The Recipe for Evolution

VISIT MY CAMPAIGN WEBSITE AND CLICK AWAY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MY PLANS AS YOUR FUTURE BOARD OF DIRECTOR

With so many candidates to choose from, spicy and seasoned Sisters must be feeling overwhelmed on who to choose.  What I have learned during this process is that Sisters are wanting something new yet reliable to take place for our Board of Directors.  When we talk about wanting evolution for our Sisterhood, everything new isn't always promising.  It's more about our evolution.

When I first drafted the Swing Evolution logo for our 41st Anniversary, I was at a pivotal moment in my first term as an executive officer.  I was proud of every idea, word, and image that I was able to create and see come to life for this organization.  For me, that's what it has always been about because the work was for my Sisters - not for me.  During my tenure as the Media Affairs and Public Relations Officer, I worked with all of the generations of Swing and it was a perfect merry of Sisterhood, professionalism, and passion.  To me, that is true evolution.  We must know where we have come from and what we are working with and breathe new energy into our growth in a new time period with old and new obstacles.  For instance, just like I tell my students, just because you can't see racism beating you in your face doesn't mean it's not there; the game has just evolved. So we have to study our history to know from which and what our people have come out of in order to understand the new dangers that await.

I'm only interested in only discussing solutions but one of our big problems in this Sisterhood is giving too much of our energy and time into complaining and lamenting over what has not been done.  Our work has been mired down due to a lack of focus in our national agenda.  Due to our small size, it is easy for us to feel overwhelmed in the work that must be done.  We take on BIG ideas, but we must figure out viable ways to keep Sisters and chapters motivated to follow through.  We struggle to communicate consistently and en masse and are left feeling as if the message has fallen into the void.  We do not properly seek out promising partnerships and evolve them into working and prosperous relationships.  We fear openly discussing our Sisterhood's issues like ageism, homophobia, substance abuse, and narrow-mindedness, all of which are diseases that will lead to our very destruction.

We have to start thinking about Swing for the next 100 years.  How will this organization look in 100 years? If you are not sure about this answer, then you have been impacted by the negativity that keeps us from being focused.  My SWING Philosophy is a stepping stone to help keep our Sisterhood alive and relevant for the next 100 years.  THE TIME IS NOW!  Some of us have to learn how to get of our own way and let leadership bloom.

This year, I have been so busy preparing myself for this moment but one of the most pertinent moments for me was working with the Public Relations team for the American Black Film Festival.  What I learned validated several things about the possibilities of leadership:

1. Capable leaders are proven by their work ethic and relationships.
2. Leadership is built from within and nurtured.
3. Leadership is reliable and consistent.
4. When leaders grow weary, they must be able to be recharged by the body from which it leads.
5. TRUE LEADERSHIP IS NEVER COMPROMISED BUT SURROUNDED BY OTHER TRUE AND CAPABLE LEADERS.

Every where I go, I take SWING with me because not only do I represent my organization, but I learn on behalf of it. I don't have all of the answers but as a LIFE-LONG LEARNER, I know there is much to understand about being a leader.  When we look at our past history in this organization, we have seen leaders prove themselves in their era.  We've learned from their successes and failures, and in some ways, it has put us behind.  Not only do we need to usher in a new generation of leadership in SWING, we also have much work to do to bring our Sisterhood up to speed in 2013.

I'll leave you with this: as the architect of Swing Phi Swing's social media (Facebook page, The Sisters of SPHIS Group, Twitter, YouTube, InstaGram, & Foursquare), internal communications (House Report & OLA Report) and digital media platforms (Ebony Pearl TV & Ebony Pearl Radio) for this organization, author of the first Online Media Kit and Swing Brand Book, and former Editor and Chief of  The Ebony Pearl (2009-2012) that laid the foundation for a magazine style, I am proud of what I did to bring our Sisterhood into the Digital Age because it has helped us to link and network in ways that traditional means are limited in.  Sisters have attempted to shame me into believing that I am always on the Internet or that social media was going to somehow destroy our Sisterhood.  If we don't find new ways to connect, then we are only holding onto the old skin that we have outgrown and dragging along.  Plus, fear-mongering is rooted in ignorance and control issues - some of the very petty, insignificant trivialities we speak of.

You have to ask yourself: how has each of your candidates EVOLVED as leaders?

