The Wall St. Alpha Report October/November 2008

THE WALL ST. ALPHA REPORT The official Wall Street Alphas newsletter, Kappa Xi Lambda Chapter, NYC

October/November 2008

Vol. 2, No. 2

THE WALL ST. ALPHA REPORT The official Wall Street Alphas newsletter, Kappa Xi Lambda Chapter, NYC

October / November 2008

Vol. 2, No. 2

THINK BLACK! President’s Letter

Building Social and Intellectual Equity for our Youth

By Bro. Lino A. Solis, Esq. In1908, Jewel Eugene Kinckle Jones issued his thesis paper for the degree of Master of Arts from Cornell University. His thesis was an analysis on the state of Black of America and the impact that certain basic living conditions had on the development and overall progress of Black America. He focused on living conditions associated with healthcare, economics, political life, religious life, education and moral values. His paper outlined historical data and references regarding societal imbalances and the disparate impact of those imbalances on the African American community generally. In his thesis, he was essentially urging the reader to Think Black!

This November, the Wall Street Alphas Charitable Foundation (WSACF) and the members of KXL Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. are hosting their 2nd annual gala event: Think Black! The logic behind the title essentially arose from many of the motivations that influenced Jewel Eugene Kinckle Jones to issue his paper Continued on page 8

KXL Welcomes our new G.E.N.T.S.

By Bro. Malik Simmonds The Alpha G.E.N.T.S program is off to a great start and venturing into new territory. As we usher in ten new mentees to the program, we will also send ten high school seniors to college at the end of the academic school year.

This year’s graduating class is the largest send off of Alpha mentored and inspired young men, since our program began five years ago at Martha Valle secondary school on the lower east side.

We first became involved with these young men while they were 8th graders in middle school. We have seen them hurdle many obstacles, ranging from academic challenges to poor communication skills. They have matured into responsible critical thinkers. We are proud of what they have become and are excited about the bright futures ahead

Dear Brothers and Guests, Welcome to another Edition of the Wall Street Alpha Report. I don't know about you, but I find this familiar time of year beautiful. As the last remnants of Summer make way for Fall, our world goes through a number of transformations.

The leaves change color. The air becomes a bit crisper. Even sports transform as baseball makes room for football and eventually, basketball. But even more encouraging, our future return to the classroom for another year of education and preparation to face tomorrow’s challenges.

Back when I was much younger and summers lasted forever, returning back to school brought on mixed emotions. On one hand it meant a return to teachers, tests and homework. On the other, it reunited me with my closest friends, gave me the opportunity to feed my growing curiosity and brought me one step closer to being an adult so I could do what I wanted instead of what I was told. If I only knew what being an adult was REALLY about, I might not have been so anxious!

Continued on Page 3

Inside this Edition 9 9 9 9 9 9 9

President’s Letter Editor’s Report Think Black!

A new year for the Alpha G.E.N.T.S. Financial Focus: Wall Street Brother on the Move What Obama means to the Black community

Contact Us: WSANews@gmail.com

Continued on page 11 2

President’s Letter Continued from Page 2

Today, as I watch young students return to class I'm still filled with mixed emotions but for different reasons. On one hand, the challenges they face are familiar: the widening gap of quality education between the 'Haves' vs the 'Have Nots'; the increasing influences of peer pressure, sex and drugs; the continuing erosion of the moral fiber of our society. On the other hand, they are growing up during a time when information is more available to them than any other time in history. Their potential for knowledge and growth is limitless.

These are the very reasons why I'm excited about the work we're doing with our Foundation and Alpha G.E.N.T.S. program. Since 2003, we've given young men the opportunity to grow past their expectations and truly reach for their potential. And these young men have responded.

On September 20th, we kicked off this year's G.E.N.T.S. program and it was a smash success.

In addition to the returning gentlemen from the Beacon program, we're ushering in a new partnership with the High School of Graphic Communication & Arts. Several of their young men and two parents were present. Bro. Plemmie Lawson, our Dir. of Educational Activities, did a wonderful job of discussing the program with the support of nearly 20 Brothers.

