(Long Island, NY) In recognition of Black History Month, Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory honored the Rho Omega Zeta Long Island Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. at the Legislature’s General Meeting Feb. 9.
“I commend Rho Omega Zeta Chapter for the immeasurable contributions its members have made to Suffolk County,” said Gregory, the Legislature’s first African-American presiding officer. “This organization is defined by its selfless service to others, particularly to the most vulnerable and marginalized among us. I thank them for their relentless efforts, and I look forward to recognizing the achievements of other African-Americans as we continue to celebrate Black History Month this February.”
In recognition of Black History Month, Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory, center, honored the Rho Omega Zeta Long Island Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. at the Legislature’s General Meeting Feb. 9. From left to right: Members Loraine Richardson McCray, Dawn Lott, Charlotte Taylor, Gregory, Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Valerie Cartright, Aleyiah Skelton and Jennifer Martin. (Photo by Steve Gravano). Photo Credit: Suffolk County.
Zeta Phi Beta was founded in 1920 by five women who envisioned a sorority that would address prejudice and poverty. The international organization’s Rho Omega Zeta Chapter is a group of college-educated women from Long Island who connect Pan-Africanism, a term used to identify the political and economic unity of all African people, to an effort to serve their communities through scholarship and service.
Since the chapter was chartered in 2000, Rho Omega Zeta has spearheaded service projects both locally and throughout the world. In 2001, the group sponsored an excursion to Ghana, where the organization still supports two water walls. Members have also collected school supplies for Long Island children, wigs for cancer survivors, cell phones for domestic violence victims, toiletries for veterans, and food for the hungry.
“This community-conscious and service-oriented sisterhood has allowed me to make positive contributions to the local and global community for the past 21 years,” said Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Valerie M. Cartright, who serves as the chapter’s parliamentarian. “Our local, Rho Omega Zeta Chapter, embraces our sorority’s principles through Sankofa, the African word meaning ‘to return to your roots,’ in the effort to serve our communities and ourselves. Rho Omega Zeta, a group of professional adult women, is committed to effectuating change, providing community service and resources and facilitating opportunities for personal development.”
“Service is one of our four principles that starts when we join in college and continues for a lifetime,” said Charlotte D. Taylor, an assistant dean at Touro Law Center and a Life Member of the organization. “Rho Omega Zeta chapter is honored to accept the proclamation from the Suffolk County Legislature for our service efforts on Long Island and throughout the world. Our Long Island efforts include collecting school supplies for needy children, holding voter registration drives and collecting food for the needy. We are proud to say that our impact goes beyond Long Island. As a global initiative, we continue to maintain two water wells in Ghana and support international service projects in Africa and around the world.”
