A Golden Alert is in effect.
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, which marked 93 years on Thursday, is touring the country looking for solutions to key social issues impacting minority communities by hosting town hall meetings, forums and symposiums on civil rights, relationships with law enforcement and the power of voting.
Playing off of the sorority's colors, the events are called "Golden Alert."
"We held our first Golden Alert town hall meeting earlier this year as a way to be change agents. Our communities are precious, or golden, so we must find ways to improve them," said Bonita M. Herring, Sigma Gamma Rho 23rd international president. "The meetings give residents and law enforcement an opportunity to positively interact and ask each other questions."
Town hall meetings have been held in Chicago, St. Louis, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Houston, among other places. An Atlanta Golden Alert is being planned for next year.
Some of the Golden Alert outcomes have included: training made available for residents and police to learn how to properly interact with each other; citizen participation in government, school and community activities to ensure residents' voices are heard; and community-based organizations working more with youth to produce more positive role models.
Herring said Golden Alert has been successful because residents are talking about the issues and discussing ways to improve interactions with police officers.
“It is a two-way street when it comes to solving some of the current social issues,” Herring said.
The sorority formed a partnership with the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) to come up with positive solutions.
“We applaud the leadership and members of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority for their commitment to building greater understanding and trust between the community and law enforcement,” said NOBLE’s executive director Dwayne A. Crawford. “It has been NOBLE’s honor and privilege to support this commitment through its ‘Law & Your Community Program’ by partnering in their many Golden Alerts in cities across this country that have positively impacted thousands of adults and youth.”
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