By casting coming all of my sword calling all of my Sigma Sobers calling all of my sores calling all of my Sigma sores stains were hot but we made it Sigma Gamma rule have you heard of a city where the streets are pink and green have you
Heard of a city where the streets are pink and green have you heard of a city where the streets are pink and green and the name of the city is a K good evening and welcome to Dana bean Dana I am your host state of Michelle and we are in
These Greek streets and buddy I am a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated but I am here tonight with my friends and we are all a part of the the Panhellenic Council and we are the divine nine welcome to the divine nine show and so I would like to
Introduce you to everybody Wednesday is the new Friday in these great strength Wednesday is a new Friday so I don’t know I don’t know a Thursday’s gonna be looking like but we are here to talk about black Greek life we’ve got a huge surprise for you coming up near the end
Of the show so please stay tuned stay with us we’re going to be talking about black Greek life so we’re going to start off with some introductions my line name was miss melody that’s why I was singing for you and so everybody’s gonna tell you which organization they represent
Where they pledge of course I pledged at em you fight after storm in college shouts out to everybody out there from Spelman and Morehouse and we’re going to start we’ll start with you TV show Providence citywide chapter of Brown University and your line name girl what
Is your name hello I am Dana’s line so sir from sweet Moon Pie 98 we just celebrated 20 years I know you didn’t ask for all that but we did though we did we did we’ll just keep it moving number 27 I be on the street and I am
Excited to be here Samantha thank you Thank You Tiffany I’m Tiffany McQueen Lewis and we just celebrated 20 years as well I’m spring 98 Sigma chapter Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated Clark Atlanta University my line name was good douchey so that means get good evening podcast land my name is
Jason Keene I’m a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity incorporated as I lambda chapter spring 2015 that’s here in Chicago Illinois and oh six all the good brothers out there all right all right Leslie good evening my name is Leslie Davis and I am a proud member of Delta
Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated I plays at Delta chapter that’s right Delta chapter at the University of Iowa fall 89 so I’ll be 30 years and the sorority soon DST line the untouchables was our ship and I was per se all right Sydney good evening Sydney gala day Sigma Gamma Rho sorority incorporated
I was thinking steward at the time and I pledged in spring of 1995 and I was the deuce on my line I’m a life member in 23 years will be a ruby member in July Sidney sang that song did she she’s saying that song University of Illinois
Dental check all right check hello out there up dealership Davis problem broke Omega sine Phi fraternity pledge and Sigma Omega chapter here in Chicago Illinois spring 92 to Nations Tim was our line name and I was the eighth dog mystical Cupid hey Joe Cornelius was good everyone that’s Mustaine of salmon
A miss Cornelia is more remember biota Phi Theta fraternity incorporated from be untouchable epsilon chapter I pledge follow 99 I am the captain anchor eruption all right all right Lynn Lynn Watkins ASEAN be pledged fall of 1993 and epsilon Z which is your it was constant Madison shout-out to my
Patrick’s and my line name was Miss break it down break it down it’s gonna be on the sequel Danielle my name is Danielle McCain I am also vena and Terry’s line sister spring 98 Spelman College and my line name is Sweet Pea and not so on a bad day
Jeff hi my name is Charles seob I’m a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity incorporated I pledged in the fall of 1992 at Lewis University shout out to all of those Lewis University fliers out there what else I like captain one brand of 1992 the best
Year my line name of course I have a laid-back guy at comatose stay tuned alright Jamil hello my name is Jamila seven’s I’m a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity incorporated spring 19 I went big on lambda chapter which is the chapter and I got to see told by my name
Is x2 can tell you no more today well alright miss Ashley my name is Ashley weathers I follow fire design work on chapter 8 Elon University my cross with the ionic order my line name was Demeter and anything else I think you’re good c5 Mysore’s alright alright
Right I’m ray cell a member of Omega side v eternity incorporated planet beta chapter Lincoln University B Lincoln University in Pennsylvania first HBCU what sir my name is dr. death and I cannot divulge Shannon hi my name is Shannon fuller I represent finer womanhood as a proud member I’ve seen a
Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated I pledged nu Delta chapter at University of Illinois and champagne my line name I was the deuce and my land name was deuce DJ MH dr. Jacqueline is ml all right yeah that’s uh I think if the women can sing we can sing too right Kappas love
The same so anyway Mel flowers plays cap off the side and B Bradley University in Puri Illinois I pledge and spring of 88 so I’m celebrating 30 years now with my ship ds1 all right one of six of the captain on line line captive six of diamonds lining we actually go through
