Because Of Them We Can
By BOTWC Staff
From their OKAY Hyundai campaign to this summer’s A Grand Time honoring elders in the community, Hyundai is no stranger to partnering with companies to shine a light on inspirational stories within the African-American community. Whatever the journey, they understand its importance. Here at Because of Them We Can, we believe in bridging the gap between the past, present, and future; one person’s divine journey can pave the way for many and inspire generations to come. We teamed up with Hyundai and some of the dynamic women of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc. to remind you to keep moving forward and embody the strength of those who came before you.
Our latest video, entitled “Divine Journeys,” tells the stories of three influential members who are committed to doing the work with grace in the same way as their founders. Created in the early 1900s, Black greek-letter sororities and fraternities helped uplift and educate the Black community against racism and sexism. A lifetime commitment, their members are still committed to the mission today.
Fashion and beauty expert Kahlana Barfield Brown, news anchor Megan Rivers, and Social Impact Strategist Alencia Johnson came together to share with us how being a Delta has helped launch their life paths and made it possible for them to live their dreams while paving the way for the future.
“I was literally raised around women of Delta Sigma Theta. As a child, my grandmother had sorority meetings at her house. My grandmother’s best friend and someone who was like an aunt to me was Soror Mona Humphries Bailey. Dynamic women who carried themselves with beauty and style and grace. They were the women that did the work…Everything that I do, I feel like I’m standing on the shoulders of our 22 founders,” said Barfield Brown in the video.
“I find myself in rooms with powerful women all the time, and majority of them tend to be Delta women. We have this expectation of one another to be excellent. And I think I live my life centered in sisterhood, scholarship, and service. That core foundation of social justice and change is literally rooted in everything that I do,” added Johnson.
Rivers echoed those sentiments, saying the experience of being a Delta on an HBCU campus was “like no other.” She paid homage to other Deltas who helped her in her career along the way while also speaking to that same mission of service.
“When I think about my Divine Journey, I use this phrase all the time, ‘that trials are not absent from life, but God is still so very good.’ The journey may not always be easy, it may not always be smooth, but you just gotta keep going. That’s been my journey, just to keep moving. Never stay still, never stay stagnant,” said Rivers.
On Hyundai’s site, the company issued a statement about the importance of highlighting the journey, writing, “Everyone is on their own journey. Ours is to build cars that make those journeys possible…These are those stories of the journeys we build for, the journeys we fight for, and the ones who make Hyundai the place we’re proud to call home.”
Check out Because of Them We Can’s “Divine Journeys” presented by Hyundai below:
