This week, the Alpha Alpha Upsilon Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, proudly celebrates 10 years of distinguished community service and impact in Lower Manhattan. The chapter, affectionately known as Downtown New York City Zetas, will host a 10th anniversary soiree. The event will be open to the public, and will take place on Friday, May 31, at 1 p.m. at Dear Brooklyn in Brooklyn.
According to Charter Member and current Chapter President Felecia Chatman, the theme for the event is “Our Perfect 10! Celebrating the Downtown New York City Zetas, the story of dreams and aspirations achieved over the last decade.”
On May 2, 2015, the chapter was established, and 11 charter members started to realize their dream of serving Lower Manhattan. According to Event Committee Chair Natasha Bobo-Pringle, “A lot of people, when they think of Lower Manhattan, they think of the affluent section of Manhattan. The Wall Street part.” Yet, the chapter’s area of service covers below 42nd Street from the Eastside to the Westside.
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Charter Member and current Chapter President Felecia Chatman remembers a time in 2015 when her Soror Bobo-Pringle, a charter member and third vice president of the chapter, envisioned this milestone anniversary celebration. Chatman said, as for Natasha, “This event is her baby. She has been thinking about this for 10 years.”
This spring, the soiree will give the chapter of approximately 25 active members an opportunity to honor their beloved sorority, which was founded in 1920 at Howard University in Washington, DC. According to Chatman, the pillars of the international sorority are the foundation of everything the chapter does. “All of our work is rooted in and around our principles. Scholarship. Service. Sisterhood. Finer Womanhood. Everything we do is attached to one of them. We are definitely a service-driven organization,” Chatman said.
Charter members of Alpha Alpha Upsilon Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. pose in 2015 when the chapter was established. Credit: (Photos courtesy of The Downtown NYC Zetas of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.) 
Members of the Downtown NYC Zetas pose with their service area, Lower Manhattan, in the background. The Alpha Alpha Upsilon Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. serves below 42nd Street from the Eastside to the Westside. Credit: (Photos courtesy of The Downtown NYC Zetas of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.) 
Members of the Downtown NYC Zetas pose with their service area, Lower Manhattan, in the background. The Alpha Alpha Upsilon Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. serves below 42nd Street from the Eastside to the Westside. Credit: (Photos courtesy of The Downtown NYC Zetas of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.) 
Members of the Downtown NYC Zetas pose with their service area, Lower Manhattan, in the background. The Alpha Alpha Upsilon Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. serves below 42nd Street from the Eastside to the Westside. Credit: (Photos courtesy of The Downtown NYC Zetas of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.)
Every March, as part of Bare Essentials, members and the public purchase items that are donated to women’s shelters in observance of International Women’s Day. Donated items include undergarments, sanitary products, and other toiletries. Bare Essentials, their signature service program, will be highlighted during the soiree.
Service-partner organizations and graduating high school seniors will be recognized, who either reside in the Borough of Manhattan or attend a public or charter school there. Acceptance into an accredited two- or four-year college or university is required. One student will receive a $5,000 award named the Dr. Shanell L. Robinson Visionary Scholarship, and two students will each be awarded $1,000 as recipients of the Zora Neale Hurston Book Scholarship.
Bobo-Pringle said, “We have to showcase what we’ve done in the community over the last 10 years. We’re just trying to celebrate us and show everybody in our service area that we’ve worked hard over the last 10 years to grow and build and to make an impact on Lower Manhattan.“
For more information about the soiree, visit aayzsperfect10.eventbrite.com.