This year is going to be a wonderful one for Alpha G.E.N.T.S. To ensure that this and other educational initiatives are well supported, Think Black! has made tremendous progress. Bro. Lino Solis & Co. have done an amazing job with our Black Tie fundraiser and positioned us for great success.

I'm truly excited and anxiously looking forward to November 19th. Brothers, purchase your tickets NOW and make sure your guests are there to celebrate our success.

Fraternally, Jioha Amatokwu President, KXL Chapter “Wall Street Alphas”

Bro. Russell Malbrough, seen here at the Pilgrimage to Cornell in ’05, recently left KXL to pursue his Doctorate at Northwestern. Read more about this brother on the move.

Mark your Calendar!

10/14: Chapter Meeting 10/15: Final Presidential Debate 11/4: GENERAL ELECTION DAY – PLEASE VOTE 11/11: Chapter Meeting 11/15: Last day to pay National dues with no penalty 11/19: Think Black – Steiner Studios, Brooklyn 12/9: Chapter Meeting 12/12: Bro. Kevin Powell’s 8th Annual Holiday Party and Clothing Drive at Tribeca Cinemas

Visit the “Wall Street Alphas” on Facebook or My Space or at www.wallstreetalphas.com 3

KXL will be remembering one very special birthday on October 21. Bro. Sam Parker would have turned 50 this year. Bro. Parker was instrumental in helping the chapter launch Think Black last November 1.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROTHERS!!

Mel Myrie – Oct. 2 Fredrick Harris – Oct. 8 Elvin Dowling – Oct. 19 Samuel C. Parker, III – Oct. 21 Mansa Nicome – Oct. 29 Lyndell Pittman – Oct. 30

Antonio Johnson – Nov. 1 Kelso Anderson – Nov. 5 Philip L. Mckenzie – Nov. 7 Nick Rosello – Nov. 13 Jack R. Mitchell – Nov. 15 Barion Grant – Nov. 16 Richard Bates – Nov. 17

ΚΞΛ

If you have any comments on the Newsletter or would like to submit content, reply to WSANews@gmail.com Visit us at www.wallstreetalphas.com 4

THE EDITOR’S REPORT Greetings Brothers, This has truly been an historic year, and in a matter of weeks we will find out if America is ready for a black President. Early in the race we heard the scare tactics not so subtly employed by the GOP: he's not patriotic enough, he's got a funny name, he doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills. While that may not work in diverse places like New York or L.A. where we are more accepting and accustomed to diverse people and cultures, we’ll soon see if middle America has made any progress. Let’s not forget that in some parts of the country it’s not a foreign sight to find a Confederate flag at a college football game in the south or at a NASCAR event.

Yet after three Presidential debates and one for the VP’s, the polls have Sen. Obama ahead by 6 or so points. We’ll see how that holds up as I can recall in ’82 when L.A. Mayor Tom Bradley had a double digit lead for the Governor’s race going into election day. Oddly the popular black Mayor failed to win that race.

Earlier in the year political science professor Bro. Dr. Fredrick Harris took a look at the Obama candidacy as he went from novelty to serious Democratic candidate. Bro. Harris now discusses how the success of Obama’s Presidential bid is impacting the Black community.

On the local scene, Director of Educational Activities Bro. Plemmie Lawson has another exciting year planned for the Alpha G.E.N.T.S. See how YOU can get involved and help guide these young men toward a brighter future.

Recently we bid farewell to Bro. Derrick Crawford who relocated to the west coast and Bro. Russell Malbrough who is pursuing his Doctorate at Northwestern. KXL’s long time Historian and Assoc. Editor to the Sphinx. Bro. Malbrough, shares a few thoughts.

Finally, do you have your tux ordered and ready to go? If not, what the heck are you waiting for?

