Black Lives Matter. I am not writing to you today to argue not to argue if all lives matter, not to debate political sides (as this IS a human rights issue), not to deflect and re-direct using black on black crime or other distractions. I am here to talk about “Brotherhood.” Let’s review some history. We are a “brotherhood.” We are founded upon beliefs and paradigmsa like: “It grows as it goes” and “One Culture Any Race.” What do they really mean to a “Brother?” You know the way I grew up you could fight with family all you wanted, but when someone from outside the family picked on your “Brother” you fought them no questions asked. Now I know that the mentalities of children can’t be carried on through life, but if you think about what we are taught as kids such as “Treat others as you want to be treated” it starts to grey the lines of what kids know versus what we think we know as adults/”Brothers.” Growth isn’t just talked about, it’s meant to be demonstrated. We can talk how many chapters have come about since 1987, or we can demonstrate it through positive change in our local communities. We can talk about how many hours of service we generate or we can focus to achieve more. Growth without purpose is just numbers. Now I don’t think we focus heavily on numbers, but I think we lose focus on the true purpose of why we exist. Let us not forget that we are modeled after Divine 9 Fraternities which were founded based on the fact that BLACK students were facing oppression on their college campuses. Hell we’ve all heard the history about how the Alpha’s helped our founding fathers shape what we know today. Remember next time you chant, throw a hand sign, or step that we aren’t the originators. We are meant to serve our communities. True service isn’t about doing what WE think the community needs,
but rather working with the community to find out what THEY need. What does it look like when we aren’t willing to stand with some of the people we are meant to serve? What does it look like when we aren’t willing to stand with our own “Brothers” who are a part of some of these same communities? “…One must experience views which can challenge preconceived perceptions to foster growth and enlightenment. A lot of the challenging I see comes from fear or ignorance. Fear for a lack of understanding. Ignorance for a lack of trying to understand. Some who are afraid are so because fear they are being dismissed or devalued due to temporary focus on those who are suffering. We’ve seen this with LGBTQ+ rights in our “Brotherhood” as well as in other social justice issues. Someone is always going to be afraid. The questions I ask myself as a “Brother” are, can I put aside my own fears, can I stop and listen before making decisions, can I listen with empathy and integrity, and can I remember why I am listening? It’s hard to take a step back and feel the concerns of another before worrying about our own well-being.
Unity defined as: A “Brother” of Omega Delta Phi us united with his Brothers. A Bond that stands through the good and the bad, no matter the situation. Honesty Defined as: A Knight of Omega Delta Phi is honest. Honest with their Brothers, their family, and most importantly, honest with themselves. Integrity defined as: “Brothers” of Omega Delta Phi know the quality of having strong moral principles and what the value of solidarity in our “Brotherhood” means. Leadership defined as: A “Brother” of Omega Delta Phi leads by example. They know when to ask for help and when to take charge. Leaders in Omega Delta Phi deliver.