March is Spirit of the Phoenix Month!

What is Spirit of the Phoenix?

Every March is Kappa Phi Lambda's Spirit of the Phoenix Month- a month where all the schools celebrate the National Campaign through workshops and fundraisers. In this month, all the schools unite together in a collective movement to demonstrate their commitment to NAPAWF and our pillars of service and cultural diversity. Each school hosts events that explores the National Campaign theme... through fundraisers, panel discussions, workshops, or large-scale shows in March.

This year our theme is “Where I Come From”- it gives all of us, sisters and non-sisters, a chance to reflect on our families struggles to establish an identity in America. We take this opportunity to examine the role of APIA women within their families, cultural and generational gaps in APIA families, perceptions of APIA women's sexuality in the US, and the impact of the lack of sexual and mental health education in prior generations on our communities today.

Why do this?

Asian American women between the ages of 15 to 24 have one of the highest rates of suicide in America for any age or racial demographic. The rate of cervical cancer is higher for Vietnamese women than the national average. Asian American women have the highest increases in annual HIV/AIDS diagnosis rates.

Most people have probably never heard any of the previous statements. These real facts are the reasons why it is imperative there is a voice for the millions of Asian American women in this country. As a cultural sorority dedicated to the well-being of Asian American women, it is important that devote our time and energy to raising awareness of the issues that uniquely affect our families and communities. It is imperative that we use our voices to advocate for education of mental health issues, focus on diseases that disproportionately afflict Asian American women, and a discourse on reproductive health in our communities.

Check back soon for a list of events hosted by our chapters around the nation!