CLEVELAND, Ohio — An East Cleveland neighborhood got a much needed check-up and check-in thanks to two professional Black fraternity and sorority organizations.
What You Need To Know
- Local chapters of Delta Sigma Theta and Omega Psi Phi joined together for the event
- There was free COVID-19 testing, voter registration, and information on the census
- The Cleveland Foodbank also handed out food
Two chapters of Omega Psi Phi and a chapter of Delta Sigma Theta teamed up to provide COVID-19 testing, census information, and voter registration to the community free of charge.
The three-in-one event took place at Shaw High School, an area where completion of the census is low.
“This community needs those dollars. There are millions and millions and millions of dollars available and the census represents money and power,” said Ruth Price Rollings the president of the Greater Cleveland Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc.
Not only are residents not completing the census, but many aren’t registered to vote. The president of the Greater Cleveland Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta said these two things go hand-in-hand.
“We don’t want to lose seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, and if we’re underrepresented in terms of the census, then we lose seats in the house,” said Rollings.
This is why Delta Sigma Theta and Omega Psi Phi decided to work together to bring these resources directly to the community. But they also realized the need for COVID-19 testing in the area — so Care Alliance joined in to bring free testing to the community.
“A lot of times in our communities we’re more concerned with getting through our 9-5’s and, you know, now you’re dealing with the mental health aspect the frustration the despair associated with COVID, so it’s easy to forget about a lot of those other issues. So, it was important to come in, provide testing which might give some level of peace of mind. See that other people care what’s going on in the community,” said Tony Scott the president of the Zeta Omega chapter of Omega Psi Phi, Inc.
In addition to the testing and other resources, the Cleveland Foodbank was also on hand giving out bags of food. U.S. State Rep. Kent Smith stopped by the event to hand out proclamations to the organizations and Care Alliance.