Different phases so we have different names as well but my line name was mellow loop mellow new very very mellow can you tell us what you have there I see you got yes yes yes yes some problems right there is that later well this is a came so cat became right
So typically depending on what year you cross that can can be much larger right all right Michael now it’s okay okay it’s good hear me you have anything right but typically we use these to step with but obviously they have a different meaning as well back in the other four
Days of course the Kings didn’t have hooks they were straight and typically you know the brothers were in tuxedos would always have kings and time hats though but other symbolism behind it as well keeping it classy is that what the cabins are doing and in these great streets yes so
Typically known as either pretty boys or in this region you’re either a pretty boy or an animal a pretty boy or an animal or down here which what are you ma’am I’m actually now yeah just basically a line paddle this here basically represents the this one is
More of a prop but anyway shows the chapter the year I cross the name of my line my name is Wells you can see there there’s Captain mellow but also you can see dog one again that’s a totally different sure my brother over here understands that right here right kept
Out the side 19:11 so I share them with my brother over here 1911 and number one that was my position online from and getting to the end so I look at it okay all right so the pals are very familiar in the black in the black Greek life
Right we’re all very familiar with those Rick my brother so my name Rick Lockhart representing and since I’m browning out this family imma go ahead and say the one and only constitutionally bound an organization of brother and sisterhood the old a big Zenith I beta sigma but Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity incorporated
Cross n epsilon five spring 1000% all my dues clubs here we got a lot of dues clothes those gloves by my name crossing with the ship of SS clear and present danger I was because we out with the budget I crossed we crossed under an eclipse I was total blackout total blackout
Alright alright so first of all I want to shout out our sponsors for the evening we’ve got gh private wealth management there at eight hundred five five eight nine seven six nine and this show is also sponsored by the weather the weather calm and finally last but
Not least is the t-shirt King and on the phone we have the t-shirt King Chris are you there Beta lambda chapter and every graduate chapter we will be celebrating 100 years of the grant so okay we got a challenge then and I got a challenge for you guys
Later on didn’t show all right so we are about to get started but before we reveal the challenge and we talked about more about the challenge I want to just give a brief history of each organization we’re going to start in order we’re going to start in order
Perfect so the first the first organization the first the first organization is Alpha Phi Alpha and from 1906 taken that’s correct that’s correct you know it’s always good to be first But then wanted us to give just a little bit of history so it was an ice cold Tuesday summer for 1906 on the campus of Cornell University seven distinguished men we call them jewels the seven jewels founded Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity incorporated Cornell University oh six and without further ado we all right
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated was founded in 1908 at Howard University we have twenty founders known as our 20 girls all right thank you for tuning in have a good night [Laughter] just like just been hurt kappa homicide all right homicide okay so founded January fifth 1911 on the campus of
University of Indiana or IU and no doubt no doubt tennis team founders initially they were at school at Howard University as a matter of fact and of course left Howard to basically found the fraternity to be the first black fraternity founded on a predominantly white University and still
Of course the first to be founded on the campus of Indiana University the organization was founded predominantly to actually protect the brothers and sisters in that environment at the time which was very hostile racial climate in Indiana and so again the model of Kappa is fundamental achievement in every
Field of human endeavor and we continue to live by that and every element of our life thank you gonna cover everything you did make a sacrifice it was a Friday November 17 1911 on the campus of Howard University they were extenuating circumstances that was thunder it was like there was wind and
Rain stop three undergraduates with their faculty advising those three undergraduates Frank Coleman see Oscar James Coopers and Edgar Ava’s love and their faculty advisor first ever just for finding the first fraternity on a predominantly black yeah college campus Howard University and it’s the only organization founded on friendship our
Motto is friendship is essential to the soul all right all right and so you all understand that sometimes it takes a little practice going to commercial so there were 22 women who founded Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated on January 13th these ladies wanting to tuna take really
They wanted to take the look at issues related to social justice they wanted to March they wanted to get involved in a very serious way and so our serious sisters founded Delta Sigma Theta on Howard University’s campus in nineteen thirteen thirteen nineteen thirteen women’s efforts March
