The Center for Policing Equity (CPE) announces a new partnership with Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated, to strategically implement programming to improve community education and cultural awareness of social justice-related developments and areas in need of policy reforms. The programming will be disseminated through this newly established Sigma Justice Alliance. The organizations curate and deliver these strategic materials to adolescent, collegiate, graduate, and international communities.
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated is a historically Black organization founded on the Howard University campus on January 9, 1914. In its 110 years of existence, the fraternity members have made significant contributions to social and civil rights movements. This includes but is not limited to members such as James Weldon Johnson, Huey P. Newton, Harry Belafonte, and former U.S. Representative John Lewis.
“The formation of the Sigma Justice Alliance is a big and important step in addressing some of the systemic issues surrounding social justice. We are excited to address this issue on all levels of our fraternity, from our Sigma Betas to the graduates,” said Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated International President Chris V. Rey, J.D.
“A vital part of CPE’s work is to provide communities with the resources they need to create public safety systems that work for them,” said Eric Cumberbatch, Senior Vice President of Policy & Community Engagement at CPE. “CPE looks forward to our new partnership with Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated, to strengthen this work and meaningfully invest in historically marginalized communities.”
Over the course of the coming months, CPE and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated will jointly facilitate and promote social action-oriented community events, such as panels, forums, workshops, and training programs. Educational information and resources will be made available to four fraternity audiences with the intention of aiding each group in the enrichment of their local communities.
Youth Collaborative
Specific programs will be created to support educational work for the fraternity’s youth auxiliary group, the Sigma Beta Club (ages 8-18 years old).
Collegiate Collaborative
The college campus arm of this partnership will support fraternity chapters in colleges and universities across the nation in their efforts in supporting community engagement, campus safety, public health factors, campus and police engagement.
Graduate Collaborative
The graduate chapter segment of this partnership will support local communities served by graduate chapters of the fraternity and their efforts in supporting community engagement, public health education, and police engagement.
International Collaborative
Resources and community-centered educational support will be provided to support international work conducted by the fraternity’s global chapters. The organization has established chapters in the Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Germany, Switzerland, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Japan, and South Korea.
This partnership is the latest demonstration of CPE’s commitment to empowering and providing resources to a wide range of communities. Through that work, CPE collaborates and supports communities by facilitating connections through partnerships, products, and services that support their advocacy efforts, reduce harm done to their communities, and empower them to redesign their public safety systems. Learn more about CPE’s community engagement work, city-based partnerships, policy recommendations, and more at policingequity.org.