The premiere Black Tie event of the year, Think Black! Is set for November 19th. The venue, Steiner Studios, Stage 6, is the perfect site for our main charity event of the year. Bro. Lino Solis and his team have been planning this event for months. Black Tie…Live Music…Honorees…Top Shelf Open Bar…Formal Dinner…Dancing…and more. This will be an opportunity to take that special someone out for a night that they won’t forget. The proceeds will benefit the programs that we have planned this year for the Alpha G.E.N.T.S. program.

I’ll see you at Stage 6!

‘06, Brian Pruitt Newsletter Editor in Chief Wall St. Alphas

While the blatant lampooning of Sen. Obama has mellowed recently, don’t be surprised if things get dirty again as we enter the final month before election day.

Note: The Editor’s report reflects thoughts or opinions of the Editor and are not necessarily shared by the chapter or the Fraternity as a whole.

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2008-2009 Chapter Officers and Board Members Executive Board President:

Brother Jioha Amatokwu

Vice President:

Brother Damon Culcleasure

Recording Secretary:

Brother Christopher Hunt

Corresponding Secretary:

Brother Tony Thompson

Treasurer:

Brother Brandon Ray

Financial Secretary:

Brother Allen Moton

Chaplain:

Brother Wiky Toussaint

Historian:

Brother Sean Gayle

Coordinator of Intake:

Brother Nicolas Rosello, Jr.

Sergeant-at-Arms:

Brother David Williams

Parliamentarian:

Brother Esu Ma’at

Dir. of Educational Activity:

Brother Plemmie Lawson

Assoc. Editor to the Sphinx:

Brother Corey A. McDougle

Wall Street Alphas Charitable Foundation Board of Directors President & Chairman:

Brother Shawn A. Curwen

Secretary:

Brother Tony Johnson

Treasurer:

Brother Roy A. Williams

Assistant Treasurer:

Brother Brent Cohen

Fundraising/Sponsorship Chair: Brother Brandon V. Ray Board Member:

Brother Gerard Brogdon

Board Member:

Brother Derrick Crawford

Board Member:

Brother Elvin Dowling

Board Member:

Brother Samuel Parker

Newsletter Committee Editor in Chief:

Brother Brian Pruitt

Assistant Editor:

Brother Chris Hunt

Contributors:

Brother Corey A. McDougle Brother Lino Solis

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THINK BLACK! Continued from page 2 just over 100 years ago. African Americans, Latinos and other emerging groups struggle to secure better service and increase funding in areas such as health care, education and housing. Historically, these groups have fought hard to increase funding and research in areas that disproportionately impact their communities such as sickle cell research, prostate cancer, diabetes, infant mortality (one of the highest in the world), Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) (one of the highest in the world), HIV/AIDS, obesity, etc. At the same time, these same groups are increasingly suffering from low educational opportunities, low life expectancy rates, low free market, entrepreneurial and lending opportunities, continued high unemployment rates, high incarceration and recidivism rates, increased predatory lending, rising property and life insurance rates and unacceptable levels of drugs and violence. When you think about these areas, one often thinks about their disparate impact on the overall Black and Latino communities.

Our Think Black gala aims to keep focus on these issues and stem their impact on our communities. As evidenced by our event tagline, our theme this year will focus on our commitment to our youth and how we can best prepare them to deal with these challenges and the challenges of a new global community. It is a longstanding belief that education is key to the development of our youth and their overall life experience. The Wall Street Alphas Charitable Foundation, through the Alpha G.E.N.T.S. mentoring program (Gaining Essential Networking Tools for Success), provides these young men with extraordinary life-changing experiences through college trips, life long mentoring and various educational programming. This year we are looking to expand our program and increase the amount of college scholarships awarded to our mentees. We agree that we have a long way to go, but we’re reaching new milestones everyday. Our vision, however, cannot be realized without good people willing to give their time, energy and money in the name of service to all.