Whether they don’t want to be when the same okay [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Laughter] basically Phi Beta Sigma while several other organizations had a plethora founders it really only took three three studious really collegiate educated men on the campus of Howard University Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity incorporated was founded a January night 1914 by Melissa the Honorable founding brothers al Taylor Charles I brown Appel have
Moore’s thought of the organization on principles of brotherhood scholarship and service and while all of the other organizations wanted to be apart from the general community Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity incorporated wanted to be a part of the general community and in ensuring that we were being involved
With all of the actions that were going on and in our organizations but in our communities Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity still represents that motto culture for service and service for Humanity Luke I might drop what if they stop there Zeta Phi Beta Beta the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated
Gerald was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington DC on January 16th 1920 by five fabulous beautiful women who we call our five pearls we Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated and the brothers a Phi Beta Sigma fraternity incorporated are the only oh my these are my brothers Sigma Gamma Rho
Was founded on the campus of Butler University on November 12 1922 by seven school teachers our principals our sisterhood scholarship and service and that’s why our motto is greater service for your progress and last but not least we keep it simple and silly and be so Panhellenic [Applause] [Applause]
So iota Phi Theta fraternity incorporated founded in the struggle in 1963 77019 and Morgan State College which is now Morgan State University by 12 no man our motto building a tradition now rest of the hallway all right all right so the first question I have for the panel is why did you pledge
Why did you pledge okay yes Miss Nouveau SS renewed reaching every new endeavor with extreme dedication the reason behind pledged as an only child and someone was interested in education I thought it was important to join an organization that embodied the same beliefs that I had and so when I got to
The campus of the University of Illinois those women ran the yard and they were well respected and they did the most work and I’m like this is who I am and so from that point on for me like community service was very important my mother plays at Fisk University she was
Pi chapter at Fisk University she also was one of the charter members of the Meharry chapter my mom is a dentist and that one just set an example for me I remember being at her chapter meetings as a young girl running through the luncheons with my girl Cristina and I
Just knew that that was something that I wanted wanted to be it was the community service it was also giving back and you cannot underestimate the power of the networking and I think the networking as an adult in a sorority or a fraternity is unmatched which has been phenomenal
For me they just both personally and professionally anybody else so much much like you Dana I had my my mother was involved in organization but while we’re talking about the Greek organizations i’ma put it down my family was involved in the Masonic Order and the they were
Involved if my mother was involved in the Masonic Order and my mother my grandmother and my grandfather were both Masonic Masonic and Eastern Star excuse me so it was important to me to be a part of an organization that had fellowship between both a Fraternal Order and a sister organization so when
I got on campus at Southern Illinois University at Edwards bill it was important to be a part of an organization that wasn’t just do a community service but had a bit of a family networking value and for me because of that that role model that was
Sent from from from my elders in my family Phi Beta Sigma Zeta Phi Beta represent what I had been used to what I have seen and what they were doing on campus although they weren’t the largest organization like the men of Alpha Phi Alpha were at that time they were
Highest GPA they were still giving back to the community and we became the line that brought that organization back on the campus and sorry to the I PI brothers about Alpha Phi Alpha but we stole the steps of problem 2 and kept out of public lbs too but that was the
Port for me in that flash on the organization come on shade at night in these Greek streets wisely so I was introduced to Delta Sigma Theta really as a high school student one of my two of my counselors were deltas and the kind of sisterhood they had amongst each other
Was something that I thought was great and the way that they helped us all really showed a real commitment toward giving back I’m also an only child and an only grandchild so I didn’t have sisters and so when I went to the University of Iowa
I already had an idea in my mind that delta sigma theta would be the summary that i would choose but then when I got there it was abundantly clear because the deltas would run in the show and doing the most and was just a great organization and so that was when I
