Informer Spring 2018

SOUTHWESTERN

INFORMER Life After HURRICANE HARVEY

Keeping KAPPA Klose

Is Kane TWIRLING a Lost Art

Is BROTHER KAEPERNICK'S NFL career over

"First of all, Colin Kaepernick is better than all, maybe, with the exception of Jimmy Garoppolo. I believe he is better than every other backup quarterback in the National Football League." - Shannon Sharpe

TABLE OF CONTENTS Southwestern Province Polemarch Address Southwestern Junior Province Vice Polemarch Address Life After Hurricane Harvey Brother Colin Kaepernick C. Roger Wilson Leadership Conference The Art of Twirling Chapter News

$61 billion to rebuild Houston and Texas Coast after Harvey

Hurricane Harvey was considered to be the costliest tropical cyclone of record to date. Shattering the record set by Hurricane Katrina by nearly double, it is the second-costliest worldwide natural disaster, behind only the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami. Definitely not something for which any city wants to be remembered. Most Houstonians never would've thought that a storm lasting a few days could impact half their city.

I had the opportunity to sit down and speak with Brother Ronald Lockett, 41st Polemarch, Houston (TX) Alumni Chapter and talk to him about the devastation that Houston has experienced and what is being done to come back from this tragedy.

How are Houstonians doing after Hurricane Harvey?

Overall, we're doing ok. It’s interesting because we’ve kind of moved past all the things that matter during “normal life” and focused on the things that matter.

What do you mean by “normal life?”

We as people focus on politicians, football teams, race, etc. Everyone is focused on helping and it's a beautiful thing. We’ve all entered into this recovery mode to help thy neighbor to get back to a good standing.

How has the process been getting “back into the normal swing of things?”

It’s a slow process, of course, getting what we need whether it may be food, clothes, supplies or even funding into the city. Shelters are getting things needed but getting it out to the masses are a little difficult due to the fact that so many people have been affected. I think we have an unswayed understanding that this is a marathon, not a sprint.

Has the Province contacted you regarding disaster relief assistance or plans?

Yes, Province Polemarch Theron Hightower and Provinc e officers have reached out to ask how they can help. They’ve even been so kind to provide me with contact information of other brothers who may have experienced these types of situations in order to help us.

The biggest thing is comforting some of the brothers who have lost it all. However, thanks to iKare, we’ve set up a Visa gift card system so brothers can obtain funds that were affected.

What are other things being done to rebuild the Houston metropolitan area?

More than anything, the city is focusing on floodplains in the rebuilding process. You know, we didn't (and no one else) expected a once a 1,000year hurricane to be so damaging and destructive. The city realizes that we have some work to do and what needs to be done to be prepared the next time.

Is there anything specific that the Houston area may need?

We need cleaning supplies. Brothers are getting back to their residents to access the damage and have seen that either mold or just dirt has infested their homes. We need help getting those brothers back into to a comfortable environment. Brothers are returning home with a heavy heart, because they see the work ahead and the pain their families have had to endure.

If you could have a call to action, what can brothers do to help during these trying times?

You know, I believe the best way to help brothers and other Houstonians now is for brothers to keep doing what they have been doing regarding donating funds. We’ve moved past the disaster relief stage but really focusing on rebuilding what’s been destroyed. But we're not the only place that is struggling Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange areas need our help as well brother.

KAEPERNICK IS HIS NFL CAREER OVER?

WHAT'S NEXT FOR KAEP Regardless, if you're kneeling with Brother Colin Kaepernick or choosing to watch football, it's a unanimous understanding that social injustice is an issue within the United States for people of color.

From GQ Magazine honoring our brother for being the Citizen of the Year, participating in the American Civil Liberties Union, “Know Your Rights” campaign, working into his own foundation, #MyCauseMyCleats, Brother Colin Kaepernick has been busy. Aside from all these great achievements, Colin Kaepernick may forever be known as the quarterback who knelt for the national anthem before NFL games in 2016 as a protest against social injustice.

However, we have to address the elephant in the room. With the Super Bowl scheduled for Feb. 4, 2018, most avid football fans still are finding it very strange that Colin Kaepernick doesn’t have a deal.

Ordinarily, an NFL veteran who is having difficulty finding a team isn’t exactly newsworthy. But NFL talent is scarce at quarterback, and Kaepernick’s situation is far from ordinary. Yet, the controversy surrounding Colin Kaepernick’s apparent continued blackballing from the league is still being questioned.