When one talks about service to community, the name Usher Raymond comes to mind. Usher was recently named Youth Chair of Service Nation. A national campaign launched this year, which seeks to mobilize millions of Americans to volunteer their time within their communities. In addition, Senator Kennedy and Senator Orrin Hatch introduced the “Serve America Act”. This legislation seeks to recruit 175,000 American volunteers who will serve their communities and deal with issues in our educational system, environment, healthcare,

and spearhead anti poverty programs across the country. In a recent Associated Press article, Senator Hatch was quoted saying that “America faces more challenges today than ever before…..

And new challenges require a new level of commitment.”

In our community, we have many people who have stepped up to this new level of commitment and so we agreed to honor three of these great leaders at this year’s Think Black! gala. The honorees selected are extraordinary people who have exemplified service to our youth, tireless work within their communities and extraordinary citizenship. The honorees are: Terrie Williams, Mrs. Gloria Carter and Anthony Killiebrew.

Terrie M. Williams is the Founder and President of The Stay Strong Foundation. She’s an inspirational author, mental health advocate and founder of the Terrie Williams Agency. Her bio goes on to say that Ms. Williams is a social worker by training who became a successful public

Honoree Terrie Williams relations pro by her own design and has now emerged as an advocate for youth and those who battle depression. She launched The Terrie Williams Agency in 1988—a company that would become one of the country’s most successful public relations and communications firm—and through the years has handled the biggest names in entertainment, sports, business, and politics from Miles Davis, Eddie Murphy and Johnnie L. Cochran to Essence Communications Partners, HBO and Time Warner. She is also the author of three successful books: The Personal Touch: What You Really Need to Succeed in Today’s Continued on page 9 8

THINK BLACK! Continued from page 8 Fast-Paced Business World; A Plentiful Harvest: Creating Balance and Harmony through the Seven Living Virtues; and Stay Strong: Simple Life Lessons for Teens, which was the basis for the 2001 launch of The Stay Strong Foundation, a national non-profit designed to educate and encourage American youth.

Today Terrie works tirelessly to reach out to individuals who have suffered or are now suffering—from the struggling high school student, to the successful executive who puts forth the daily “mask”, to the former gang member, the incarcerated and those who served time but were later proven innocent. She is a woman on fire, a woman on a mission to help others enter (and reenter) society as productive and contributing members of their community. Her drive to “save the world” leads her and the efforts of The Stay Strong Foundation to urge corporate and individual responsibility and to offer educational and leadership workshops, internships, and mentoring opportunities for youth.

Terrie’s honors include: The Institute for the Advancement of Multicultural & Minority Medicine’s 2006 Eagle Fly Free Award for her work as a depression survivor and her efforts to bring widespread attention to the topic. She has also received The New York Women in Communications Matrix Award in Public Relations— the first woman of color to receive this award in the award’s 70-year history, the PRSA New York Chapter’s Phillip Dorf Mentoring Award, and The Citizen’s Committee for New York Marietta Tree Award for Public Service. In 1996, she was the first person of color honored with the Vernon C. Schranz Distinguished Lectureship at Ball State University, and in 1998 she donated her papers to the Howard University MoorlandSpringarn Research Center Archives. Terrie has a B. A. (cum laude) in Psychology and Sociology from Brandeis University, and an M.S. in Social Work from Columbia University.

Our next honoree is Mrs. Gloria Carter: Mrs. Carter is the proud daughter of Hattie White, who inspired her life’s work of reaching out to people, which eventually led to her interest in community service. Mrs. Carter retired from the Office of the Comptroller, City of New York: bureau of Asset Management where she worked for thirty years. She began as a stock clerk where through hard work and determination she worked her way up to an investment analyst position. She was also responsible for training young interns in the field of asset management. As of today, she still mentors some of

those same young interns.

Mrs. Carter is currently the CEO of the Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund. The Foundation was established by her and her son Shawn Carter after her retirement. The Foundation was essentially formed because Mrs. Carter wanted to create something that would enhance the future of our young people. The Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund is unique in that it offers scholarships to single mothers, children who attend alternative schools, students who have earned a GED, students with grade point averages of 2.0 and students who have previously been incarcerated, but desire a higher educational opportunity.

