It was more than 15 years ago when I reached out to an attorney—Mr. Tarver—who worked for Federal Bureau of Prisons’ main office in Washington, D.C. I had met him while I worked there as an intern in the BOP’s Office of Research. This time around, I had a request; I needed another sponsor for my membership application to Alpha Phi Alpha. I had chosen two personal ones already—my brother-in-law and my eldest sister’s best friend from college, who was like a big brother to me. Mr. Tarver would serve, I hoped, as a professional reference. When I asked, he agreed, but he required that I always remain financially and physically active in Alpha in order to receive the reference. In his words, Alpha needed bodies; it needed men to do the work of the Fraternity. I told Mr., now Brother, Tarver that I would do just that. In the many years that have passed since that time, I have kept that promise, becoming a Life Member, consistently remaining active in alumni chapters as I have moved from this to that state. I now serve as a national committee chair and regional committee co-chair for the Fraternity.
While I have remained active in Alpha, many brothers have not; and this is a persistent issue across black Greek-letter organizations (“BGLOs”). Not only does membership inactivity impact BGLOs’ with regard to hands to complete the labor, but it also effects BGLOs’ bottom-line. Many, if not all, of these organizations are 501(C)(7)—tax-exempt—organizations under the Internal Revenue Code, and as such, the vast majority of their operating funds must come from membership. This results from membership dues and/or initiation fees. Consequently, the fewer financially-active members these organizations have, the more individuals they must initiate, and this could create some quality-control issues for BGLOs. In thinking about dollars and cents, consider the net assets or fund balances from 2011 and 2010 for each of the 9, major BGLOs [all publicly accessible]: Alpha Phi Alpha ($6,809,028/$7,258,956); Alpha Kappa Alpha ($24,384,894/$23,654,672); Kappa Alpha Psi ($5,817,499/$5,148,046); Omega Psi Phi ($2,624,479/$2,575,365); Delta Sigma Theta ($19,188,109/$19,555,631); Phi Beta Sigma ($1,835,670/$1,766,064); Zeta Phi Beta ($1,008,703/$1,091,217); Sigma Gamma Rho ($2,559,860/$1,817,088); and Iota Phi Theta ($300,857/$308,047). For most of these organizations, these end-of-the-year balances are relatively small.
One of the great challenges with regard to reclamation—i.e., getting members to reactivate, financially—within BGLOs is that leadership view the issue from their beliefs, unhinged from data, and in isolation from broader issues within the organizations. For example, there is a considerable body of scholarly literature on why members commit or fail to commit to organizations. Organizational behavior (“OB”) scholars tend to do this type of research. A couple of months ago, when I surveyed about 20-30 BGLO members who are OB professors and asked them if their organization leadership had ever solicited their expert advice, to a person the answer was “no.” Not only do BGLOs fail to capitalize on the extant research on organizational commitment, they also fail to utilize their own intellectual capital—the expertise and ideas of organization members—that could address a problem like reclamation.
Moreover, BGLOs’ approach to reclamation is too-often one of insisting that inactive members reactivate with little regard for why they are inactive in the first place. Part of the reason why surveying inactive members is often ignored as a first step is because BGLOs don’t want the critiques. They don’t want to hear about what’s wrong with the organizations, because they don’t want to address deeply-imbedded issues within BGLOs. For example, say individuals are inactive because of the poor academic performance of undergrad chapters, which undermines the ideal of scholarship on which BGLOs stand. BGLOs would then have to raise academic standards or institute some program and allocate resources to aggressively assist undergrads to academically achieve. Say individuals are inactive because of issues surrounding non-heterosexual (especially within fraternities) members. BGLOs would then have to discuss, analyze, and try to resolve matters which they don’t want to entertain at this point. Say individuals are inactive because they view BGLOs as anti-Christian. BGLOs would then have to discuss and maybe come to terms with the actual role that faith and religion should play within their respective organizations. Say individuals are inactive because they view their fraternity or sorority as not meaningfully committed to community service, philanthropy, civic activism, and shaping public policy. As such, they spend their time engaged with organizations like 100 Black Men, The Links, The Junior League, and the NAACP. BGLOs would then have to become more meaningfully engaged in these areas. And say individuals are inactive because of the rash of court cases involving embezzlement of organization funds on the part of BGLO national leaders. BGLOs would have to become more transparent and better stewards of members’ hard-earned dues. These examples don’t even begin to scratch the surface of the long and ineffective chapter meetings, petty-politics, conventions of limited value, and the like. It is easier to say that a member has not lived up to his or her oath than it is to figure out why members are inactive and seek to fix those things.