First got introduced to Delta and it’s been wonderful Tiffany yes I’m really fresh coming off of a trip to Dominican Republic celebrating 20 years with my 21 sores it’s 35 of us for 21 of us traveled to Punta Cana Dominican Republic and and so if I forgot why I
Pledge I was reminded over the course of this trip so really was about sisterhood and my last sister who’s a amazing journalist and in Florida you know on her post at Facebook she said we played we played we prayed we served and I think that captured it I mean we really
We had fun we prayed we had a very spiritual and lighting experience we played we had a really good time together we started we adopted an orphanage and Dominican Republic so for me it was really about coming together with other like-minded women with a common purpose around serving our
Community but really having a larger platform to serve in a in a larger way really to be able to serve more start with a greater level and have a group of women that I wouldn’t normally have necessarily come across they met and crossed paths with and now we’re the
Best of friends and we may not top all the time when we come together we we have a common sense of perk you know and it for me also is about changing the trajectory of my family history you know nobody in my family had pledged before and and I want this I
Want to change the course for my kids and so my daughter’s too but she already knows what time it is so we’ve already been talking about what she’s gonna do and I love the idea of a legacy and I want to create a different legacy for my family I buy her daughter
All the pink stuff well why did you play no I just felt that everybody kind of captured it but really when I was in high school I never really thought about what organization I’ll pledge and so I remember you know like my senior year of high school you know for instance hey
What are you gonna pleasure like really no it was what I got to the campus and I was already involved in my community service and things like that and then I started seeing the different organizations right I remember I’m which is smokers that’s what we called it back
Then right they have a different name now and so I went to the smokers and you know you come a knew exactly what you were gonna do once you went there but you still went to the other ones anyway just out of respect and so I knew you
Know what what I was going to do when I looked at this organization I looked at what they were doing not only him you and internationally and when I looked at the history of the organization which I’m sure many of you did as well that is
The thing that hit me and when you go and you see these guys and they’re 60 and 70 years old and they’re still involved every man I’m sure the women say the same thing you want to figure out what is it that yeah got you so motivated to continue this for your life
And when I studied the history I knew right and so you got him saying when we went through it back then it was all about turn back so you have to really want to do it so I knew exactly when I looked at that model I said that’s a
Benchmark that I could live my life against and that’s exactly why I pledged it’s awesome and one thing I want to say Terry you’re gonna hear to close this out but you’re never too old to pledge I saw something on social media about it
Are you too old I’m in my 40s I would something I’ve always wanted to do and for whatever reason it didn’t work out before but it but it’s never too late I think that you know graduate chapters are taking lines I don’t care if you’re
45 50 60 70 if this is what you want to do if you want to be a part of the sisterhood of the Brotherhood I encourage you to do that I encourage you to get connected with whatever chapter you’re interested in because I think it is a very life-changing experience and
The immediate sisterhood and Brotherhood is unsurpassed so think about that keep that in mind Terry why did you pledge well I think it was it was a given when I got to Spelman the new high chapter was just special to me and so you know growing up with it
Within a family that had a ton of aks I kind of I kind of knew that was the direction that I wanted to go but mute PI and it’s a my Clark Atlanta Delta sister over here as well you know Greek life one fun the cau Spellman Morehouse
Environment was a really big deal and so for me seeing and I was active in Bonner scholars I was already kind of doing the community service deal but for me all of the woman that I looked up to for aks and although they gave me a hard time in
The beginning getting to know them it allowed me to really kind of understand that they were doing the things that I wanted to do at that point so for me that sisterhood was kind of given when I got on campus that that’s what I wanted
To do but I think similar to what you’re saying we went back for 20 years we had lost touch right I mean I think it’s natural that you’re not going to necessarily keep in touch with all of your life sisters but immediately when you get back you connect and it’s like
You never lost each other you pick up right where you left off which is amazing raise your hand if you pledged on a on a black historically black college campus historically black college campus can you talk about what some of the differences are like what what your experience is like being on a
Black campus versus a predominantly white institution no but I think I think they’re different and I do think I do think being an on a produc and I was at Spelman says that historically black college I think it’s very competitive but I also think that when you are at a