Honoree Gloria Carter This group is generally not the recipient of college scholarships and is typically ignored by the Board of Education. The Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund offers scholarship opportunities to any underprivileged child around the world who desires a higher education. One of the key questions asked by the Foundation when students apply for a scholarship is: “What are your plans to give back to the community?”

In 2007, the New York City Council’s office commended Mrs. Gloria Carter for her work in serving as CEO of the Foundation and her tireless work with the youth and her continued work with various toy drives including her post Hurricane Katrina efforts in New Orleans and Houston and her work with various other community based Continued on page 10 9

THINK BLACK! Continued from page 9 and parents attended the event. Local and national businesses helped sponsor the event and donated school supplies and their time. Any surplus school supplies where packaged and sent to partner schools in West Africa. At the same time, Anthony has been working with various celebrities and community based groups in pushing the “Respect My Vote” campaign. The campaign seeks to pair celebrities with grass roots organizations to mobilize and educate young people between the ages of 18 and 29, who are not in college, to register and participate in the electoral process. The campaign has so far sparked record voter registration activities in the following states: CA (Bay Area), FL (Miami), GA (Atlanta), IN (Indianapolis), MD (Baltimore), MI (Detroit), MO (St. Louis); NC (Charlotte, RaleighDurham), OH (Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus), PA (Philadelphia), TX (Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston), VA (Richmond), and DC (Washington, DC).

organizations. In 2005, the Township of West Orange congratulated Mrs. Carter for her community work within the Township of West Orange and for establishing the annual toy drive and for providing additional scholarships to students who agree to work and give back to West Orange Community.

Our third honoree is Anthony Killiebrew: A 2008 US Olympiad and founder of The Anthony Killiebrew Children’s Foundation Inc. Anthony Killiebrew is a 22 year old pro track runner who spent most of this past summer training for the 2008 US Olympic Team. At the age of 17, Anthony noticed that the youth in his community were failing out of school and were in a general downward educational spiral. As a result, Anthony founded the Anthony Killiebrew Children Foundation also known as AKCF. AKCF’s mission is to

You can see why we were more then excited about honoring these great leaders in our community. This year’s Think Black! gala promises to be historical. We look forward to sharing and celebrating with you, your friends and your families. We encourage you to come out on November 19 and support our honorees, our youth and the Wall Street Alphas Charitable Foundation.

A Few Reasons to Think Black!

Honoree Anthony Killiebrew encourage youth to take positive educational risks and to be creative in their own personal success.

The foundation seeks to train, equip, and motivate the children to be more effective in their daily lives.

AKCF provides children an opportunity to express themselves through sports, education and other community based events. The children are empowered to make wise and healthy decisions and they are given the freedom to communicate openly and honestly with each other and the staff at AKCF. This positive environment motivates the children to never give up and provides them with a surrounding that is fun, loving and encourages dignity, respect for self and respect for others.

This year, AKCF had its 5th Annual Back to School Family Cookout where more than 2,000 children

•

Life expectancy for African American males (68.8 years) is significantly less than for white males (75.1)

•

On average, considering all juvenile detention centers in the U.S., minorities make up two-thirds of the detained youth.

•

In some areas of the country, it is now more likely for a black male between 15 and 25 to die from homicide than it was for a United States soldier to be killed on a tour of duty in Vietnam.

•

While constituting roughly 13% of the total population, Black America represents nearly 30% of America’s poor.

10

Alpha G.E.N.T.S. Continued from page 2 of them. The seniors are diligently applying to colleges and searching for scholarships to many institutions of higher learning throughout the country including: Cornell University, Syracuse University, Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY Albany, Carnegie Mellon, SUNY New Paltz, Morehouse College, Lincoln University, Hampton University, University of Virginia, Purdue University, Marist College, Stanford University, Columbia University and Vanderbilt University.