Moreover, reclamation ignores a crucial issues; that is retention. I suspect that about 70% of BGLO members, within 5 years of initiation, are no longer, financially active. Spending time getting 5, 10, 15% of inactive members to reactivate fails to address why the other 30% may not remain active and why those who reactivate may not stay for long. People have finite resources with regard to time, money, energy, and the like. While BGLOs may think that members should invest no matter what in their organization of initiation, giving those members a reason to stay engaged is a better bet.
Even more, a central issue is who and how members are brought into BGLOs. I am not a fan of aggressively recruiting members, at least to my Fraternity. But I will say that the ultimate recruitment tool, I think, is mentoring African American youth, inculcating them with the values we say we extol as BGLO members, getting them into college, and helping them fund their educations. Moreover, we must be engaged in addressing the structural inequalities that hold them back as well as the laws and policies that do the same. For example, this past year two cases went before the US Supreme Court that impact the black community in monumental ways—one on the Voting Rights Act and one on affirmative action. There is no excuse why no BGLO wrote an amicus brief in these cases. That aside, once these young men and women make it to college with the skills to succeed, what are the chances that they will want to join our organizations and continue the legacy of lifting as they climb?
Finally, BGLOs seem to largely ignore the fact that the juncture at which they could most likely ensure organizational commitment is during MIP. The selection and initiation process should be designed to enhance the likelihood of (1) getting high-quality members who (2) will remain financially and physically active in their respective organization for life. Unfortunately, I think we are light years from such an approach.
Great blog! Thanks brother Parks.
Amen!
Good article. You should note that the majority of members who join the fraternity as alumni members remain active, while undergraduates become inactive a high rate. I don’t understand why NPHC should disband except that it is a superficial organization without purpose or effective organization.
This is an excellent, accurate, and thought provoking article.
Well written Bro Parks. I think we’d learn a great deal if we’d survey financially inactive bruhs to find out why they’ve fallen away from the Brotherhood. In addition, we could do more to find creative ways to create somewhat of an open door policy for financially inactive Brothers to still feel connect. Perhaps by openly promoting service opportunities, hosting “general” Brotherhood type events that are open to bruhs, regardless of financial standing, may help to get some to come back.
I think that old saying is appropriate, “people want to know you care, before they care about what you know.” Let’s show we really are our Brother’s keeper and not worry, initially, so much about hounding them to get financially active.
I really enjoyed the Blog. You did not mention the fact that the BGLOs
claim to be sisters and brothers but does not speak to you outside of meeting. The same people hold offices. The same people heads all committees and the sisters and brothers are not brotherly or sisterly at all.
how can you retain true sisters when fake sisters are all about?
Thank you for always having thought provoking dialogue and for maintaining a forum for discussion.
There appears to be a gender disparity as well, as evidenced by the financial data cited from 2011/2012.
As I see it, the issue at its roots is two-fold. First, unfortunately once a person or a group has “arrived”, often the incentive to fight or sacrifice for the greater good is minimized. For example, legislation involving the Voting Act and Affirmative Action was likely not a priority for our BGLOs and other civic organizations because on the surface it appears we have already “overcome”. I was just having a conversation with a family member who is 70 years old on yesterday. She expressed her disgust at how the younger generation of Blacks take for granted the opportunities they have and how they don’t have a clue of the cost it took from others years before. Secondly, while our academic education has increased significantly, our ignorance has too. The mindset appears to be a more self centered agenda for progress than one for the greater good. Our continued progress impacts our society as well. I could say more but I won’t. Thank you for your voice and your food for thought.
Well said!
Great points to consider. Perhaps these thoughts can be given to NPHC since they are common across all organizations.
Thanks again Brother Parks for your research.