After Kaepernick’s protest of the national anthem last season as quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, the question has become whether it’s the reason that teams are avoiding him. Could it be that Kaepernick just isn’t good enough, or that he plays a style that makes him difficult to accommodate? The evidence suggests that those factors alone don’t explain Kaepernick’s unemployment. Kaepernick’s current employment status looks less like a natural result of the supposed NFL meritocracy and more like something unusual is going on. His play is good enough to have attracted interest from teams by now. That it hasn’t suggested that he’s being punished, on at least some level, for his political outspokenness. Plenty of teams are in need of a quarterback, however, it seems like there’s no chance for Kaepernick.

Every time an NFL quarterback is injured, or a passer plays poorly enough to bring his job status into question, fans and observers wonder and debate whether Colin Kaepernick will play football again.

Take a minute, though; it’s difficult not to conclude that a verdict has already been rendered. It’s difficult to believe Kaepernick will play in the NFL again. Kaepernick’s past performance has proved he is good enough to be in the league in some capacity.

Tom Brady said Kaepernick is “certainly qualified.”

In case after case, since the San Francisco 49ers told him they would cut him and he opted out of his contract, teams have rejected him.

As a group, NFL teams have shown they’re willing to play and sign quarterbacks who, by any reasonable measure, are worse than Kaepernick.

Owners do not want the supposed “distraction,” or they believe fans would not accept the first player who knelt on a sideline during the national anthem, or they believe fans would not accept the first player who knelt on a sideline during the national anthem, or they personally dislike his politics. Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest began mostly unnoticed during the 2016 NFL preseason, but it quickly became a year-defining topic that dominated discussion both inside and outside the league. Over the next 13 months, players from across the NFL joined Kaepernick, sitting, kneeling and raising their fists, in acts of protest that generated mixed reactions from fans, current and former players, coaches, general managers and owners, and even the president. "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."

How desperate for quarterbacks must the NFL be for one team to sign Kaepernick? As a group, NFL teams have shown they're willing to play and sign quarterbacks who, by any reasonable measure, are worse than Kaepernick. It looks more and more certain that collective, stubborn spinelessness is going to keep Kaepernick out of the NFL. Unless Kaepernick changes course and declares he is finished with football, his status will remain an open question. There will be no precise prompt for outrage or celebration or reflection.

But at some point, the NFL, its teams, its players and fans will start to realize Kaepernick is not returning and have to grapple with what his sustained absence means.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS This stand wasn't because I feel like I'm being put down in any kind of way. This is because I'm seeing things happen to people that don't have a voice: people that don't have a platform to talk and have their voices heard and affect change. So I'm in the position where I can do that, and I'm going to do that for people that can't.

COLIN KAEPERNICK

C. ROGER WILSON LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

Columbus (MS) Alumni and Eta Upsilon chapters have worked tirelessly in preparing for over 570 registered brothers from across the Southwestern Province to gather in Starkville, MS. Over 500 brothers gathered to break bread and talk about the business of Kappa. Reaching higher levels of achievement through each chapter at a time. The first leadership conference was August 1961 as part of the Golden Anniversary Grand Chapter meeting in Indianapolis. 56 UGs from 51 different chapters attended.

Like the first meeting, we're all about Kappa business & business is good. Most brothers are aware of what goes on during our business sessions but what if I told you that younger chapters are leaning valuable skills that can enable them to take back to their perspective chapters to become a thriving force on their college campuses. Would you believe that some chapters arrive with only dollars in their pockets and the desire to run the yard and return with a 1 Corinthians 12:31 approach,

"And yet some of you keep competing for so-called "important" parts. But now I want to lay out a far better way for you." However people don't believe that a chapter can gain knowledge need to run the yard by "old heads" that have been removed from the spotlight for years. Brothers, this is anything far from the truth.

Both undergrad and alumni chapters are being educated by the practices and knowledge being distributed during C. Roger Wilson Leadership Conference.

Understanding that mere talk and criticism never paves a road to a means of accomplishment but a sweet and honest zeal to be the best along with well laid plans and planning there is no telling what we can accomplish in God’s great universe. So in my impending quest to be the best never the least I fully understand that actions speak louder than words. Now let's be clear, we're all dealing with Kappa men who exercise the capacity for self-discipline. They know and respect the fact that there is a time for study, and a time and place for play. Kappa men are men in a very real sense.

THE ART OF TWIRLING HAS TWIRLING BECOME A LOST ART?

During the times of the 1950s, Black Greek Letter Organizations, on an undergraduate level, began to practice what is known today as "Step Shows".

Undergraduate members of Phi Beta Sigma and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity took part in the trade and soon incorporated the use of their favorite items, the cane, into their stepping routines. This was something that spread to many of the undergraduate chapters during the early 1950s and 1960s. Stepping was catching on at a much accelerated rate among the African American fraternities and sororities during this time period.

