Facial Masks for Minority Communities

The Omicron Kappa Kappa (OKK) Foundation is partnering with the Northern Virginia Equity Agenda Coalition (NOVA EAC) and First Baptist Church of Vienna to purchase 20,000 masks from an unaffiliated third-party vendor to distribute to minority and lower-income families to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The OKK Foundation is a northern Virginia-based 501 (C) (3), and the charitable arm of the OKK Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. The organization has been providing scholarships and mentoring young people since 2002. The NOVA EAC is composed of twenty Northern Virginia-based organizations that collaborate to promote non-partisan solutions to improve racial and gender equity. Once purchased, the masks will be distributed to a vast network of Northern Virginia charitable community organizations to include, Koinonia Foundation, United Community, Groveton Baptist Church, Western Fairfax Christian Ministries, Cornerstones Assistance Services and Pantry Program, Gum Springs Community Center, Creekside Village Apartments, First Baptist Church of Vienna, and others in multiple counties.


Across the country, African Americans and other groups that are disproportionately poor and working-class, are dying at significantly higher rates than whiter and wealthier communities. Those patterns are holding true in our region, as African Americans account for almost 80% of the confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Washington D.C., despite making up just under 50% of the population. Part of the reason is that telecommuting simply is not an option for many lower-income residents compelled to work in industries deemed essential, and they are therefore forced to continue working and commuting in environments that do not allow for social distancing. As demand for masks rises, so does the cost, which ultimately makes it more difficult for members of these vulnerable communities to acquire them. This effort will not only fill that need for those families but will potentially save the lives of countless others. You can help stop the spread of COVID–19 in these communities by contributing to this effort. No donation is too small.



***Special offer: For every personal donation of $100 or more you are welcome to a patriotic cloth mask (with a pocket for a filter) in your pick of fabric while supplies last: red white and blue with stars, red with stars, or blue with stars. You can receive your mask in time for Memorial Day and the 4th of July holidays. After donating send your mailing address to [email redacted] with your choice of fabric – stripes with stars, red with stars, or blue with stars.


The NOVA Equity Agenda Coalition members are: Anonymous List For Change; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc Lambda Kappa Omega Chapter; Boys to Men; Casa BruMar Foundation; Equality Loudoun; First Baptist Church of Vienna; Fairfax County Federation of Teachers; Indivisible Virginia 11; Interfaith Action for Human Rights; Ladies in Focus; NOVA National Pan Hellenic Council; Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., Omicron Kappa Kappa Chapter; Prince William NAACP; Progress for All; Rise For Youth; Service Employees International Union (SEIU); Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Iota Epsilon Sigma Chapter; South County Task Force; The Activated People; VA Justice Dems; Virginia Coalition Against Solitary Confinement.