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Interviewee: Donna Joseph

Interviewer: Dr. Mark Naison

Summary by Gabriel Capellan

Donna Joseph is the 19th president of Eta Omega Omega (EOO), a sorority whose mission is to empower its local community and prepare its youth for the future. Her achievements include serving as the president of EOO, graduating from the University of Rochester (URochester) with an undergraduate degree in molecular genetics, and from New York University (NYU) with a master’s degree in nursing and education, as well as organizing multiple events with EOO that helped local communities across the country. Joseph’s ideology as president of EOO is centered around preparing the youth for their future using education.

Joseph was born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens. Her parents immigrated from the Caribbean to America in the 1970s, making Joseph a second-generation child in her family. During her upbringing, she remained unaware of discrimination due to her parents until she entered college. On her first day in URochester, she returned to her dorm after volleyball practice, and a racial slur was written on her door with feces. She told her parents about it, and they recommended she find a support group on campus, which was the Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA).

During her time at AKA, she fostered a love for helping others when she helped out in making meals and mentoring programs for women who lived in homeless shelters. She found relief in this and wanted to continue doing it. She chose to take it further when she attended NYU and studied education and medicine.

Once she graduated from URochester, she joined the Bronx chapter of EOO with the help of her college boyfriend and immediately felt the sisterhood from its members. To Joseph, the biggest difference between EOO and AKA was the number of members and their demographics, with AKA having nine and it’s members being white and EOO having around fifty and it’s members being white. At EOO, its members consisted of college graduates spanning from all parts of the country, each with their own experiences and mindsets.

Joseph’s favorite moment at EOO was a joint event with Habitat for Humanity, a local initiative where members of EOO helped rebuild houses for people who suffered damage in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. She also helped organize Black Lives Matter marching protests in 2012 and 2020, with her at the frontlines and EOO behind her. With these events, Joseph was leading EOO more into community relief and political engagement.

Her implementations of Historically Black Colleges and Universities scholarships, Community Center Drives, and Dorm Drives were achievements she’s appreciated for. She gave out extensive help for people in the Bronx, and it was well-received by her peers across the nation. A humorous story she recalls is when she left a teapot set unattended while she went back to her car to retrieve the remaining piece. She returns to where it was and learns it was stolen by a woman living in a shelter. Instead of being upset that something was stolen from her, she says, “You have to tell me who she is. She has to get the matching tablecloth,” [19:18]. Her attitude towards helping people has always been a focal point in her life, as well as the initiatives she’s led with EOO.

Joseph is a woman who puts her people first and will do anything to help them succeed in whatever they need. It can be providing financial aid to struggling students, supporting local communities, or educating people about voter registration and the importance of being active in politics. She will always be there to support because she knows it’s a struggle for people of color, as she’s been discriminated against. She is a woman who wants to serve as an avenue for others to succeed in any field it may be.

Disciplines

African American Studies | Public History

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