Leadership Highlight

Leadership Highlight: Alisha Queen the Basileus of Zeta Phi Beta in Quincy, MA

In an effort to highlight the people who are leading graduate chapters across the nation, we at Watch The Yard reached out to the sorors of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc.’s Omega Eta Zeta Chapter in Quincy, MA and did an interview with Alisha Queen the Basileus of the chapter.

The position of Basileus/president of a Black sorority chapter is a highly respected role and there is a special pride that one takes. Queen, who is a Workplace Investigations Manager, has served in the position of Basileus for one year.

We interviewed Queen, who is a 2008 initiate of her sorority, and talked to her about her position, goals, future and what it means to hold this type of leadership position in the digital age.

Read the full interview below.

What does it mean to be a chapter president to you?

Being a Chapter President during this Centennial Year is not something to take lightly. This fiscal year marks 100 years of being servant leaders in our communities. It marks 100 years of putting education in the forefront and providing scholarships for the next generation of activists, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and entrepreneurs. In this year it is our duty as chapter presidents to lead and to learn from our chapters. The ladies who make up our chapters are a wealth of knowledge and talent capable of truly making beneficial and effective change in our communities.

What specific initiatives is your chapter heading up this year and how do you think they will improve the surrounding community?

This year our chapter will be partnering with two other local chapters: Delta Omicron Zeta (Boston, MA) Chapter and Chi Eta Zeta Chapter (Cambridge, MA). Our three chapters are collaborating together for the “Z-Pack It Up: Teacher Supply Drive” to benefit our local educators who give selflessly each year out of their own funds to make sure that our youth receive the best education possible. The drive started September 1, 2019 and ends on January 1, 2020.

Omega Eta Zeta Chapter will also be volunteering at our local Ronald McDonald House in Charlestown, MA this December 2019 to serve families as needed.

In addition to these initiatives we are also looking forward to continue our efforts with National Prematurity Awareness Month; March For Babies; and the American Cancer Society Relay For Life.

We have a lot more planned, but these are just some highlights!

What made you want to pledge Zeta Phi Beta?

I chose Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. (Zeta) because I wanted to surround myself with women who had passion for serving others. I chose Zeta because I saw women from different races, cultures, socio economic class, and professions band together and work cohesively to build up our communities. But the reason that I still choose Zeta is because we are our Sisters Keepers. We truly operate like a family and we support each other in time of joy, pain, sorrow, and success. It is a blessing to be part of an organization where you can consider your Soror a Friend and Family.

What is it about your specific chapter that makes it so unique?

We are a Northern Chapter, with Southern Flare and Hospitality! Our chapter is a blend of Sorors from across the country. So even though we are geographically in the Atlantic Region, we have a lot of Sorors with Southern and Caribbean roots.

We now live in a digital world, what do you think alumni chapters across all orgs need to do to represent themselves online in 2019?

Alumni Chapters need to keep up with the flow and may even need to take a page form the Undergraduate Chapters on marketing and promoting. Alumni need to have a presence on various social media platforms. Each social media platform captures a different audience and therefore a different following. So we have to tailor our event promotional materials so that we reach everyone. If we want continued membership we have got to change things up a bit so that we don’t fizzle out.

What does leadership mean to you?

Leadership is being able to take a step back so that you can be the voice of the whole body, not just the voice of the leader.

A leader must be able to take in all thoughts and ideas so that he or she can assess, evaluate, and proceed with the best interest of the body in mind.

Why do you think Watch The Yard is important to Black greekdom?

Watch The Yard is sometimes the first contact that our youth and potential members have with HBCU and Greek Life. I appreciate that you all honor our histories and our legacies as we strive to keep our traditions alive. Watch The Yard not only showcases what makes each of our organizations shine individually, but you also highlight our divine unity. Thank you for what do for the past, present, and future of Black greekdom.

What does brotherhood/sisterhood mean to you?

Sisterhood is going above and beyond the word Soror. It is lending an ear or a shoulder to a friend who needs you. It is being one of the first people to call when you want to share great news. My Sorors have been there for me through graduation, through medical emergencies, through grief, and through victories. I honestly do not know what I would do without the women I have met through Zeta. Strength, support, honesty, and growth is what Sisterhood means to me.

How is your chapter providing for the undergraduate chapters you support?

We take pride in our undergraduate chapter, Omicron Upsilon. We want them to come into our organization feeling informed and ready to take on leadership feeling equipped and confident to serve. Our undergrads have the freedom to create goals and events that fit their institution and the surrounding community of their campus. Our chapter, Omega Eta Zeta Chapter has collaborated with Omicron Upsilon to host join events such as their “Blue Table Talk” event and we look many more joint events in the future.

We at Watch The Yard would like to commend Alisha Queen for her work as the Basileus of the Omega Eta Zeta Chapter which has a legacy that spans back to 2012.