The Wall Street Alphas Charitable Foundation was given the honor of nominating 5 G.E.N.T.S to the prestigious Posse Foundation Scholar program. The winners selected will receive a full scholarship to attend one of the 15 elite partner schools. After an intense first round of group interviews where over 3,000 students participated, 3 Alpha G.E.N.T.S have been selected as semi-finalist. We have very talented and ambitious young men who have benefitted from the wisdom and time generously given by the Brotherhood. We would like to continue to provide leadership and direction to this future band of leaders and it requires the participation and involvement of each and every Brother.

This year plans to be a year of new beginnings. We welcome a new generation of Alpha G.EN.T.S (freshman and sophomores) who attend the High School of Graphic Communications. They will begin their journey with Alpha, exposing them to new ideas, experiences and opportunities. It will be a year of new beginnings for our returning Alpha G.E.N.T.S, as they leap into manhood with the tools and teachings we have provided them throughout the years… and a new beginning for the Brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., as we renew our pledge to uplift our community by serving as a mentor to a high school student.

We look forward to Brothers attending the next Alpha G.E.N.T.S meeting, which has been scheduled for October 18th, 11 a.m. at MTV Networks (1515 Broadway- 44th Street). We will pair a high school student with a Brother who will serve as his mentor.

It’s an informal style mentoring program, where we

“This year will be a banner year for the Wall Street Alphas and the W.S.A.C.F. Together we will serve as mentors to 25 Alpha GENTS by providing growth experiences, listening, coaching, challenging ideas or behaviors, discussing attitudes, encouraging professional behavior, sharing, teaching by example, offering wise counsel, triggering self awareness, building self-confidence, and providing information. We will accomplish this through humility, an insatiable curiosity, the courage to trust and the ability to listen.”

-Bro. Plemmie Lawson, Director of Educational Activities

simply ask that Brothers call, email, text or I.M. the young men once or twice a month to offer a brief word of encouragement or a quick touch base conversation. The once a month group session the young men attend will serve as a group mentoring session, where a Brother will facilitate a particular topic. Please contact Education Committee Chairman Brother Plemmie Lawson for more information about the program or how you can help cultivate our future young black male leadership.

If you have any comments on the Newsletter or would like to submit content, reply to WSANews@gmail.com Visit us at www.wallstreetalphas.com

11 11

How Sen. Obama’s campaign is impacting the Black community

by Bro. Dr. Fredrick Harris The 2008 Presidential election will be historic, no matter the outcome. For the first time in American history an African-American will be at the top of the ticket as the nominee for a major political party.

Consider these facts. There has never been an African American placed as a vice presidential candidate for either the Democratic or Republican parties. There have only been a handful of black U.S. senators since the nation’s founding: two during the 19th century period of Reconstruction and three since the start of the mid 20th century civil rights movement. In modern times there have only been two elected state black governors---Douglas Wilder who was elected in 1989 and Deval Patrick who was elected governor of Massachusetts in 2006.

That Senator Barack Obama has made it this far, this close to the presidency is a testament to long years of black political struggle. “Hands that once picked cotton,” as an old saying goes, “now can pick the next president.” The high level of enthusiasm in the black community for the Obama candidacy is clear—black Americans are more interested and active in politics than in the three previous presidential elections. In a recent survey conducted by Columbia University’s Center on African-American Politics and Society (CAAPS) and ABC News, black Americans are volunteering in political campaigns and making campaign contributions at a greater rate than whites and Hispanics, (See figure on page 14) While very few Americans participate in these more time consuming political activities—only 8 percent of the general population reported working for a political campaign and 23 percent contributed money to a campaign in the past year---the proportion of blacks involved in these activities are greater than for whites and Latinos. An impressive 14 percent of blacks report working for a candidate (as opposed to 7 percent of whites and Hispanics) and nearly a third of the black population report contributing to a campaign in the last 12 months (as oppose to 21 percent of whites and 16 percent of Hispanics). Both blacks and whites in equal proportions have been talking a great deal about the election, trying to persuade their family, friends, and neighbors to vote for or against their preferred political candidates. These high levels of black political engagement in presidential politics have not been seen in over 20 years when another African American—the Reverend Jesse Jackson—ran for president in 1984.

