As you probably know, an op-ed piece by former first lady Laura Bush, Beta Sigma/SMU, was recently published in The Washington Post. Kappa Alpha Theta remains, as it has been for nearly 150 years, a welcoming space for women with varied political viewpoints, and—as an organization—we neither condemn nor endorse political issues or candidates.

Why then, did we share Mrs. Bush’s editorial on Facebook? She herself has never held a political office, and she was careful to address the issue of detaining children at US borders from a humanitarian, not a political, viewpoint.

Additionally, CASA, one of Theta’s philanthropic partners for nearly 30 years, is an organization devoted to safeguarding the rights of children. Because of that commitment to children, because Mrs. Bush is a well-known member of our Fraternity, and because her editorial was published in an eminent newspaper, we believed her thoughts to be of interest to many Thetas.

Please be assured that Kappa Alpha Theta remains non-partisan as an organization. That non-partisanship does mean that members may be exposed to members with opposing viewpoints on social media, in our magazine, and on our website. As in the best families, Thetas can engage in thoughtful and spirited discussions while remaining sisters.

While a few members have expressed their disagreement with Mrs. Bush and their disappointment that we shared her editorial, many more have expressed their appreciation for our willingness to encourage those thoughtful, spirited discussions. Should you be contacted by a member regarding the Facebook post, please refer her to Liz Rinck, Lauren Palmer or Julianne Butler. 

Thank you.