Excellent post! Have been discussing this recently and how to best approach reclamation, while not losing focus on retention within our Chapter.
Bro. Parks,
This is something I have debated with brothers about for years, and after recently getting financially active, I have to say, it is something that still resonates with me.
First, the manner in which a lot of people go about reclamation is flawed. “You took an oath when you joined the frat….” is NOT a valid argument. For people like myself, I was 18 when I joined the frat. Back then, I didn’t have bills, didn’t have a job, didn’t have children, didn’t have 1/10 of the responsibilities that I have now at the age of 45.
That argument is not based in reality. And it doesn’t take into account the current situation of many people who would like to get financial, but just can’t make it work. Instead of trying to make those people come back into the fold through guilt, a different approach needs to be used. One that takes into account that especially in the type of economy that we have now, it takes a lot for someone to dedicate those types of funds.
Additionally, there are perception problems with the organization that need to be addressed. The “just say no” attitude regarding how we bring in new members turns off A LOT of people. Not that the changes didn’t need to be made, but there has been a serious lack of clarity in truly explaining to people how and why the changes have been made.
Recently, I went to an “Alpha Awareness Seminar,” and in looking at how things were scripted, I was truly disappointed. The brothers in question followed the “approved script” which contained about 25 minutes talking about how “there is no more hazing”, etc., etc., but there was no mention of the current programs of the frat, the things to entice people to want to join. I know when I was trying to pledge, I left my smoker excited about the prospect of becoming an Alpha. I can’t see how anyone could have been excited, especially a college student, after sitting through that “seminar.”
So while I understand that the after effects of hazing have been a scourge on our organizations and has the potential to destroy us, focusing so much on that is slightly misguided. Because when talking about reclamation, we need to entice brothers to come back and beating them over the head with talk of non-hazing, when a lot of people who might be reclaimed aren’t particularly interested in that, serves to act as a turn off.
Furthermore, going back to the financial aspect, our organizations need to understand and respond to the fact that being financial is an investment. We are not only being asked to invest our time and energy, but our money as well. While the Espirit de Fraternitie is great in theory, in actuality it is a false notion. Alpha needs to show what it can do for its members, and why it is worth making the multiple investments. And not just Alpha, but all of our organizations. We need to do more to offer our members support services, especially for those who are unemployed and under-employed, ways to show that the organization is there for them and can and will help them. Quite frankly, I don’t see that happening.
I could go on, but I am going to stop here. But I will say, if the BGLO’s really want to do better in terms of bringing in new members and bringing back existing members, a fundamental change needs to happen to bring back those individuals who are truly able and capable of benefiting our organizations.
As you mentioned in your blog, a central issue is quality vs. quantity. Perhaps, BGLO’s would be wise to spend 4-6 years focused only on the issues you raised in your post as well as other issues that are internal to these organizations.
One concern, I have is in regards to the organizational structure of BGLO’s. I think that many prospective members and new members only see the BGLO’s through the chapters that they know and don’t have a view of the national/international organization. Although each BGLO has a national/international organization, in general BGLO’s tend to operate more as a collection of individual chapters rather than a cohesive national organization, at least in my opinion. The product of this is that the chapter, not necessarily the general organization, plays a decisive role in the relationship between individual members and the organization.
Thanks brother Parks for this blog entry. As I think about why I became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, I have to agree with you and say that it was because of the examples of African American Alpha men investing their time, talent and skills in me as a young boy growing up in poverty on the South Side of Chicago. They cared more about my education, the community and the conditions we were living in as opposed to membership. They were visible and committed to changing the community one boy at a time. I wanted to become part of that solution and be a champion for good. I’m not a life member from a fraternity perspective at this time. But I am a member for life; active in all aspects of the fraternity. If my behavior and the effort I put forth in the community to effect positive change doesn’t inspire a brother to recommit to the organization, then nothing I say to him will cause them to recommit.
Bro. Parks,
I think your comments are spot on! Another disincentive to reactivation is the real (or perceived) fiscal irresponsibility of local, regional and the national organizations. The recent misadventures of the national leadership within a BGLO that shall remain nameless, certainly cooled the reclaimation efforts of several chapters. One of the professional organizations in which I hold leadership positions constantly seeks ways to be “indispensable to our membership”. They also engage organization professionals to monitor and provide feedback to the leadership on trends and innovations to maintain indispensability. This culture is maintained only with servant leadership, invested in leaving the organization stronger at the end of their tenure than what it was at the start.