Not only are black Americans this year more engaged in the political process, they are also more likely to connect their national pride to Obama’s nomination. The CAAPS/ABC News poll asked whether respondents felt Obama’s nomination made them more proud to be an American.

As a people who have historically been treated as second class citizens, the expressions of national pride from the Obama campaign may have had the effect of black Americans feeling more American than black American. Half of black Americans feel more proud to be an American because of Obama’s nomination while 47% report that it did not make a difference to their feelings of national pride. Only slightly more than a third of whites (36%) and Hispanics (32%) report feeling that Obama’s nomination makes them feel more proud to be an American. And in another question about their own personal identity nearly half of blacks feel themselves being more American than being black (the other half of the black population Continued on page 13 12

Sen. Obama and the Black community Continued from page 12 would put race first in their personal identity), a finding that might reflect the Obama campaign’s emphasis on Americans getting beyond racial, ethnic, and partisan divisions.

These trends in black political engagement and the swell of national pride among blacks suggest that black voter turnout will likely break records in November, especially in states with sizable black populations.

But what will be crucial to the outcome of the election is black voter turnout in key battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, and Virginia. These states, along with several others out West, will deliver the electoral votes that will likely determine the outcome of the election. If black voters turnout in unprecedented numbers in cities such as Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Detroit, Richmond, St. Louis and Kansas City, high levels of black turnout might offset the problems that Obama has had with wooing white working class voters in those states. Both surging pride and heightened participation in black communities in these key states may deliver the long awaited prize. The ancestors must be smiling with pride too.

The link to the full report can be found at: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/new s/research/poll2.html

Racial/Ethnic Differences in Campaign Activities

40

38

38 35

35

31

30 25

25 20

16

14

15 10

23

21

7

Worked for party/candidate Tried to persuade others to vote Contributed Money

8

7

5 0 Hispanics

Whites

Blacks

All

CAAPS/ABC NEWS POLL

Will this be America’s new First Family?

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FINANCIAL FOCUS Understanding what’s happening on Wall Street

By Bro. Ben Shephard

The markets are reacting to the Bailout package that recently made its way through the House and Senate.

The markets are filled with rumors about companies having difficulties. A recent article discussed the fears of the FDIC that 100 banks may fail by the end of 2009, costing tax payers an additional 150 billion dollars on top of the 700 billion of the bailout package. This also comes at a time when both presumptive presidential candidates are supporting some legislation to increase the amount the FDIC insures from 100k to 250k. The following articles address the issues with the bailout and what may be some longer term consequences on Wall Street.

American finance: And then there were none: This Economist piece addresses the new financial landscape of Wall Street without stand alone Investment Banks. The article makes an interesting comparison between the Universal Bank model and the Investment Bank model. Not so long ago, the Universal Bank model was deemed stodgy. The Investment Bank model was looked at by market participants as the ideal. How quickly have those opinions changed?

America’s bail-out plan: The doctors’ bill: This article by the Economist gives a good background to the initial failed bailout vote a couple weeks ago. The article gives a good side by side comparison of the current crisis and the Savings and Loan crisis.

Why the $700B Bailout Could Translate to $250 Oil: This article provides some interesting arguments for why oil may climb to $250.00. The most plausible in my opinion is the fact that we truly have no idea what inventory levels are in the Middle East. Since we are so dependant on them for our supplies of oil, if they were to somehow run out, we could easily see prices rise exponentially.

Something Good Is Brewing: This article in Barron’s on October 3 highlights how well positioned Starbucks is to weather this storm. The article addresses the 600 store closures that were announced earlier this year. It states that many of the stores had opened in the last 2 years and had not turned a profit.

Starbucks is focused on international growth particularly in China and Russia.

Bailout May Be Granddaddy of All Carry Trades: This articles highlights the best case scenario for the US Government. The article highlights the fact that the government is going to be funding the bailout by issuing a range of Treasury Securities ranging from three to four percent. The government is buying assets yielding ten or even twelve percent. According to the article, the spread between the funding and what these securities are yielding could generate 40 to 60 billion dollars of revenues annually for the US Government.

