Survivors, We Hear You and We See You. We Believe You and We Rise With You
Contact:
Veronica Almeida, OPBSI National President
President@omegaphibeta.org
Yaritza Gonzalez, Vice President of Community Relations
Community@omegaphibeta.org
July 1, 2020 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Survivors, We Hear You and We See You.
We Believe You and We Stand With You.
2020 has been a year of reckoning, one where we all have taken a look in the mirror and seen how we must change to better ourselves, our communities, and society. OPBSI has been called again to take a look, and we see our Sisters and others speaking out about their experiences with sexual violence in spaces created and protected by Fraternal Greek organizations.
As OPBSI continues to rise up and stand in solidarity with all Survivors of sexual violence, we recognize that OPBSI must address and dismantle the rape culture that our Greek Letter System has incubated, allowing abusers to act with impunity. OPBSI will actively support all Survivors and speak out against misogyny and sexual violence by taking the following steps.
OPBSI commits to:
- Honor our Sisters and all Survivors across various organizations that have shared their stories, and to let those who have not shared recognize that they are safe and loved. They are heard and seen. They are believed.
- Provide workshops, trainings, and other educational materials that inform our Sisters and all Survivors about their rights and options to hold abusers and institutions accountable.
- Coordinate with NALFO and all of its member organizations to ensure abusers are held accountable by their organization.
- Ensure our internal judicial system holds abusers within our own organization accountable.
- Utilize the Ray of Hope Walk to mobilize communities, as well as utilize our relationship with our Ray of Hope Walk beneficiaries to connect our Sisters and all Survivors to more communities of support that offer emotional, financial, and material support.
The route to ending a culture that reinforces misogyny and sexual violence is varied — whether that be support through listening and believing, advocating and educating, or organizing and protesting to hold abusers and enabling institutions accountable. We must all continue to rise up and stand in solidarity with all Survivors of violence, and challenge how we think, talk, and act on the issue of sexual violence and consent.
Survivors, stand with courage in your truth and power, and our Sisterhood will stand by your side as a tool for healing and empowerment.
About Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
Omega Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated (OPBSI) is a Greek-lettered organization committed to spreading the Awareness of Violence Against Women. The mission of OPBSI is to serve and educate people of diverse backgrounds through sisterhood, leadership and guidance. As positive role models, we promote unity of all cultures, focus on the empowerment of our gender and raise the standards of excellence in our academic, social, and personal endeavors. OPBSI envisions a world without oppression, where empowered women celebrate the essence of womanhood and act as resources in the advancement of their communities. For more information visit: www.OmegaPhiBeta.org