A great read. My biggest furstrations centers around the meetings. It seems like a meeting doesn’t go by that there isn’t a heated conversation or argument about some issue. I realize that there will not always be 100% agreement, but give me a break. As a member of Alpha Phi Alpha since 1985, I find myself at times ready to throw in the towel. I’m sure that there are many older Brothers who feel the same way. But at end of the day I love my Fraternity.
Kudos!!! You hit the nail on the head!
Dr. Parks I would go on to add that some members don’t deactivate and drop out because they are disappointed in the hazing and clicks that form after you become a member. It’s almost worst than when a person is online.
Excellent post.
Great conversation starter…I offer that financial reasons are the major reasons for inactivity. In our 20s, we are getting established in a career, repaying student loans, paying rent, etc. In our 30s, we are focused on raising a family. In our 40s, it’s college tuition. The dust begins to settle in our 40s. I noticed that re-activation ticks up in our 40s and certainly in our 50s. It is costly to remain active and other more pressing life issues take precedent.
As a former BOD member of one of the nine listed I can really appreciate what you wrote here
Excellent article, Mr. Park. Having earned a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Management and having retired from a decades long career in corporate America, I agree wholeheartedly that reclamation, recruitment and retention are critical issues to the future survival of BGLO’s in the 21st and beyond. Further, I believe that reclamation and retention are related issues. As a member of a BGL sorority, yet without extensive research, I believe that sorors will more likely be retained and not require reactivation if they indeed feel valued and included (vs. excluded) which makes their investment of time, energy and financial resources worthwhile. Additionally, reclamation, recruitment and retention are all three impacted by the competition for member involvement from other professional and civic organization. Some do not want to be limited to the Black experience as it relates to community service, though our community sorely needs our organizations input and direction in these turbulent times. Yet, multi-cultural fraternities and sororities that embrace all ethnicities are a real threat to our recruitment as they offer the appearance of one’s ability to maximize relationships with all people groups, which is important to many professionals today. Lastly and in terms of sorority reclamation and retention, it is no easy task for a professional woman to balance the demands of a demanding career, partnering in marriage, childbearing/child rearing, religious, other civic and family relationships as well as to remain financially and physically active with any other organization every season of every year of her adult life. I believe that this is an unrealistic expectation. Sororities would do well to embrace this reality and accommodate all sorors who at different stages of their lives are able to offer different levels of involvement with both their national and local chapters of the sorority of initiation. Our membership is life-long and not merely an undergraduate experience as are many sororities of the majority population. Life-long sisterhood and membership are a given. And, welcoming sorors who should all be viewed as “high quality” members should be the norm. Perhaps the fact as your blog suggests some are not is part of the reclamation/retention dilemma.
I thoroughly enjoy reading your blogs Brother. I would love to see the fraternity initiate conversations based on some of the potential issues you have highlighted. In September it was time to pay my national dues because my undergraduate membership was about to expire; so I did just that. I sent a message out to our chapter GroupMe, which has alumni and college brothers, and reminded everyone to remain active. Several inactive brothers chose not to respond, and one of my line brothers decided to get quite defensive and hostile as to why he couldn’t be active. He used every excuse he could find from “well I have a son, and that’s expensive” to “being inactive doesn’t make me less of an Alpha”. Yet he and another Brother carried on a conversation about who was “the realest, roughest, toughest, best Alphaman”. I don’t have children so I don’t know how hard it is to remain active and be a parent. But I do know that the test of a man is the fight he makes. In today’s superficial “All About Me-Generation” of D9, many members aren’t even making efforts to be an active member. Those who join as undergrads tend to hold on to that experience for years and years and aren’t able to move on. “I got my letters! That’s all that matter” is what I hear across the NPHC, fraternities and sororities alike. We fail to realize that there is still work to be done and our fraternal commitment is a lifelong process of continual growth.