In conclusion, this is what I can promise you in addition to my PLAN:
1. I will always have a just rationale for every decision.
2. I speak in a direct and professional manner.
3. Hurt feelings have no place in the business we conduct because it represents ego and I'm not bringing it.
4. You can trust me as a proven leader, thinker, and innovator.
5. I will work hard and smart.
6. I am a consummate communicator so always expect follow up on any type of correspondence.

PR Volunteer Alaina Lewis & I during the 2013 ABFF

Find your voice and SWING!

peace & OLA,
mdgg

Candidate Forum #1: My Reponses

Ola Sisters,

If you missed the first Candidate Forum for Board of Directors candidates, you can read my responses to all questions.  Sisters, this is definitely a time for us to really reflect and choose candidates who are the difference!  We are evolving as a Sisterhood and now is the time to work towards the Swing Phi Swing that will make great strides in our communities, region, nation, and world. FIND YOUR VOICE AND SWING!

Would you be opposed to changing the rules regarding educational requirements? 

Yes, I would be opposed to changing the rules regarding educational requirement because according to the Black Book, for graduate membership, it only requires they either have a college degree, technical degree/certificate, or a professional person with a record of 5 or more years commitment to community service.  I would only recommend a change to defining what constitutes a professional person and how long they have been on the job.  As far as undergraduates, 24 college credit hours seems sufficient as this sister would be moving into her sophomore year of college.  This would provide sufficient time to help build an undergraduate chapter and to be mentored by graduate chapters/sisters.  This is an opportunity to help bridge the generational gap.

What are your views on dual membership? (Greek members joining Swing Ph Swing?)

I am against dual membership seeing that we go through an entire rites of passage, take oaths, and pledge a commitment to Swing.  I learned in Secrets of our House  several years ago from Sis. Founder Ellen Tomlinson that Swings did not want to pledge Greek because they felt they were Black and were with the people. I think the idea of it creates confusion to our Sisters who believe once a Swing always a Swing but then see others leave to become a Delta or AKA. I stand committed to Swing and there should be no question of it. Dual membership should not be considered for the sake of boosting our numbers for financial gain or better opportunities to partner.  There needs to be a proper protocol to deal with Sisters who pledge another organization or considering to bring in a member who has denounced another organization.

How could Swing capitalize on our 501c status?

Swing can better capitalize our 501c status by creating national philanthropic opportunities of fundraising and leveraging chapters strength to earmark funds to assist the SHE Foundation.  We have great opportunities to put on charity banquets, scholarship functions, etc.  We can even leverage our connections with members who are making great strides in their communities and have national recognition and making them the ambassadors for our philanthropic efforts.

If elected, what are the first three issues you would like the Board to address?

• Updating the Black Book
• Re-evaluating the National budget
• Refining the National Initiatives to secure external funding

What changes need to occur within SWING to reinvigorate the current membership and to bring in quality members within the sisterhood?

I think we have quality members but we must find ways to invest in our membership, to nurture leadership, and to provide meaningful opportunities to network and fellowship.  We have so many opportunities during our national convention to provide training of our members and bonding.  The need to reinvigorate or reawake members is from the perception that they are sleep and idle. We have to recognize the fact that our Sisters are still moving on and making great changes in their lives. Perhaps it is the leadership and the structure of our organization that needs to be reinvigorated. We have to catch up.

Will you be a board member who will comply with the constitution and bylaws of the organization and not change them to fit your personal agenda?

I think rules and laws are important but can be changed if it is for the betterment of our Swing house.  We have to understand the social contract we make within our organization. What makes for a good Sisterhood? What is right for our Sisterhood? What do we value in our Sisterhood? This is an ever-evolving question.  We all want the basic rights of being a member of Swing – your Ebony Pearl, access to training and events, and communication.  But, we also need to ensure there is a democratic process so that our members can make changes to what is unfair and to bring about change to improve our house.  That power should not be relegated to a select few. We are elected into these positions but we also are here to represent the body collective. Every one has a voice to be heard and we should not be a Sisterhood that is against any form of reason that can help us build a better SWING.

How will you ensure that the Judiciary Committee is used effectively and justly? Do you feel National Officers should be impeached if they do not perform their duties according to the Black Book?

Number 1: The Judiciary Committee is only as effective as the Constitution and Bylaws of our organization.  Number 2: Making sure that Sisters are compliant is a major task that must be undertaken by those who are rational and just in their reasoning.  Number 3: To ensure effectiveness, the judiciary committee must be detailed in their investigation and providing a standardized process of documenting their findings.  Number 4: In order to be just, there should be a balance between who resides on this committee, which should be the Judiciary Chair, the Constitution/Bylaws Chair, and the National Vice President (who resides over membership).

