Today I woke up ready to go about my business with normalcy. It wasn't until I was greeted with multiple Happy Founders Day messages that I was reminded that this is indeed the day that Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (APA) was founded.
I joined the fraternity in 2018 and recall both the thrill and excitement I experienced in my early years (in the fraternity). We threw parties, spoke with brothers across the generations, strolled all day long (as we did everyday) and rocked our slick signature black and gold paraphernalia.
As I came to find, Founders' Day really is like a national holiday celebrated across Black greek organizations. It's a time to celebrate the foundation that was laid for these organizations to be established. What I found even more powerful, the work that has gone into sustaining these organizations over the years.
With an organization like APA which is over a century old and having "crossed" at the founding chapter at Cornell, this day has felt like a special occasion. Special because of what it meant to be a part of this rich legacy.
Though in recent years, I have become more intentional and careful in how I characterize my associations, the fraternity included. The more I've grown in my relationship with God the more my sensitivity and intolerance for injustice has increased.
What injustices could I be talking about ?
Though a lot of good has come from my fraternal involvement a lot of bad has arisen as well. When I say good, I am referring to being surrounded and embraced by brotherly love, being an advocate for my community, and serving not just for what it looks like but because it is ingrained in the fabric of our identity. When I speak on what is bad, I am referring to the lovelessness that persists in "paper and "GDI" comparisons and othering, conditional brotherhood, gatekeeping and hazing practices, as well as ego driven decision making.
In the context of Black progress, higher educational attainment, social justice advocacy and much more, there are many elements to be elated about. But if we refuse to challenge, disrupt, and ignore the reality of the deception and abuse that remains active simultaneous to the celebration of today, then we dishonor the very tenets and ideals in which the fraternity was founded upon.
So today I take a step back to take a step up and share a greater truth about my experience.
Psalm 118:24
This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.
So despite the work that remains to be done, the conversations that must continue to be had, I rejoice today in the fact God has given us the capacity to hold the good and break away from the bad. I am not perfect, but I am much more honest about who I am and what I've been through. I am glad that our legacy as a people will be one that was not afraid to confront wrongdoing and oppression.
Progress will require both the victim and the oppressor's confession. Nobody's free until everybody's free.
Written with love and hope.
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