During the 1950s and 1960s, canes that were used in the art of stepping were typical canes of about 36 inches. Members of Phi Beta Sigma and Kappa Alpha Psi performed "Taps" where the canes would be beaten on the ground in time with the rhythmic beat of the step show. The turn of the decade would reveal an evolution in cane stepping known today as "twirling".

Undergraduate members of Kappa Alpha Psi in the 1970s, not content with Taps alone, would then create a new form of cane mastery which involved much more skill and talent than merely banging the cane on the ground in a certain beat.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, canes were considered to be very fashionable. Canes were decorative, objects to be admired and be proud of. They were considered valuable collector's items and showed the true sign of a Gentleman. "Twirling" had become the new style of cane stepping among Kappa undergraduates; they were constantly looking for better and faster combinations to incorporate into their steps. One issue that the members of Kappa Alpha Psi faced during this time was that they were still practicing the step show routines using the standard sized, three foot canes. Kappa Alpha Psi found that while normal length canes were fine for tapping, they became a problem when it was time to twirl their canes. Thus, cane stepping evolved once again. Although Kappa Alpha Psi and Phi Beta Sigma are the pioneers of stepping and twirling with canes, other NPHC organizations also step and twirl with canes such as the Sigma Gamma Rhos. There are many step shows and twirl off competitions that take place throughout the United States.

There are a variety of things that you can “twirl�. However, in the more recent years undergraduate brothers have adopted shimmying over twirling and some seasoned brothers have not come to like the new trend.

However, with every new line, twirling become less and less appealing. So the true question is, "Has twirling become a lost art?"

I N F O R M E R @ S O U T H W E S T E R N P R O V I N C E 1 9 1 1 . O R G

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Painting with Mom Having the support to uplift our youth is vital. Little Rock Alumni Chapter’s Kappa League, which is the fraternity’s most impactful guideright program, hosted a Paint Night Party for all the moms of the program. Attendees were treated to refreshments provided by Kappa League and all were given small gifts with treats

Little Rock Kappa League wants to invite all moms, old or new, to the event.

from various retailers. Moms were

Each mom got to take home

recognized for their dedication and hard

their personally designed

work to the program and were reminded that

wine glass created along

they are doing the work of the community

with a painted canvas. There

and America by continuing to support these

will be follow-on of this

young men who are focused on the utilizing

event on June 10th,, 2017.

the tools taught by the program; leadership

Little Rock Kappa League

and development.

wants to invite all moms, old or new, to the event.

Guideright Director Michal Harris stated, “We wish to not forget about our moms who keep our ships afloat.

This is yet another opportunity for our phenomenal mothers to support our Kappa League members. Just our way to show appreciation to the mothers of Kappa League members and spend quality time with the mothers."

GSU ALUMNI Grambling Alumni Chapter celebrated the coming out of their Spring 2017 Initiates by having a Black White Ball at Grambling State University. Pictured are Officers and members of the Grambling Alumni Chapter. Officers are seated and the new members are in white.

Members of the Grambling Alumni Chapter participated in the Superheroes for Autism 5k. Hosted by Development Wings, this is a great excuse to dress up as your favorite super hero and raise money for our programs.

Members of the Grambling Alumni Chapter participated in the Wal-Mart Easter Egg Hunt by assisting in passing out Easter prizes, hiding Easter Eggs, and also coloring Easter Eggs.

The Grambling Alumni Chapter and Gamma Psi Chapter recently awarded a $1,000.00 scholarship to Alliyah Murphy of Arcadia High School for her academic achievement and community volunteerism.

WHY KAPPAS MENTOR The Arlington-Grand Prairie Guide Right Foundation

Not only did we promote members in our foundation but we got our Kappa Leaguers/Beaus t o participate in the #WHY Kappas Mentor Initiative.

took the #WHY Kappas Mentor Initiative to another level. Not only did we promote members in our foundation but we got our Kappa Leaguers/Beaus to participate in the #WHY Kappas Mentor Initiative. Our initiative is to receive feedback from our Kappa

ArlingtonGrand Prairie

Leaguers/Beaus on how our mentoring in our Beautillion Program is beneficial to our Kappa Leaguers/Beaus.

POSITIVEÂ DIFFERENCES

On December 13, 2016, the Arlington-Grand Prairie Guide Right Foundation partnered with Save-A- Lot Food Store and Barnett Junior High School (Arlington Independent School District) and gave away $100.00 to five needy families totaling $500.00.

