Mrs. Neely is a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Inc., and she was in attendance with many of her sisters for the annual Hosea Helps Martin Luther King Jr. Day event. She was one of the volunteers helping to sort and give back clothes to the needy. Rolling out was at the event and caught up with the Soror to hear what this event means to her and to talk some Blues.
Why are you and your Zeta sisters giving back today?
I wanted to be a part of this because I believe it aligns with the principles that I hold for myself and also for my organization of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated. All our principles [are] to serve the community […] And that’s what I think that this organization is about. To make sure that we have the basic necessities of life. We can’t give it all, all that everybody needs, all that our customers need, but we can do something in service to help our community. And that’s why I wanted to be a part of this.
Why was it important for you to be inclusive for everyone?
To be inclusive of everybody because we all come in a rainbow of shapes and colors. And so we need to be able to serve everybody. I used to go shopping and they only had mediums and larges. Well, everybody can’t just fit medium and larges […] But we have 2X and 3X to serve everybody, the whole community. It’s even size of 13 and 14 shoes for men, so they can be comfortable and everybody can stay warm. And it needs to be an all-inclusive organization. So that’s what I like about this.
Why is it major that Hosea Helps is doing this drive on Martin Luther King Jr. Day?
It represents what he stood for. Service, community, health. And that’s why I believe that Hosea decided to do this on [Martin Luther King Jr.] Day, just so it could be a day of service instead of a day home to represent what Dr. King wanted us to do. And I do believe that his dream is being manifest here.
Who are some of your favorite Zetas?
I have to start with my chapter first. All my line sisters of ZaZa’s Zeta. They’re all my favorites […] Our five founders, our five pearls, they designed a path for us, a pathway for us. And I think that those principles align with MLK Day as well. The principle of service. And even we say sisterhood, but even familyhood, to be inclusive of everyone. There are so many to choose from. I can say Tatyana Ali. I can say Sheryl Underwood. Vivica A. Fox. Chaka Khan. I mean, we got all the greats. Dionne Warwick. I mean, I can just keep naming it.