I don’t understand. I agreed to uphold the duties and responsibilities that came with the title. We all did. In my two years as chapter president at my undergrad institution I saw things that left me in complete shock and awe. Brothers will race to buy the new Jordans and cash out for tattoos but make excuses as to why they don’t have a simple white dress shirt to wear to a chapter event which calls for Alpha Attire. My own line brothers want to come back for homecoming, be kept in the loop of intake, stroll, and declare their love for the fraternity and will make no efforts to get financially and physically active. The idea is a nasty taste in their mouth that encourages a facial cringe, eye roll, or smacking of lips to display their discomfort. I don’t even know how to convey the message they were supposed to understand during MIP anymore. I feel like my continual emails, texts, and hints of making legitimate steps to being active has tarnished how my chapter brothers view me.
This is a very great piece, and I’m about to email the link out to those very same brothers. Thank you sir.
In all due respect, totally linear-thinking tying budgets into members who does and do not pay dues or subscription fee. No non-profit organization can thrive off subscription fees/dues alone and probably should not make up the majority of the revenue generated to sustain operations.
There has to be other ways to generate revenue – this appears to be the likely culprit, not scapegoating dues. This argument appears similar to many churches that turn against their congregation for dues because they failed to find other ways to generate revenue to sustain their place of worship.
Bro. Parks, excellent commentary on a very complex topic. In sharing a few thoughts, I will refer to Alpha as this is my experience, but believe that the points will apply to all BGLO’s to some extent or another. First, I believe the answer to reclamation lies within our recruitment processes. Like it or love it, Alpha is, as are all BGLO’s, an elitist organization. As such, for those who contend that Alpha needs to justify its investment value, I counter that they missed a critical point when requesting membership into the Frat. Alpha is not, nor was it ever intended to be, for everyone. Rather, the Jewels envisioned membership only for a certain caliber of men. The very notion that an “Alpha” would ever be on academic probation and/or need academic assistance is a paradox if I’ve ever heard one.
Second, Alpha was not designed for those lacking career aspirations and/or motivations for financing membership. This does not mean that every Alpha would always remain financial. However, it does mean that every Alpha would always remain internally motivated to remove whatever barriers interfered with his good financial standing until such was gone. We would not need surveys to determine why those who could afford the Frat opted not to remain financial nor would we ever be in direct competition with other organizations that have membership dues. In this sense, Espirite de Fraternite is on point as it notes that an Alphas attitude is always one of giving to the Fraternity and never one of inquiring what the Fraternity has to offer. For those looking for or needing Alpha to give them something, I argue that Alpha is not the right Fraternity for them.
Finally, I believe that the model that results in minimizing the need for reclamation on the college level should be considered at the Alumni level. That is, College Brothers are required to pay their national membership dues for the balance of their college experience at the moment of intake and college chapters often set their local dues at a level that respects the shared demographics of their status. Similarly, if Alumni Brothers were required to join the Fraternity at the Life Membership level, their desired Alumni Chapter would then be better positioned to survey whether the aspirant will make a good fit with the local program.
In comparing the first fifty years of Alpha to the second fifty-seven, I believe that what becomes apparent is that the Fraternity didn’t change, the Brothers did. If not already obvious, I am with those who believe in the idealistic notion that explaining why an Alpha needs to remain active, financially and physically, is like trying to convince a dead beat dad why his full participation in the development and progress of his family is a must. Alpha is not for everyone. If aspirants did more introspection before requesting membership and if chapters did more inspection (not necessarily pledging/hazing) before selecting, the need for aggressive reclamation or retention efforts may reduce.
07BT96, Epsilon Lambda
Excellent article addressing relevant issues. I will extract a few of them that I recently had some personal experience with, with the hope that it will contribute to your work.
For context, I am an active, alumni member of a BGLO and my son was recently initiated into an undergraduate chapter of a BGLO. Unlike me or any of the other thirty of so BGLO members (mostly inactive) I surveyed, my son is a solid, if not exceptional, full-scholarship student. Even with a 3.5 required gpa maintenance, he confidently and courageously chose to pursue his college’s most challenging offering, Physics. He currently holds a 3.7 gpa. He is a soul brother in every way, he just has a knack for mathematics (Physics majors are notoriously stereotyped as nerds).
