Each year, the four sororities of the National Pan-Hellenic Council host the 100 Celebrity Men Who Cook fundraising event in Savannah, Georgia, for the United Negro College Fund. This year marked the ninth year of the event, and I had the opportunity to join the communities that came together to sample great food and raise money for the education of those yearning to expand their minds who might not otherwise be able to attend college. The tradition displays the unity of four groups of women who work together to plan, advertise, and execute the event. Dressed in black and wearing Greek letter pins, not the colors of their respective organizations, the community women united in a call for service.
The event illustrated for me that now is the time to embrace the truest forms of the holiday spirit and find unity. This time of year, regardless of what holiday an individual chooses to celebrate, reflects a spirit of togetherness and thanksgiving. Now is the time to look back on what we have learned, endured, shared, and experienced in the past year. Now is the time to set our eyes on the newness that waits to appear with the dawn of a new horizon. As the sun prepares to set on 2008, we can stand together to watch the sunrise on 2009. We must use the same spirit as the presidents of those four sororities at the fundraiser. We must realize our strength in numbers and the necessity of our unity. There is a need for setting an example for current and future generations that, even though we may belong to different organizations, attend different churches or schools, or even live in different neighborhoods, we must unite for the prosperity of our people.
Let us celebrate this season with clear hearts and minds set on continuing to unite in the New Year. Whether the celebration in your household is of Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, or any other holiday, enjoy the celebration in a spirit of unity. Give an extra smile or hug or kind word to brighten the day of another. Embrace the tie that binds all of us. Celebrate humanity.
This post was written by Taqwaa Falaq Saleem, 2008–09 AAUW Student Advisory Council member.