WALL ST. STAGGERS: This Business Week article provides a history of how we have gotten here. It reviews the history of panics for the last 26 years. **** Bro. Ben W. Shephard does Fixed Income Trading for Bank Leumi, a private Israeli bank. To learn more or to obtain a copy of the articles, contact Bro. Shephard at Ben.Shephard@gmail.com.

If you have any comments on the Newsletter or would like to submit content, reply to WSANews@gmail.com Visit us at www.wallstreetalphas.com

14 14

KXL Brother on the Move – Bro. Russell Malbrough

By Bro. Corey A. McDougle

It is second nature for Alpha Men to continually move onward and upward…destined…it is in our DNA. We never settle or become complacent as we are constantly looking to be better men, fathers, friends, sons, brothers, and ultimately Alphas.

In that continuous pursuit, KXL has gained and lost some great members of our chapter. This issue, we bid farewell to Bro. Russell “Russ” Malbrough as he has moved to Chicago, IL to pursue a Doctorate in Sociology at Northwestern University. From 2002 to until his departure in August 2008, Russ spent a great deal of his time behind his camera photographing the chapter’s development at social events, chapter meetings, Founders’ Day events, and a number of community service activities. “Obviously, I will miss most my deep ties to people from childhood through my Masters program. Despite stereotypes of New York as a cold and unforgiving place, I was fortunate to form many life-long bonds. In the chapter, I will miss attending the flagship events of ‘Sip’, ‘Think Black’ and Black History Month panels,” he reflected upon his departure.

Invited to attend initial chapter meetings by Bro. Irving Roman (Sigma Chapter), Russ joined KXL in 2001 from the Alpha Gamma chapter in Providence Rhode Island due to his observation of KXL’s commitment to programs and service ahead of organizational politics or bureaucracy. When the chapter was fully rechartered in October 2002, he said, “I knew it was a historic event.” Russell contributed to the chapter’s history by serving as Associate Editor to The Sphinx and chapter Historian and, in turn, mentally, emotionally and visually collecting several fond memories including Founders’ Day at Trinity Church in 2004 with keynote Bro. Congressman Gregory Meeks, the first Masquerade Ball at Bull Run in 2005, the Cornell Pilgrimage starting our celebration of 100 years of service in 2005, the Centennial Convention in Washington, DC in 2006, and the entrance of the Seven Sons of Sobek into the chapter in 2006. When asked about his most memorable experience, he stated, “A common thread for all of these events and the most memorable experience was my limited yet rewarding time with one of our most dynamic brothers, Samuel C. Parker (Omega Chapter). Sam’s prominence, disposition, generosity, firm handshake, and broad smile made him a chapter pillar. Naming the Brother of the Year award after Sam was truly fitting and his legacy will continue.”

For several years, Russ worked at Columbia University as an Associate Director for Research and Technology at the Center for Career Education. During his time at Columbia, he completed a Masters of Arts in African American Studies. In addition to working, he volunteered with the Brotherhood SisterSol Youth organization based in Harlem, the Inman Page Black Alumni Council of Brown University, and sat on the Executive Board of the Black Ivy Alumni League. Upon completion of his Doctorate at Northwestern, he plans for a career as a university professor and a lasting impact in upper education. He stated, “I urge the chapter to continue documenting and sharing with a broader community the goals, sacrifices, perseverance and levels of achievement that have been and can continually be accomplished. Consider how to create new opportunities and social realities for disadvantaged youth. Show ‘Love for All Mankind’ and use the media to shift views of men in the African Diaspora.” We couldn’t have asked for a greater challenge to the chapter as we gear up for Think Black 2008 and the start of a new fraternal year.

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ΑΦΑ - A Century of Leadership - ΑΦΑ

KXL bros toasted a successful inaugural Think Black in ’07.

This year’s sequel promises to be even better.

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Kappa Xi Lambda Chapter P.O. Box 5382 New York, NY 10185-5382

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