Recruitment:
He was heavily recruited by no less than two fraternities on his campus. They camped out in his dorm room, they lunched with him, they wanted him. We discussed it as a family and he made his decision to give it a shot, with one condition, that he not be converted from a full scholarship student to a paying student. As a BGLO member and knowing what I know, I had a discussion with the undergraduate leader of this fraternity and made it clear, “Do what you will, but he must be allowed to study because becoming a member of this or that fraternity should not cost him his scholarship.” He illusorally assured him they would take care of him and that he would be allowed to study.
Well that didn’t happen. First, his tuition-paying line brothers soon became envious. One proclamming after being pulled over by the authorities, “There goes your graduate school.” another lamenting, “You think you are better than us because you are on full scholarship.” There is more to support the envy premise, but you should get the point.
Secondly, because of these extended evening “meetings” his performance in class began to slip. His Cal III professor and mentor was shocked at his performance and assured him he was on his way to failing the class if he didn’t turn it around. This is where I instructed my son to take control of his destiny and do what he had to do to retain his academic standing and that he had my full support.
Strange dichotomy
The BGLOs say they want scholastic performance, but what they seem to want more is personas. Even carrying a light load in Physics is more than a notion. On one occasion while intaking, my son had to miss a “meeting” because he had a Calculus III exam the next morning and had to show up to another “meeting” late because he had a knowledge bowl competition. He passed the Cal III exam, but missed the “meeting.” Priorities that should have been extolled, but were severely punished. From that point on he was not invited to anymore evening “meeting,” despite inquiring about them and was not spoken to by his fellow intakers. He also participated in and won the campus’ knowledge bowl. The same knowledge bowl that one of his fellow intakers had admonished him to miss to show his loyalty to them. This reminds me of the beau who would tell his girl, “If you loved me, you would…”. No father would want his daughter to fall for this twisted logic, and I certainly didn’t want my son to fall for it because it has been my experience when you fail, that same person would say to you, “Man, if I were you, I wouldn’t have listened to me.”
The same brother that wanted him to miss the knowledge bowl competition also took Chemistry with my son. This young man dropped the course in the middle of the intake process and will pay the price next fall when he–if he–re-enrolls. The brothers openly extolled this act as a show of sacrifice for their fraternity. BS!!
Retention
Having raised my children around my fraternity, it was a shock to his system that fraternity where he sought membership, valued his non-scholarship, class-dropping, among other things, line brothers over him. Because he missed a “meeting” and made a choice to prepare for a serious exam (Cal III), he was marginalized the rest of the process and prohibited from participating in the probate. While the others went on, with their personas, to probate.
Here is the whammy. Wouldn’t you know it, come December, these same brothers (so called), had the nerve and audacity to call him and ask for his grades for their annual report. Some might ask, why didn’t they use the grades of the ones they so extolled for their sacrifice. How is it that the full scholarship kid was the one left out. This is arse backwards by every measure. My cousin lost his scholarship years ago and far too many initiates do the same in the name of these BGLOs. I was determined it wouldn’t happen to my son. While he didn’t probate, he, more importantly, to me and him, retained something arguably more valuable, his full academic scholarship. In this regard, the BGLO culture is flawed and in deep need or repair.
In an informal survey conducted by me, not one BGLO member asked could say they or anyone on their line was a full scholarship student while in undergrad. This process has led me to conclude, there is a strong possibility that BGLOs are not the campus organizations of choice for top-flight students. BGLOs should take a hard look at whether or not it is time for them to change from an organization that uses its processes to shape initiates to an organization that looks to be shaped by its initiates.
In the converse, BGLOs hold out their brother/sisterhood and networks as the prize for enduring the dated processes and sacrifices. They say, “If you endure this, you become one of us.” The embezzlement, lack of sizable treasuries and endowments, insensitive social contacts, and the seventy percent inactive, non dues paying members number suggests the processes and sacrifices may not be worth it.
Although my son was initiated (dropping him from the group of intakers would have garnered too much attention, although they tried to get him to drop himself), my son has no interest in retaining his membership despite my encouragement that his experience doesn’t speak to the whole of greekdom. What we must remember is many of these super students don’t really need us and our loose connections (a job here, a job there; a letter of recommendation here, a letter of recommendation there). In fact, we may hurt their brands. Whereas, his enthusiasm going in was impressive and he has the integrity that would have made an impact.