Predominantly white institution my assumption is is that you come together in a different way because you’re at a predominantly white institution yep absolutely so I’m a legacy actually so in terms of why I pledged every one of my family wasn’t as she was there was no other so as you’re grooming your
Daughter I don’t have any to grow my son [Laughter] on the campus of 42,000 at the time there was one percent blacks um so that’s about four hundred and in my particular major I was an engineering major I was the only black female within the College of Engineering Wow
So it was very sobering and very lonely so I really leaned towards the black Greek life to help me survive an institution like that so we have parties every Saturday you know everyone came together we did community service projects and there’s probably only 40 groups on the entire campus TV on it so
It was very much more of a unity than trying to be competitive against each other so I didn’t really experience to you Leslie I uh I was born in Los Angeles and had a huge family lots of cousins and my father got transferred to Illinois when I was very young and my
You know from then on my whole childhood experience with PWI so my sister and I were the only two black people in the entire school and so you know I went from that from elementary school in the high school the only black people we ever saw were at church and so for me
Going to U of I and she that’s why it was really important to me to have that you know connection I had that black experience and so that was a huge part of my that was a huge part of why I decided that I wanted to pledge
Because it gave me that sense of family and in-home okay raise your hand if you pledged in college the undergrad experience and so I do think that the undergrad experience is a bit different from the Graduate experience does anybody want to comment [Laughter] You know it ranks in the top three hardest things I’ve ever done in my life outside of that carrying twins at 40 I mean I just remember being on the yard and wearing the wrong shade of a different color you know too close to paying too close to blue and so it tells
Me like Oh funny and worry about it don’t come to nothing else you’ll never be that so I just remember thinking I’ll never be adults I couldn’t get it right I always felt like I was just messing up and so I think that it was very
Competitive and it was I’m but the thing I loved about it again I’m celebrating my 20-year Delta reunion I’m celebrating my 20th legs as a senior and some celebrating my 20-year college reunion but I get to go back to the campus that I pledged that in that I graduated from
And those two really are merged and so I you know so it makes it so much it makes it so much more special because it’s about the sorority it’s about the college is about the chapter and there’s so much history we you know we’re charter with a single letter chapters in
A sigma chapter the oldest chapter in the southern region so I’m not going all that about how amazing Sigma chapter is but we were amazing so I think it was um it made it really special not just about the sorority but also about the college right and about the the line you know
And I’m not saying you know Pledge new grad chapter you don’t have a bond with your line but I will say that we had a bond and class you know obviously we just celebrated our 20-year 21 of us out of 35 20 years later I think that’s a good sign
That we can do we stay connected over the years right yes the undergraduate experience for me was was a great one I would never trade it for anything you have the opportunity to to I guess be a role model for other people when you play an undergrad because you’re held accountable by your
Chapter brothers be held accountable by everyone on the campus to see how you how you can carry yourself in public how you can carry yourself dealing with your studies cubes with no for partying we held the highest GPA of our Greek letter organizations on the yard we won the end
Of ACP image award I mean but we handled business but you were held accountable for when they messed up my two older brothers in your chapter because you don’t want you to chapter to get snacks so it’s a it’s a big difference when you’re undergraduate you can’t just walk
Away from your responsibilities and your you know both basically to be there and and participate in all the activities yeah okay alright beyond all the serious stuff yeah right start there alright the other thing the other thing you’ve got to be honest about so for instance that
Process or the fact of pledging or whatever it may be your process right so they become closer to you than your own family many of us will say that next the fact that you have this room together like this when you have that undergraduate experience this is something that you get when you
Have all these organizations together they’re your friends their friends are the cues their alphas you know Sigma but but but also this this is what’s unique about the undergraduate experience right then you have other eternities you know that are your friends and by the way when you talk about you know the
Excellence that was everyone right there that was expected of all of us that’s the shear thing we all have especially when you look at the history and that’s the other beautiful thing depending on your campus right so that’s what really makes that undergraduate experience so unique yeah and that’s one of the things
