Over the year, we continued our collaboration with the Black Male Initiative in opening space for Hopkins students to connect, group study, and build healthy study habits. Every Wednesday night, Brothers and BMI Mentors built bonds with underclassmen and peers to prepare for exams and finish homework in a collaborative environment. he time was also used to create service opportunities for students. On March 4, Brothers hosted a Letter Writing Workshop for students to write heartfelt letters to children living in foster care facilities across the country to remind them that they are seen, valued, and capable of greatness.
In support of Project Alpha, the Fraternity’s broader mission to promote awareness and preventive services for HIV/AIDS, the Sigma Sigma Chapter worked to extend this commitment to provide services and resources to children in Accra, Ghana by collecting donations from Hopkins community members throughout the fall semester. Collection bins were placed across campus in various locations allowing people to give what they were able, whenever and wherever. The Chapter also explored a new partnership with The Akoma Foundation, an emergency and first-aid distribution organization that specializes in child health in Ghana.
A total of 136 pieces of clothing, 30 packs of menstrual pads, 18 packs of condoms, one menstrual cup sterilizer case, and one blanket were collected over the semester and distributed to students and community members at Nyamedua Children’s Home and Abel Royal International School, an orphanage and a primary education center in Accra. Brother President Arday had the pleasure of delivering these items, as well as leading a seminar to students about safe sexual practices, contraception use, and STD/STI prevention through personal responsibility and self-efficacy.
Bro. Arday also spoke with students about his college journey, encouraging academic preparation and higher education while highlighting the importance of transitioning from high school to college.
Brother’s Keeper reminds us to put the wellbeing of our Brothers at the forefront of our minds and provide opportunities for self-improvement through fellowship and keeping each other accountable.
Brothers hosted a cookout in the fall on campus that was open to students and Brothers across Baltimore and the DMV who came out to fellowship with one another and meet someone new. We also hosted a fitness event focused on engaging guests and Brothers in calisthenics and bodyweight exercises. Brothers prioritize physical fitness and use peer support to keep each other going, even when life is busy.
In support of A Voteless People Is A Hopeless People, the Sigma Sigma Chapter has worked intentionally to invest in innovative ways to educate our community on the importance of voting and avenues for people to get involved in civic action in general. In response to many underrepresented Hopkins students’ feelings of insecurity, isolation, and fear due to the threat of xenophobic and racist domestic and foreign policy, we engaged education as a tool for protection from precarious situations our community members might find themselves in.
In collaboration with the Rho Omega Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., the Sigma Chapter of Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad/Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc., and the Beta Zeta Chapter of Sigma Iota Alpha Sorority, Inc., we hosted a panel of experts to explain to students and community members how they might best leverage their constitutional rights and improve their understanding of local, state, and federal law if ever stopped by a law enforcement official.
The Sigma Sigma Chapter also engaged young Black men on campus, in particular by providing nearly 20 free haircuts to students in collaboration with Reflection Eternal Barber Shop on National Voter Registration Day on September 16, and helping each one get registered to vote.
