Montclair, NJ – As a proud multicultural Sorority who champions the rights of ALL, Lambda Tau Omega Sorority, Incorporated condemns the behaviors and actions exhibited by the former officers in the killing of Tyre Nichols.

While this great nation affords us many rights and protections, this unfortunately does not apply to all, with people of color suffering disproportionately from higher rates of violence from authority figures and systems. Our thoughts are firstly with the families, friends and communities of Tyre Nichols. We stand with our brothers and sisters in the black community, who deserve all human rights afforded to others—and whose lives matter. We call upon our elected officials and lawmakers to apply swift and thorough accountability while simultaneously enacting preventative measures that ensure the safety of Black men and women in our country.

We are proud of our commitment to diversity and adhere to values that include supporting all human rights, tolerance, respect and compassion toward others. We thrive on a membership that is varied in ethnicity, religion, political views, socio-economic background, sexual orientation and identification, among other areas.

We urge our members to participate responsibly and safely in spreading awareness, taking action steps and sharing resources to make a difference. We especially urge you to take this time to deeply reflect on and challenge our elected officials and lawmakers within our very own communities to review policies and reform the way police are hired and trained so that the current police culture and misconceptions about people of color does not affect the way police respond and treat people.

Finally, we want to remind our members of how important it is to be proactive and intentional about your mental health care during this time. We hope and expect that our members will continue to engage in appropriate and productive dialogue on the sensitive but important topics we face as a nation today, in an effort to be part of the change in a positive direction. Please contact our National Governing Board to request permission in utilizing information in this statement, or should you require further information. Please send all inquiries regarding this matter to National President, Desiree Hiraman.