That’s required with respect to sorority and fraternity pledging for black Greeks is that you have to maintain a certain GPA a certain academic standard to even be eligible to pledge there’s a lot of differences when it comes to sororities and fraternities with with black Greeks and white creeks does anybody want to
Talk about what some of the differences are perhaps in their own undergraduate experience or just in general I pledged PWI and what was interesting for me was the the wow factor that the predominantly white Greek organizations had with the NPHC and so there was a lot of crossing
Over meaning we program together we did community service together and so we we were in a very for the state but the difference is that they didn’t understand that this was a lifetime decision right and so for us we talked about our future in our when we
Would do after school and they all focus on how they could be impactful in school and so that was a very big difference between the phd IFC organizations and the NPA for us I think that’s one of the biggest differences between black Greek lights and a white Greek life is that
The black Greek life is a is a lifetime commitment so when people are in their collegiate experience or even in their graduate experience they’re signing up for a lifetime of service and everything else that that being Greek represents whereas I think the focus more so in some of the white Greek sororities and
Fraternities is much more focused on those four years many Russians for white sororities and fraternities tend to be in that freshman year for that very reason because they want to maximize the four years while you are in the collegiate experience whereas with black Greek life many many sororities in
Chapters sororities and fraternities and chapters won’t let you pledge as freshmen they need you to figure out your life first then you can become eligible because you demonstrated academic excellence and achievement exactly they see you you see them and they they understand who you are when it
Comes to your your pledging and your life your lifetime commitment unless you’re exceptional so let’s talk about hazing just kidding next question I want to talk about what it means to be married to another group and we’ve got we’ve got two couples four people here who happen
To be married to somebody and I think there’s some people here who are married to greats but they’re not in the building but what I want to talk about what it’s like to be married to a Greek so I want to hear first about what it means to have Coleman love in these
Greek streets well that’s what we have what what is that can you explain that [Applause] one of our founders was Eddie Brown Coleman who was married to and that’s what who was married to me Frank : Frank : and so that’s when you hear hear Coleman love that’s because there was a real
Love connection maybe not constitutional so actually my beloved in college we were in graduate school and really it was because of a Delta potluck that he came to looking for me looking yeah he knew he had heard about me we have some we have common friends and they said
She’s a delta he came to the potluck and he found me he found you know stomping and from there it the rest is history I mean we we were in school together and that just what blossom and grew the one thing I would say about being married to
Somebody who is a part of another big organization is that you understand the connection that they have with their organizations and what they are willing to do for their sores or for their bras and so even though sometimes it might be late and I might be like uh where are
You I’m with the brother out there be an excellent green work system if if one of my sorors calls in the middle at night and says come there’s no questions asked this is an understanding that that means something and so you know my you know that’s what I think makes it special
Because there’s an understanding that we both have that not that the organization comes before our marriage or our family but that those people and those people are close to us are a part of it and so we do for them what we would do for our brothers and sisters all right
Another thing is that we have kind of a friendly competition so when we were on a yard together as grad students all right it’s the queues haven’t stepped in the steps show for a number of years so I heard on the phone top of one hour so
overheard us say you don’t know make a single step and I’m telling you we put a hop show together in a week and won the competition that’s a friendly rivalry that we have you know even though she plays before me you know I always tell them how was life memorable
For you so there’s that give-and-take that understanding and you know the kids our kids really watch watch our Greek life together so that best question I think kids are always watching it’s so cute to see the kids seeing what we do seeing how we play seeing all of our
Naeli and all that stuff and trying to emulate that yeah so just very but not to be outdone but Coleman we actually met through pan Hale I was a panel president for the Alumni chapter here in Chicago and mr. Charles here would sit in the back of my meetings making fun of
Me while trying to preside over the meeting so I would say the thing that helps us is that we were bound by service to our communities and we lived that through our lives now Charles is heavily involved with his Sigma beta which is a mentoring group through Phi
