Belonging, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

The Delta Tau chapter proudly embodies our core values of Love, Labor, Learning, and Loyalty and understands the importance of this moment. Our chapter not only condemns all acts of racism, bigotry, and hate we are seeing in the world, but also strives to educate ourselves and labor for social justice and human rights in addition to uplifting the voices of those who have been silenced. We are loyal to promoting diversity and inclusion, and most importantly loyal to the love we hold for all of our sisters. We are proud of the work our sisters have done in the recent days to support one another, and we know there is much work to be done, which we wholeheartedly commit ourselves to.

Here is a message from our former BEDI chair, Natalie Hatton, regarding Black History Month:

“Hi everyone! My name is Natalie Hatton, and I am our chapter's Belonging, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Vice President. To be elected into this position has meant so much to me. The people in this chapter have entrusted me with a platform that allows me to make real, lasting changes for Gamma Phi, and for that, I am forever grateful. 

As a Black woman, I never imagined myself joining a sorority in college. There is a long history of exclusionary practices and anti-Blackness that has essentially become synonymous with Greek Letter Organizations. Because of this, I truly believed that I would never feel welcomed or valued within those spaces. The reason I am here today in Gamma Phi Beta is because I felt that in this organization, diversity was never an afterthought, but instead, a priority. I felt that my voice was not only heard but valued as well. I have truly found an incredibly welcoming community that is committed to the practices of Belonging, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. This month, I am beyond excited to work with this chapter to honor Black History Month. This is a month of reflection, recognition, and celebration of Black history and culture. 

I believe that Gamma Phi Beta cannot truly be committed to the aforementioned practices without taking accountability. This post does not absolve us from past problems. It is incredibly important to me that we continue to recognize and address the racism that is deep-seated within Greek Letter Organizations. Beyond this, it’s important to recognize the systemic racism and anti-Blackness that is still ever present in modern society. It’s important to remember the life of Tyre Nichols. Of George Floyd. Of Breonna Taylor. Of Trayvon Martin. Of every Black and Brown person that is no longer here to share their own story. It is important to me that this chapter continues to uplift Black voices and value Black histories beyond just the 28 days of February. 

As the BEDI Vice President, I am firmly committed to using my platform to ensure that these stories are told and will not soon be forgotten. There is still so much work and learning that our chapter must do, but I do not feel discouraged by this. I feel hopeful for the future of Gamma Phi. I am constantly inspired by our member's dedication to challenging injustices and speaking out for what they believe is right. It’s moments like these where I could not be more proud to be a part of this organization. I’m excited about the learning and growth that lies ahead of us. I am eternally grateful for this organization, and I am beyond appreciative that I have the opportunity to make it a more welcoming place for all. Happy Black History Month!

If you want to find ways to get involved & honor Black History Month on campus, follow @alanaculturalcenter on Instagram for updates on events.”

HERE is a really great resource list created by Hannah Adkins ‘20 that includes lots of tools to educate ourselves and get involved both on campus and beyond in dismantling racism (link)

And HERE is a link to sign the petition for justice for Breonna Taylor (link)

And HERE is a link to the webpage for the Colgate Student Coalition who are doing a fundraising challenge for the Colgate community (link)

HERE is an op-ed in the Colgate Maroon News titled “Incident, Protest, Email, Repeat: The Exhausting Cycle of Racism at Colgate” documenting and discussing the cycle of racist incidents on campus over the last two decades (link)

HERE is a website created in 2017 called “A Space to Critically Discuss Greek Life at Colgate” that includes testimonials and a historical archive of Colgate’s Greek system (link)

HERE is an article from the Washington Post titled “When Black people are in pain, white people just join book clubs” that discusses how white people react to continued pain and trauma of Black communities by passively educating themselves without real efforts for change (link)

In regards to Gamma Phi Beta-

HERE is a link to the new Gamma Phi Beta page for anti-racism resources (link)

And HERE is a link to their new Anti-Racism Chapter Guide (link)

In addition to the resources you can find above, below are some resources for thinking about racism within the system of greek life

HERE is an article called “Race and Racism in Fraternity and Sorority Life: A Historical Overview” that explores the history of race and racism in fraternity/sorority life through the themes of exclusion, racial uplift, and cultural relevance (link)

HERE is a research study titles “A Paradox of Participation: Nonwhites in White Sororities and Fraternities”on how racial segregation persists in greek organizations today (link)

And the following two links are op-eds about the lack of diversity in sororities: (article), (article)

HERE is a link to an Instagram post made by Princeton’s chapter of Pi Beta Phi on how to be anti-racist, sorority edition (link)

HERE is a link to another Instagram post with information about the history of racism as well as current hurtful practices in sororities (link)

This is a growing list and will continue to be updated!

And here is a series of resources on why we must avoid white feminism and how to practice intersectionality

What is white feminism? (video) (article)

What is intersectional feminism? (TED talk) (overview)

Intersectionality reading list (link)

#DoTheWork free 30 day self-paced online course on becoming a better ally (link)

This is a growing list as well, and will continue to be updated!