUS seats, so I was able to capture some awesome pictures. The crowd was hyped, the DJ was on point, and you could feel the excitement in the air.

                                                           A Small Potion of the Crowd

A little clip I recorded right before the Show Started!


After Groovin to the music, and watching my beautiful sorors stroll in their seats, the show finally started with my 2nd Vice President, Soror Chelsea C. Hayes!

                          

                             She was later joined by the rest of the National Executive Board

   Soror Kym Whitley and Kappa Alpha Psi member "Uncle Tommy" were both Co-Host of the Stepshow. I felt they both did a phenomenal job!

Overall I enjoyed the step show, and I felt my sorors brought the HEAT! I have way too many pictures to post, so I will give you a small taste of each chapter.

                                         

                         ^^^^The Winners of the StepShow, The Mighty Midwest ROCKS!!!!
                    

In the Middle of the Stepshow, the "Uncle Tommy" one of the co-hosts asked the crowd who was the Oldest Delta in the Room. This YOUNG Lady was the "Oldest Delta Member" in the Crowd, and he was fantastic enough to present her with a $500 check!

When the show was finally over, My Boo and I hauled out of there as fast as we could to beat the crowd (Epic Fail) and headed back to the hotel to meet my Shippies! I was sad that I couldn't hook up with them at the step show, HOWEVER, we made plans to meet up back at my hotel after the show to go to Club Delta. My hubby was SO SWEET enough to allow us to have the hotel room, so they came up, we changed clothes, showered, laughed, reminisced and got dressed up to hit the club. 

Right before we hit the streets, my ships and I did a pose right in front of the elevators!

When we finally got to Club Delta, we ran into other Chapter Sorors, and it was GREAT seeing them as well. 

When we walked into the Renaissance Hotel (The Host Hotel/Club Delta) we were greeted by TONS of Greeks from All Organizations. (Kappas, Alphas, Ques, AKAs) It was lovely!  The Bar was featuring a special drink in our honor.

We ran into a few frat brothers who were from the South, and we had some GREAT conversation. Although we didn't have the opportunity to attend Club Delta since it was over by the time we got there, we had a great time conversating with sorors and people in the lobby.

We took the rest of the evening just to bond with each other.

My night FINALLY ended around 4 am. I needed to get in a quick "nap" because I needed to catch the shuttle to the convention center for our Opening Ceremony. I knew I was going to be tired, but hanging out with my shippies was priceless!

Next Post: Day Three!!!!!!!