Black and White Women Diverge on Key Issues; 7 of 10 Black Women Believe U.S. Is Moving in the Wrong Direction Reports Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated Study

White Women Expressing More Coronavirus-Related Stress and Anxiety than Black Women

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Sep 17, 2020, 10:06 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, an influential women's service organization, will examine the issues outlined in its "In Our Voices" study during a virtual townhall with esteemed panelists: Leslie Redmond, Minneapolis NAACP president; Melonie Parker, Google's Chief Diversity Officer; Dr. Iva Carruthers, CEO, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference; and Dr. Joanne Patterson, psychiatric nurse practitioner. The interactive townhall will take place on Monday, Sept. 21 at 9 p.m. EST; registration is free and open to the public at http://bit.ly/BWV_9212020.

Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, a 100-year-old women's service organization, will host a virtual townhall on Monday, Sept. 21 at 9 p.m. EST. The registration is free and open to the public.

Valerie Hollingsworth Baker, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, International Centennial President (PRNewsfoto/Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.)

"This is such a pivotal time in our country. Zeta is working hard to get our communities to the polls and to be counted in the Census, because our voices matter," said Valerie Hollingsworth Baker, Zeta International "Centennial" President. "By arming women with a greater understanding of the issues that matter most, they can select national, state and local candidates who best meet their needs," Hollingsworth Baker stated.

The study, which represents diverse voices of Black and White women, uncovered that COVID-19 is an important issue for all; however, White women are 46% more likely than Black women to report increased anxiety and stress related to the new virus. Whereas, 61% of Black women rank the rise in hate crimes and racism as their top concern, which increased 20 percentage points from Dec. 2019 to Sept. 2020.

Zeta members, Kendra Hatcher King, National Brand Director for the sorority and executive at Publicis Sapient, will review the study findings and moderate the panel discussion; and Dr. Rochelle Ford, Dean, Elon University School of Communications will moderate the interactive discussion with the audience. The topline report will be available at www.zphib1920.org on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020 following the townhall.

The Divine Nine sorority will also host virtual regional townhall meetings on Oct. 5, 13 and 19 to continue the dialogue. "The division in our country is at an all-time high. Our study helps foster a mutual understanding among diverse groups of women," said King. "It is our hope that these discussions will help bridge existing gaps and create greater solidarity," she added.

Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated was founded in 1920 on the campus of Howard University and is headquartered in Washington, D.C. Zeta has initiated a diverse membership of more than 125,000 college-educated women with over 950 chapters in North America, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East. For more information about Zeta, visit www.zphib1920.org.

SOURCE Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.