LIFESTYLE | EDUCATION | WELLNESS
The philosophical and generational alignment is too often incongruent. So, what does this mean for my beloved Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity? For the fraternity, it means that to remain viable in contemporary society, we must create a forum for critical dialogue and understanding that takes into account multiple and competing generational worldviews. For example, how do brothers from different generations galvanize around issues of race—are the views of the silent-generation brother (who experienced the vitriol of Plessy v. Ferguson) going to speak to the sensibilities of the millennial-generation brother who is dealing with the fallout of the Fisher v. University of Texas case? Or, does a Generation Xer’s rigid view on masculinity matter to a millennial, who potentially has a more fluid definition of the term and feels it is not important in determining one’s outlook on life and how one lives?
So, here we were with a virtual volleying match millennials versus boomers and silents. I sat figuratively and literally in the middle of these factions—a line coach. What was most profound, my ah-hah moment was that these brothers were in heated debate and it appeared on the surface that they were completely at odds in their perspectives; however, upon closer inspection they were not at odds at all. The respective lenses that they brought to the table were set for their specific generational myopia and any other prescription was destined to leave them with clouded vision. This was not the first time I had been in such a space—in other meetings of alumni chapters, church and organizational meetings I have witnessed the same occurrence. CENTENNIAL ISSUE
In October 2012, I solidified my relationship with Alpha Phi Alpha even more—I became a life member of the fraternity. My reason for joining Alpha is just as clear today as it was when I started the process back in the spring of 1993, with my band of four aspirants in Brother Robert King’s living room in Waco, Texas. It is the rich diversity and legacy of accomplished men that have made Alpha Phi Alpha what it is today. And to continue our movement onward and upward we must truly commit to hearing the voices of all of our brothers to truly operationalize our motto: First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All. S
Fred A. Bonner II is a professor in the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in New Brunswick, N.J., and is the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Chair in Education. He earned a doctorate in education at the University of Arkansas and was initiated into Alpha Phi Alpha in 1993 at Epsilon Epsilon Lambda Chapter in Waco, Texas.
69