Last week, the PW Perspective spoke with Makya Little, candidate for the 19th District House of Delegates, about her plans to bring together Northern Virginia leaders and members of the Pan-Hellenic members, affectionately known as the “Divine Nine.” This past Monday, the respective groups came together for a time of festive joy and effective planning to create a more informed voter base.

Attended by several members and leaders, the focus was not on fundraising or officials making stump speeches for a candidate. Instead, it was an opportunity for leaders on both sides of the political aisle to engage in conversations with the citizens of Prince William and Fairfax Counties. Whether it was about the rising gas prices, to dealing with infrastructure changes, those in attendance listened and heard what the populace was saying. The responses showed a willingness to adhere that there are several pressing concerns, and discussing how to solve them at the grassroots level was paramount.

The Pan-Hellenic members who were in attendance didn’t promote on whose fraternity or sorority had the biggest membership or who raised the most during their last event, but to collaborate on how to empower their respective communities. There was a common denominator of “How are we going to deal with (insert issue here) in a manner that doesn’t set us back?” What was so refreshing was that leaders put aside any political ideological differences and asked how they could help make that happen.

Little spoke to the PW Perspective about the success of the event. “It was exciting to see so many community leaders and representatives come together to birth new partnerships and collaborative initiatives for the benefit of our community.”

She also sent out the following tweet about plans to do this again in the future:

What happened on Monday was a microcosm of what is, and should be, the standard of uniformity so that voters can be well prepared on the critical issues facing our communities.