Officers have to be accountable of their duties and conduct and it is the National President and Board Chair’s duty to make sure officers are doing the work and there is a fair system of evaluation.  I think there is step by step approach that can be taken with officers just like a job: verbal warning, write up with a probationary period, then request for resignation.  This is a process that must be refined and a step towards the professional demeanor of which national officers should be aware of.

What are three ways you would make the Boards activities more transparent? Communication. Board minutes should be published regularly on the internal Sister site so that Sisters know what business is being taken care of. Access. Sisters should have a more open means to work with Board members on their committees and Sisters should be solicited for their help.  By barring Sisters to work on Board committees, we are only limiting our capacity for greatness and creating distrust in our ranks.  The board is not an island to itself. Collaboration. The Board must have a symbiotic relationship with the Executive Office and the SHE Foundation. None of us can survive without the other, yet we all have different functions. We must clearly define our roles and work collaboratively in order to meet our goals as an organization.

What steps would you develop to ensure that the voting results are provided to the membership in a timelier manner?

Swing needs to implement online or computer based voting.  With smart investments, we can ensure that elections run smoothly and accurately. Just as we do in national elections, we enter a voting booth and click on the box that represents our vote.  We should not fear technology because we are surrounded by it in our everyday lives.  By automating elections, we can have smoother and quicker elections and the Nom/Rec committee simply makes sure the voting room runs smoothly or to troubleshoot tech issues.  For those who cannot attend national elections, absentee ballots can still be submitted through the mail or with the assistance of the IT officer, a web based vote could be accepted with the proper ID authentication.

Do you think that elections should be held electronically? If not, why not? If so, what are your ideas/suggestions for the process?

Yes, elections should be held electronically. There are numerous kinds of software or web based applications we can use to do this.  This will help our elections run quicker and smoother, it involves less paper, and Sisters will not have to wait so long for the results.  Absentee ballots could even be done electronically or on paper.  Such software as Election Buddy, Elections Online, Voting on Demand, or Election Trust would be great companies to begin our research on the best choice for our organization.  Smart investments in laptops to create electronic voting booths can help ease this process. It has to be implemented strategically and just because it’s electronic doesn’t make it better.  We have to test the process repeatedly to ensure proper outcomes.  Even the nominations process can be done online, as it was done with our chapter and creating online forms to facilitate this process can be implemented and be the first step to digitizing our elections process.

What program would you create to make sure that the members are getting new Black Books with Amendment changes?

It should be the responsibility of the chair of Constitution of Bylaws to ensure proper distribution of the Black Book in print and in digital format.  We have to be more “green” in our production of various Swing publications and should not be committed to a printing of the Black Book with each Amendment change.  Amendment changes can be posted in the Sisters Only section of the national website. New members should receive the latest copy of the Black Book at the time of their induction. If Sisters want the entire Black Book, they will have access to it digitally or can purchase it for a nominal fee.

How would you improve the selection of chapter, member and community awards recipients?

For each award, there has to be a set criteria for each award and for member awards, Sisters should be notified to accept their nomination.

Chapters must have completed a set amount of community service hours, completed 3:4 national initiatives, and provided photo/article evidence of their work in at least 2 issues of the Ebony Pearl annually.

I think all awards should be chosen by a separate awards committee which is a random sample of sisters who will anonymously vote on a select number of chapter, member, and community awards.

What process would you propose that would ensure that all Chapters are submitting reports as required and that they are being reviewed to ensure all Chapters are functioning according to the Constitution and Bylaws of SWING?

The process I would propose for chapters to ensure all chapters are submitting reports as required is working closely with the grad and undergrad affairs officers. As far as functioning properly, this would have a lot to do with financial reporting, ROP certification and compliance, working to complete national initiatives, and the national active status and national training of chapter officers.  This review process can be done during the Symposium and during regional meetings in which chapter presidents can meet with Grad/Undergrad officers and the Constitution/Bylaws committee on a regular (if not annual) basis.  So much can change within a year and an extraordinary amount of time should not lapse on how often we keep our chapter level leadership informed and trained on the rules that govern us.  Also, we must determine how these reports will be used and will this be a way for the organization to evaluate a chapter’s effectiveness.  And we need to determine if reports are submitted quarterly and reviewed by members of leadership to ensure proper compliance.  We have to better utilize our face-to-face meetings and digital communications to make sure we are doing  as we are supposed to be doing.  This is where open communication and training can happen b/c the chapter presidents must ensure proper compliance and accountability.