Greetings Brothers,
As members of this great Fraternity we all know that since our inception in 1977 our Fraternity has experienced its shares of triumphs and turmoil. However, throughout our history our shared purpose of service to others as well as our love and dedication for the red and gold has fused us together as a brotherhood. As imperfect as this connection may be at times, it cannot outweigh the burning devotion, honor and leadership that brands the souls of Phi men throughout this Fraternity.
With the fast ending of a turbulent year of 2020, the administration is eager to confront and conquer any hurdles that may arise to impede our progress as an organization. As PhiMen / Deuces we all grasp the concept of an empowered and successful Phi Delta Psi. As men who have always met challenges head on we embrace the tenet espoused by Frederick Douglass during his West India Emancipation Speech of August 1857 “. If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” We know that a man who will not fight for himself, when he has the means of doing so, is not worth being fought for by others.
As empowered men we know that a failure to value the fundamental purpose and the core rules and regulations of the Fraternity that we have pledged breeds inevitable chaos and disunity. Unless and until as men we value our individual enfranchisement, we will never be able to protect it for others and ourselves. This will lead to a situation where as men we cannot stand on our own two legs and we find our heads always being brought against a curbstone. Brothers, I want you to know that even though my head may be bloodied at times, it remains forever unbowed. It is in this same vein that my commitment to this Fraternity remains ironclad and unshakable.
To this end I am inviting you all to share the sacrifices and reward of this great Fraternity. Over the next year, we will be surging to increase our membership number and burnish our profile on the national stage with men who are worthy to take the journey of becoming members of our sacred brotherhood; a journey that will celebrate the resilience of the black men and where manhood, honor, perseverance, leadership, achievement, and true brotherhood are celebrated. We must put all differences and past disagreements aside and retrain our focus on the greater goal of becoming an elite Fraternity as God has intended us to be. It is by His will and guidance that we shall overcome our adversities, many of which are self-inflicted, and remember what binds us together as brothers. My journey to this board has been a call from God, who himself has placed his trust in me to embrace the tenets of our code of conduct as men and elevate the status of my Fraternity.
One of the major initiatives, that we plan to continue is the invitation extended to servicemen to join our Fraternal Network. As a former serviceman with the United States Marines, I can personally attest to the strength of character and will that characterized my progression from recruit to becoming a full-fledged serviceman. Distinguished by strength of character, dedication and service to our nation, there is a rigorous psychological and physical process, and a rigid disciplinary structure each serviceman must contend with, overcome, and abide by, in order to earn the distinction of being America’s Finest. Their initiation into our great Fraternity goes a long way to provide a direct conduit between black service men and the outside world that includes outlets for higher learning and another family outside their military band of brothers.
This administration is also seeking to expand our legacy initiative. We are asking all Brothers and Sapphires/Phi Rho Epsilon associated with Phi Delta Psi to become part of this initiative to inject new members and renewed vigor into our organization by encouraging young black men you believe would be a good fit for our organization to take a closer look at Phi Delta Psi. Please send them to our National Board Website (www.PhiDeltaPsiFraternity.org) where we have compiled compelling information about Phi Delta Psi that provides an insight into our philosophy as an organization and the value we place on leadership, integrity, manhood and achievement within black men. In addition, please let us know of anyone within your immediate family and circle of friends who you believe may benefit from being a part of our organization and we will reach out to them directly. We are seeking sons, cousins, friends, sons of friends, co-workers; brothers who are currently attending college, plan on starting college in the fall, or have graduated from a 4-year college.
As a Fraternity of men who appreciate the importance of rules, this administration is also asking that our members make a concerted effort to motivate potential pledges to follow lives marked by honor, achievement, leadership and nobility. Manhood is not a skill that can be taught or a task that can be assigned. Thus our efforts to instill this concept will be a very difficult undertaking but it must be pursued throughout every phase of our pledging process. There was a significant effort undertaken to improve and streamline the pledging process so that it is consistent on a national scale. We therefore ask that all efforts to expand our membership abide by these rules so that we can focus on improve the quality of candidates and our organization as a whole, instead of exposing the Fraternity to any liability.
As Phi men we must steer our pledges past all obstacles and encourage them to fully embrace our principles of true brotherhood. If they are to be leaders of men, they must internalize the importance of service to others and taking personal responsibility for improving their surrounding community. The virtues of compassion and strength of purpose toward the community in the long run provides stability and breeds a strong man who understands that not only does he have an obligation to take care of himself, his woman and his immediate family, he is also obliged to look after his community.
This administration remains steadfast in its mission to move this Fraternity forward and to create powerful leaders of the future. We are asking you all to put your trust into the work of this administration as well as into a belief in the greatness of this organization. Your personal triumphs as members of Phi Delta Psi serve as direct testament to the positive benefits that await potential members who will be folded into our brotherhood that is marked by camaraderie and life guidance.
We look forward to working with old school and new school Brothers and Sapphires to get this process going. This administration encourages all members to check out our website and our Bigtent forum which hosts a repository of documents and materials for each member’s review. Please feel free to reach out to any member of the Board with questions that you may have.
We look forward to a productive and successful term ahead!
Fraternally Yours,
President