ATMA: Unsolved Mysteries

WISHING A HAPPY 

13th DELTAVERSARY TO MY SISTERS!

On December 4, 1999 the Iota Rho Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. initiated the last line of the decade!  These ladies have become my strongest supporters, my cheerleaders, my shoulders to cry on, my source of laughter, my inspiration and truly truly my sisters.  We've shared so many triumphs together and we've been there for each other in times of tragedy.  We have married each other off, welcomed new bundles of joy, and thrown parties in honor of major milestones.  The experience of having a supporting cast this strong is the reason we pledged.

From the moment we met, we knew that we were in for something amazing...an experience beyond our wildest imaginations.  Whatever the reason behind the ambition and the determination to take that first step to pledge Delta, we all ended up on the same journey, adhered to the same mantras, and stepped in unison to cross those burning sands.

I truly believe you don't know who you are until you've been tested.  You have to see how you react to challenges and who you are on the other side of them.  We faced some definite challenges and I believe who we are today is rooted in the women we were on December 4, 1999.  When unimaginable tasks are put before you and you succeed - you feel limitless.  That is a feeling that you never want to lose because as long as you feel limitless - no goal is unreachable, no dream unattainable, and no obstacle unconquerable.   When anyone asks me about being a Delta - that's what I tell them.  When I crossed, I became part of a network of amazing women who strive for excellence in their daily lives - far beyond college.  A network of WINNERS!!  I for one, am all about winning! :)

So I told my cousin, I was gonna spit a hot 16 on my next blog entry - lol so here we go!  This one is for you Nik!

I Love my Line!

22 from '13 and now the legacy's set 

kept it going nonstop since the day that we met 

12 reds from '99 founder steppin on necks 

party hopping full speed thru sorority sets 

you said you want it, please girl, yea we taking that bet 

we're pair you up with anybody and put you both in distress 

Mysteries Unsolved like a case of Who Dun It?

Keep our Nikes strapped up cuz we consistently Run It

pick any 12 from any line to try to meet this match

Thought you had a good chance but now you're back to scratch

stand up tall say it proud ay yo this line is the best

its oopsolutely oopsurd that we settle for less 

excellence in every step and yes the journey was long

a year of hitting high notes this ain't the weekend song

I'm in a Delta state of mind, I'm reppin Crimson and Cream

Feels like its '92 cuz I'm on the Dream Team!

_______________________________________________________________________

"Her heart, like the elephant, is as strong as can be - while, like the pyramid, she has three sides

one side for them, one side for you, and always one side for me." - One True Delta by Jumond Greene

Unsolved Mysteries, to you I say, HAPPY 13th and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for us.  I wish you much love and success and continued happiness and blessings!  I love you!

So what happens after the morning after you wake up a Delta...you thank the sweet baby Jesus that you made it and party hop through life knowing that you've achieved something great!  Do all you can for your community, your sorors, and the people around you.  Be a Delta and embody everything it means to be a member of this sorority.  Love your sisters and be kind - be the epitome of sisterhood, scholarship, and service.

What happens after the morning after you realize your line sisters are awesome...cherish them and never lose touch.  You need to surround yourself with awesomeness at all times!!  To Nanci, Rhenda, Jennifer, Remi, Candi, Shayla, Jam, Jalissa, Michelle, Beth and Porchia - I love you ladies and I will forever be here for you.  I may fuss at you sometimes and I may talk a lot of junk, but someone has to keep you in line!  I mean really - they don't call me Catalyst for nothing! :)

#5 Catalyst
Fall '99
Iota Rho Chapter

Stay with me!

ATMA: You Wake Up From The Dream

"I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation."

No truer words were ever spoken.  This image, this day, this demonstration has yet to be duplicated in the history of our nation.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. inspired a multitude of people to join together and speak in one voice for the freedom that is deserved by each and every one of us.  He and so many others like him, fought for a generation of people that are so undeniably unaware that it almost makes his fight, his struggle, and his death in vain.  We must transform this generation's blissful ignorance into a persistence to validate the struggle of our ancestors.  To validate the leaders.  To validate the fight.  To validate the message.  To validate the dream.

So many lives were given in the Civil Rights movement so that unjust laws and racism would be a distant memory for their children and a part of history for their children's children.  They fought for the unforeseen opportunities of a generation to become a strong force and leave an indelible mark on the very fabric of this country.  They fought in great faith that the fight was worth it for future generations.  FAITH.

We must all make a promise to ourselves and to our children to leave the world a little better than we found it.  The only way to do that is to work towards a goal of betterment.  Now, how you choose to indulge in achieving this goal is as individual as a fingerprint.  I, personally, believe in mentoring youth.  I truly believe this is my calling.  My personality and sense of self leads me to become involved in helping youth achieve theirs.  With a strong personality and self esteem, comes a confidence that allows a wider net to be cast and more opportunities for greatness arise.  But no matter what your contribution is, just make sure you make one.  Everyone is not going to have the appeal and the enormous reach of Dr. King, but it's about doing what YOU can do and not in comparison to someone else.  BETTERMENT.

I see the state of the world today and wonder if it would just be easier to wipe the slate clean and start over.  Is there too much chaos and negativity to overcome?  Why does racism still exist so long after slaves were freed?  Why is negative propaganda manifesting itself in more places than positive reinforcement?  Left, right, front and back there are obstacles to unity, detours from the narrow path of justice, blockages on the bloodlines of stability, and variations in the truths of society.  So many deterrents, those that are fighting for this nation can't seem to be seen or heard through it all.  So where do we go from here?  Where do we find the courage and bravery to continue to stand for what seems like a distant priority for today's society?  Where do we go?  We go to GOD.  For throughout all the darkness of injustice - God is light.  Throughout all the deeply rooted hatred - God is love.  Throughout all the misconstrued intentions - God is understanding.  And throughout the constant examples of negativity and chaos - God is good and God is calm.  God was the key during the Civil Rights struggle and God is the key today!  GOD.

Our struggle is no less than theirs.  Our struggle has traded water hoses and dogs, for the Tea Party and nepotism.  The difference is our approach.  Our stance.  Our commitment to the cause.  We are separate.  Quiet.  Wavering.  Uncommitted.  Tepid.  We want a change, but we aren't willing to put anything on the line for it.  Where are our leaders?  Where is our conviction? What are we leaving our children to inherit?  Why are we not putting our best foot forward?  We are not raising soldiers to fight in our battle.  We are raising a lazy, unaffected, technology forward generation of pants sagging tweeters, that would rather watch reruns of iCarly than go to a MLK breakfast.  Is this true for all of this generation?  No.  But it is true of most.  They have no idea of the significance of the March on Washington and what it meant for this country and African Americans.  So why would they leave the comforts of their rooms to celebrate, acknowledge, and participate in this day?  SMH.

So you ask, what happens after the morning after you wake up from the Dream - you try your best to wake up those around you.  The Dream is long from being fulfilled.  Recognize that the DREAM IS LONG FROM BEING FULFILLED.  Dr. King could never have imagined that only 40 years after his death, a black president was elected.  But the opportunity is for what he fought and inevitably gave his life.  Let us do our best to validate the Dream.  To carry the Dream in our souls.  To let the Dream manifest in our actions, interactions, and inaction.   Don't let it become more of a nightmare for future generations.  Leave your mark.  Start today.  Be the Dream you want to see in America.

"We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back."

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"No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."  MLK, Jr.

Happy Birthday, Dr. King.  And back at ya!

Stay with me!