Beta Sigma we’re both like members of our organization both still financial both very active so similar to where Leslie was saying when the call comes it’s not like where are you going but we understand that but we also have it instilled that in our sons that as
Part of being a black man you have to give back to our communities so yes yes Sigma babies will be just real brief I was just our youth affiliate mentoring program so myself as well as quite a bit of other brothers from our chapter we get together every month and
Mentor our young youth because of support for us to give back to our community and more importantly to help others right to go beyond where we’re at because that’s really important to us right yeah so that’s that’s just our mentoring as far as like you know what
Can I say it’s all about you don’t I love this woman started out as a friendship and the North blossom for camp so these are my favorite couples right here is Mary to greet everybody all the people are married to Greeks too so there’s there’s plenty of Greek lattice if you want to
Play this a great way to meet someone at least Greek Street I’m reflecting on when you pledge versus where you are at now what is the experience like for you like in hindsight do you regret your decision but but but what are some of your thoughts about you know reflective
Of your of your pledging experience say one thing before we get in trouble because somebody might break it down comes from all right break it down break it down so for those that I think all of our organizations don’t do pledging anymore it may be a process so for those
That are you know try to be proper we don’t want to keep saying that we’re pledging and in it in the city waits hazing other things we know what’s that mean [Laughter] anybody wanna talk about you know what I’ll say this but I’ll say this is going
Back I’m sure that anybody else if you were part of an organization that has a dynamic intake process it was as I said it was a difficult time period right it was it was some hardship probably one of the top three hardest things ever done
In fact you know ten weeks of an intake process a little long but I will say that okay right I was you know 2,000 but I will say that and I’m sure I agree with most would agree with me here it’s it’s a decision that I don’t regret I
Don’t know about to do it over again but that I did it and there’s there’s something refutable about that these these are these are all great organizations to be a part of it that that built character that held stamina that built relationships and it’s something that all of us in our
Community especially our organizations were founded needed to to represent what we represent in our communities I would not have I would not change my decision ever to have had the process of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated and be a member and my chapter nu PI and we got together thinking about and reflecting
On our twenty years and everything that we went through on campus and just our struggles and our good times and our bad times they all made us into who we are today and I value that so much and just thinking through you know everything that we went through as well as who we
Are now you know I wouldn’t take it back I think that it just built us and now we have so much to think about and share and reflect Berlin and appreciate and 20 years just kind of brought it all back again absolutely pretty nice yeah for the campus of Southern Illinois University
At Carbondale but wouldn’t I change it you know I look as I always look back on my time there and the things that those brothers are still to me because I took a lot of things from those men around there a lot of them were older than me
So you know a lot of times when always about partying it was always by hey let me get a word advice let me give you some understanding you know better you help better you as a man which a lot of those things need stick with me and also
Moving forward and also what was it that made me say you know what I want to continue work for my organization so after you know undergraduate can grant so that’s you know when I’m here to persist and said you know what hey I want to go ahead and make my
Organization the best organization that has an only way to do that is to get active in to being involved jemelle so no I would not change my decision or doing anything different but it’s just that you have a network of men who will always go back to you no matter
What it is and I just remember when I express my interest this guy gave me circumstances so the people he wanted in you basically sit down I want someone that’s will get up at 3 o’clock in the morning who’s in a comfortable situation to come get me if I call fell and for
What 19 years now I’ve had that network of people that I can make that call and those are all the things that we value these people are like most people said today they become closer to your family they’ll call you just to see what’s going on like I heard from you in a
While I was going on you say I’m trying to move to here or can you the only job I got and those are the things that you can’t get anywhere else I think real one one I know we’ve got a lot of times but we have a lie sister whose father was
Diagnosed with stage four cancer and she called me this week and well she called me how was able to happens to my network from Northwestern from Kellogg right so I was able to call the director of we rush because of the connection that I have with him through something else so
