A Message From Alpha Omicron Pi
One of our purposes as AOIIs is to carry into the world a spirit of love. As we all process the many emotions accompanying today’s pivotal ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States impacting women’s rights, AOII wants to provide resources and education that will assist our members in navigating challenging conversations that may arise. Alpha Omicron Pi has never asked that we have the same thoughts, sentiments, and opinions; instead, our shared values ensure that we all promote tolerance and judgment restrained by love.
Alpha Omicron Pi has been an established space of empowerment for women since 1897. Our membership includes dynamic women across the United States and Canada who individually and collectively remain committed to a sisterhood grounded in unique perspectives and experiences. Although the Supreme Court’s ruling today in no way changes the foundation of our shared belief system in AOII, we do understand that the ruling evokes deeply personal responses. As a sisterhood, we reject the notion that responses must be divisive. We encourage our members to apply thoughtfully our principles of tolerance and judgment restrained by love when having potentially emotional conversations and when navigating differences with others.
“Our bonds of sisterhood and the promises we have made to one another in AOII provide a strong foundation for navigating what may prove to be very difficult conversations. To do so requires courage, patience, leadership, and a willingness to listen, even and especially when we may disagree. It is okay for two people to disagree AND still be friends; for two friends to have different political opinions AND still be respectful of one another; for two sisters to have different ideological beliefs AND still uphold the values of our Ritual. In AOII there truly is space for all of us, individually and collectively.” -AOII International President Crystal Grafton Combs, Nu Beta (University of Mississippi)
How we manage our responses to this polarizing decision will affect the strength and resilience of our sisterhood.
Please click here for an AOII resource regarding navigating difficult conversations.