TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 When it comes to being intentional about diversity with the groups and conventions coming in to make an effect on the community and local economy, Tampa Bay tourism experts have been working to make sure this area is always part of that conversation.<\/p>\n
So far, it\u2019s showing, with seven out of the nine Black sororities and fraternities to the Tampa Bay area over the last few years making history for the area while honoring those historic organizations. In downtown Tampa along the Riverwalk this week, among the sea of royal blue and gold was the unveiling and brick ceremony for Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is our 61st biennial Boule, which is our national convention. We host it every two years in cities across the U.S.,\u201d said Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., International President Marica Harris.<\/p>\n
This year is their first year ever hosting the event in Tampa, but it was a process getting here.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been working with Visit Tampa Bay since 2022, where they invited us down here to showcase the city, to share what\u2019s being offered in terms of hotels, community service, restaurants, city life. And from there, we decided this would be the place to bring our sisterhood,\u201d Harris said.<\/p>\n
Sigma Gamma Rho\u2019s 61st Annual Boule being hosted in Tampa is part of a broader approach with the Divine 9, or D9, made up of nine historically black fraternities and sororities founded back in the early 1900s.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it comes to D9, we\u2019ve had seven visit us since 2023, making this the seventh this year. so, we\u2019re incredibly thrilled,\u201d said Visit Tampa Bay President and CEO Santiago Corrada. He said they\u2019ve been very intentional about welcoming these groups, showcasing the city and boosting the local economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey go out. They want culture, they want history, they want to dine, they want to purchase. And that means sales tax for us, that means our education tax gets paid, that means that those businesses that have a livelihood are paying a property tax that support our local government that\u2019s focused on us as locals,\u201d Corrada said.<\/p>\n
People at the government level are taking notice, too. Hillsborough County Commissioner Gwen Myers said having the organizations here is bigger than a Boule on the bay. It\u2019s about legacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority for 36 years, I understand the importance of giving back to the community, providing the services for young people and adults. And really, when we have our conventions, it\u2019s an education of how we continue to learn ourselves as members of the organization,\u201d Myers said.<\/p>\n
She has seen her investment of county funds to bring the groups here, and the county sees a return on the investment.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the Kappas, it was $150,000. So, I invest to make sure that they come here and provide the services from a county point of view,\u201d Myers said.<\/p>\n
And this boule on the bay is no different. The ladies of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority have five different community service projects for expectant mothers, children, and people living in food-insecure areas. It\u2019s exactly what they say service, and in this case sisterhood, is all about.<\/p>\n
The remaining two D9 organizations that haven\u2019t been to Tampa are Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated and Iota Phi Theta.<\/p>\n
This week, the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. convention has an expected economic impact of over $5 million.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 When it comes to being intentional about diversity with the groups and conventions coming in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":347644,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[2031,274,558,276,115,4368,135,137,136,278],"class_list":["post-347643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-app-local-business","tag-app-top-stories","tag-business","tag-hillsborough-county","tag-news","tag-saundra-weathers","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news","tag-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347643"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347643\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/347644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}