In addition to the fact that you’ve got your line sisters and you’ve got your network they’re able to tap into your network that is outside of that organization and I think that’s what makes it beautiful for all of us here because we’re all connected that’s absolutely right I think the network is unparalleled
So it’s never too late for you to play Chris are you there Chris okay so we’ve got a big announcement I hope everybody has shared the show because I think the show is very important and this is the biggest part of the night what we’re sharing tonight Chris do you want to
Talk about the homecoming challenge coming challenges it started with the spirit of homecoming walk back to your colleagues the warmth they see you and at this point being the old and old campus walking around to this one wouldn’t it be wonderful if that was actually the current suit giving them
Something giving them some cash money like those down to their lines we do whatever and share that idea with Anna of course she took the astronomical level and including no sharing of business or sharing your network and that allows the Alumni to get a direct connection with our students so since
Own come in a flash your last ball on story like homecoming knowledge calm and we like to did it everyone HBCU or not you know when you go back to your campus you know reach out to the frozen your test or a reach out of control age you
See you were going back to your freshman or related form did you stand with this major but when you go back to your campus don’t make those things you were involved with disgruntled jewels or some cash all those kids and those students that are that are going well we went
Through a week Plato’s apology www homecoming challenge calm that’s the project that Chris and I working on that part of our that’s our big reveal our homecoming show which was in October and that was one of the big that was the biggest show on data being Dana we reached so many students that
Over at homecoming Jason and Terry both participated in the homecoming challenge at their schools and you just want to briefly just briefly just tell us you know what that experience was like for you the homecoming challenge experience was really transformative for me I was able to go on campus to William
Jefferson White Hall my freshman dorm and although my dorm my dorm room is not there anymore I was able to interact with a young brother and I was able actually to bring my son and he was able to see me giving back to the students on campus and hopefully one
Day when he attends Morehouse College they’ll be able to do the same and it was by far the most liked posts that I’ve ever had on Facebook more than pictures of my kids so people apparently like the homecoming challenge more than my kids it was a really great experience
And I’m looking forward to doing it every time I go back down to Morehouse and I think that this is so important so please share the show the website www.chesterlaw.com to you when you go back to school when you go back to campus whether it’s homecoming graduation you’re just visiting you’re
Taking your kids you’re picking up your kids you’re rolling through take the homecoming challenge swing by your freshmen dorm I don’t care if your dorm is a library now it’s a parking lot somebody’s not there anymore it’s any student at your school drop some now let’s drop some wisdom
Campus hunger is a thing there are food pantries popping up on undergraduate campuses because students are not able to make ends meet and when they’re when they’re having food insecurity when is it happening it’s during finals time because they’re running out of money before the semester is over you can make
A huge difference in someone’s life please share this show please register on the site this is not this is the first of several shows we’re going to be doing our data being data to address my online campus hunger but mentoring relationships and all of those things so I just want
To thank my friends I just appreciate you all showing up for me showing up for Chris showing up for this show showing up for your sorority or fraternity but being a part of this being a part of this movement I think it’s just so important and what what people don’t
Realize is that we laughing with joke and we we clown each other and things like that but at end of the day we’re all one we are all one one people when the police pull us over they got asking and not asking but it pays to get out to
Come and so at the end of the day like it’s it’s that networking that is so so important so I just want to thank each and every one of you because y’all been riding with me I sent a message about this months ago and I have been on it
And I have been on y’all and I just appreciate you all for just being my friends showing up for representing because I think this movement is so important I think we’re going to help so many students and I just look forward to all that is to come with the homecoming
Challenge thank you Chris so much for being there fantastic I’m so excited and I just want to thank you all for tuning in thank you all so much for tuning in thank you for sharing the show next week on data being Dana we are talking about lupus mumait is Lupus Awareness Month
And we’re going to bring a lot of awareness to lupus so we’re going to be talking about that so thank you all so much for tuning in god bless you [Applause]
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