Kim M. Williamson (1996-1998)

Sixteen years after the groundbreaking leadership of four chapter presidents, North Manhattan Alumnae Chapter fused its community service efforts under the trademark “Innovative Programming With a Far-Reaching Impact.” NMAC was maturing as a chapter. We desired to create programs offering immediate and long-term impactful changes to benefit the residents of the Northern Manhattan community.

Under my stewardship as NMAC’s fifth and youngest president, sprang new initiatives designed with the chapter’s culturally diverse neighborhood in mind. The community was definitely ripe for the type of concerns NMAC was prepared to tackle.

When the issue of police brutality reared its head, the chapter responded with a Police Brutality Forum and pocket guide to address, step-by-step, “What to Do, When Stopped by the Police.” This very popular community awareness initiative continued well beyond my presidency. The need for “quality public education” prompted NMAC to develop a series of Public School Education Seminars focused on parental rights, admittance strategies, and curriculum development and testing – including SAT preparation, to help African American and Latino students get ahead.

While I was president, clinical depression screening became a national initiative of the sorority. Without skipping a beat NMAC developed a yearlong Clinical Depression Screening program, which earned the chapter an award at the sorority’s 1997 National Convention in New Orleans, LA. At the same convention, NMAC also won praise for its strong social action programming – media literacy and letter writing campaigns focusing on Senate confirmation hearings, voter registration and education initiatives – and Delta cited NMAC for inspiring the sorority to create a National Social Action Award.

To keep the Northern Manhattan community sound, the chapter-sponsored investment workshops and health maintenance programs focused specifically on issues relevant to the African American and Latino communities. Similarly, the chapter continued its commitment to the cultivation of young minds. Through what was then, NMAC’s most successful fundraising campaign to-date, the chapter proudly increased the monetary awards of its five scholarship recipients. NMAC also challenged, inspired and celebrated the intelligence and spirit of our youth with such programs as: 

- City Youth at City Hall 
- May Week – a talent showcase 
- Arts Contests:
       - Power of the Pen / Spotlight on Playwriting 
       - Power of the Paint Brush / Spotlight on Art
- Black History Month programs celebrating:
       - The Diaspora
       - The Evolution of Gospel Music 
- School America Storytelling Hour
- Dr. Betty Shabazz Delta Leadership Academy for Young Women.

Also at the heart of our rejuvenated approach to community outreach, lay NMAC’s internal commitment to get “Back to Basics” and nurture the spirit of sisterhood amongst chapter members. We began where we should by celebrating the contributions of our most beloved seasoned Deltas with the very first Delta Dears Game Day.

With the help of the dedicated women of NMAC, the chapter simultaneously took care of the community at-large and took care of itself from within. As NMAC continued to grow, along the way there were some dear losses, most significantly our beloved Soror and charter member, Dr. Betty Shabazz in 1997.

A new vision, from a young president, led to some risks. Perseverance made those risks reality. Commitment and Sisterhood brought it all together. Gratefully, we continue full ahead with “Innovative Programming with a Far-Reaching Impact” as our directional compass, even to this day.