On the campus of Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas one could find a hard-working native of Dallas, TX striving to make a difference. Benjamin Mason, a Junior at Philander Smith College majoring in Business Administration, is highly involved on campus in organizations such as SGA, the National Pre-Alumni Council, Track and Field's Academic Success Achievement Program, and much more. Benjamin noticed the need for an event discussing the importance of properly building and marketing your brand. Benjamin decided that he would fill this void so he organized an event called Build Your Own Brand (BYOB). Mason mentioned, "There is a significant portion of students who are not aware of how soon branding begins. Their image and decision-making are critical from the beginning. Many students come to college and aren’t granted the opportunity to be exposed to how to create that image/vision they are s eeking; therefore, this event raised awareness and helped change lives.

Brother Mason is a Spring 2016 initiate currently serving as the Polemarch of the Beta Tau Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. When asked what does it mean to be a Kappa man Mason responded, “Kappa to me is the joining of service, leadership and noble men. The fraternity is here to serve and make a difference in the communities. Leadership stems from the need of service and we step up to the plate on every occasion. By humbly serving we pave a way of contributing to our youth, elderly, unprivileged, and any one in need. Kappa men serve a higher cause and I will forever be a part of that cause as long as I remain on this Earth. Kappa embodies what it means to be a true hero.�

Arlington-Grand Prairie’s Adopt-A- School Initiative The Arlington-Grand Prairie Guide Right Foundation provides adopted schools with mentoring, tutoring, and supplying school supplies to students once per month for 60-90 minutes. The programs help “at risk” or disadvantaged students to improve their academics and become better citizens through life lessons by providing them with character building, leadership and goal setting skills. The program also teaches strategies on how to resist bad influences that could lead them to crime, drug use, gang participation, and violence.

Adopt-A- School is an initiative program to provide mentoring assistance, and support for educational programs for middle school boys grade 6-8.

DJ LC News 8 Daybreak 11-03-17 On November 3, 2017, the DFW Metroplex Chapters of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated was on Dallas Channel 8 News to talk about Guide Right and the Metroplex Can Good Drive Initiative.

The Metroplex Can Good Drive Initiative was led

by Brother Daimyion Howard of Dallas Alumni.

KAPPA LEAGUE Mississippi State University Campus Tour

Columbus MS Alumni Brother Jarell Colston (MSU Spr 14 Eta Upsilon)& Brother Rodney Johnson Columbus MS Alumni Guide Right Director Coordinated a MSU Campus Tour for the Mississippi Golden Triangle Kappa League and Jackson MS Kappa League. 75 Kappa League Students participated in MSU Campus Tour.

Kappa League, formally known as the Kappa Instructional Leadership League, is the national youth initiative of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated.

Kappa League focuses on training young men of color (but not exclusive to) 6th-12th grade for leadership, achievement and service in every field of human endeavor. Strong emphasis is placed upon personal development, academic achievement and college and career preparation.

KAPPA LEAGUE LITTLE ROCK ALUMNI CHAPTER

BREAST CANCER WORKSHOP Little Rock Kappa League partnered with the Susan G. Komen Foundation for the 2nd Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Workshop. Breast cancer is a type of cancer where cells in the breast tissue divide and grow without normal control. It is the most prevalent cancer in the world today, with about 1.3 million people diagnosed annually. It also impacts men as well. The event was well attended and the presenter was Mrs. Taylor, a breast cancer survivor, that shared her own story.

BLACK BELT PROMOTION Douglas Turner received his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt form his Professor Art Alvarado and Master Caique Elias during a recent seminar. He has been training for 12 years. “This was one of the happiest moments of my life”. “Every Black Belt has a story on the road to it, my story is different than another Black Belt, but the common factor is that I didn’t quit. I kept going and will always strive to be better each and every day than I was the day before”.

TURKEY DRIVE Spring-The Woodlands-Huntsville Alumni Chapter participated in a joint initiative along side the Deltas of the Huntsville Alumnae Chapter where we prepared over 50 Thanksgiving meals to numerous residents of the Huntsville community. Walking door to door delivering meals to these residents. Volunteer efforts include serve food at the Good Shepherd Mission Community Center and "Toys 4 tots."

12/17

INFORMER

SOUTHWESTERN PROVINCE NEWSLETTER INFORMER@SOUTHWESTERNPROVINCE1911.ORG

THOMAS ST JULIEN

WILTON JACKSON

SR EDITOR AND LAYOUT DESIGNER

EDITOR & GRAPHIC DESIGNER

We are not here to play, dream or drift. We have work to do and loads to lift, shun not the struggle for it’s God’s gift to be strong.

My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity.