Over the past couple of years, friends have asked me what they can do in the wake of the racial reckoning taking place since the murder of George Floyd: “How can I make a difference when it comes to issues of equity in our society?”
It’s a serious question. They are looking to do something tangible or to give money or to educate themselves. To be honest, there is a lot of good work being done on those issues that are worthy of support. The organization I lead, the Delta Eta Boulé Foundation Leadership Development Program is among them.
I encourage friends and colleagues who want to make a difference to engage with us. For 24 years we have helped young Black men go to college and launch professional careers. More recently, we reinvented our program to reflect the challenges of our time, shifting our focus beyond scholarships to developing the next generation of Black leaders who will be change agents for their communities — personally and professionally.
Sigma Pi Phi, better known as the Boulé, was founded in 1904, and is the oldest black male Greek-lettered organization in the country. Members include W.E.B. DuBois, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mayors Maynard Jackson and Wellington E. Webb, and former American Express Chairman Kenneth Chenault, among thousands of other well-known public figures.
Sigma Pi Phi is a fraternity for professionals with members across the country. Delta Eta Boulé is one of two chapters in Colorado and created its non-profit foundation expressly to help Black males complete college.
As foundation chairman the last two years, we have repositioned the program to emphasize leadership development and leveraging social capital.
We remain committed to providing scholarships to help these young men go to college, mentorship support for their leadership development journey, internships, and training to help them climb the career ladder and become leaders in their communities. But what makes us special is the emphasis on identifying and reinforcing leadership traits in the best of our young Black men.
Since our program was founded in 1998, we have awarded three quarter of a million dollars in scholarships and devoted countless volunteer hours to support and develop these young men. We believe strong, moral, and talented leadership will be essential for the challenges ahead and must include diverse contributors and thinkers.
Our fraternity members and supporters are committed to being with these young leaders on this journey. We subscribe to a version of the African proverb that it takes a village to raise a leader. And that village can include you.
If you are looking to support a program that gets results and makes a difference — 98% of our leaders graduate in four years and are in grad school or have jobs a year later — then our Leadership Development Program is a worthy recipient.
Black History Month recently ended, but the work of making history and making a difference never ends. Please join us on this journey. Donations can be made here and direct message me or email info@deltaetaboule.org if you’d like to learn more.
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