Also and finally, another little known fact I discovered in this process is, one possible reason for the seventy percent inactive, non-dues paying number might very well be that these undergraduate chapters behave like they consider themselves a separate fraternity within themselves and they are beholden to their u/g chapter and not the national organizations. They return to their homecomings, but never attend a regional or national fraternity meeting. After they finish on the yard, they seem to consider themselve honorary members of their u/g chapters and bemoan the graduate chapters dues structure as an impediment to grad chapter membership. When in actuality what it may be is they are not the big man in the grad chapter that they are to some frightened freshmen.
As a proud member of AKA, I want to add to this article the very real factor of parenthood. I will speak as a woman as I cannot speak for men but hope the support is similar. If not, that may be an issue that may need to be addressed.
We have to be realistic as organizations. I would never question a member’s dedication to AKA because her college years allowed her to be completely active but her married/early motherhood years do not. That’s unrealistic. I do not for any moment, wish that AKA or any BGLO would be at the top of any member’s list when it comes to ranking priorities. It may have in college but we are adults – God and Family come first.
I fully expect that our Sorors, who are mothers to young children, will be removed for a period of time. Luckily most of them long to and do, come back as soon as they possibly can. During those periods of time our single and older Sorors can and will carry the torch.
Yes, we are undergrad organizations and during those years and our later years, we can dedicate a large majority of our time and energy to our organizations, but real life happens and we want our members to be ever present during critical times to those who are most meaningful in their lives, and that is family.
As women, we know that most of our younger Sorors will, at various points in life, move out of the very active Soror-realm to the Mother-realm. To carry and give life to our next generations is a very significant role. Life is very long and the youth of our children goes by in a blink of an eye. I support our Sorors to dedicate themselves to their families at these times.
If their hearts are truly burning of AKA, then I feel confident they are serving as strong, positive beacons to their families, schools, communities, and AKA even if they cannot come to 3 hour long meetings or weekly service projects. They will come back. And when they do, AKA will welcome them back (reclaim them) with open arms.
Also Hi to my BT frat, Will, from an ET AKA’96 at XU!
While I found the article quite interesting to read I was still unable to determine why I find myself inactive locally. I am a 30 year life-time member (#5891). I have been a member of three chapters which hosted National Conferences,(San Antonio, TX 1988, Dallas, TX 1998 and Atlanta, GA. 2008). I have been a member at cities which had two National Presidents (Tuskegee, AL and Atlanta, GA). I chaired the committee to host the first MLK Birthday Celebration in Europe (1985). I am also a founding member of a chapter in San Antonio, TX. Now having said that you would think that I would still have that burning desire to serve, but that is not the case. Perhaps when I reread the article and comments I will have my answer.
Peace Out Brothers
Willie “Mac” Mc Daniel
I have seriously mixed opinions and emotions about this topic and truly appreciate your initiating the conversation. I will firstly provide my conclusion that, unfortunately, I return to the question of need/legitimacy of our beloved organizations beyond the college years. Perhaps if we cut the fat in the current operating structures, graduated members could streamline their support to scholarships and mentoring with their sole focus on supporting the undergraduate effort. Thus, allowing undergraduate members to define and drive the agenda.
I am deeply disenchanted with the top-down missives and edicts that fail to include the needs and desires of the members that support the existence of MY beloved sorority. I also agree with one posted response that suggests that our organizations should consider ways to include its members as they progress through life stages. I further despise the emotional terrorizing that I have seen both in-front and behind the scenes of these reclamation efforts. If guilt and manipulation stands as the foundation of the message, there is clear concern for not only the method but also the mission.
There are no easy answers, but this is not an excuse to ignore the questions.
What a wonderful BLOG! You raised questions that I have asked for more than 25 years. I am a member of a BGLO but joined as a graduate member. I was actively wanted as an undergrad, applied and made the “line” but chose not to pledge because I needed to graduate in 4 years total, I had twin brothers and a younger sister planning on college, and I had to be accepted into medical school. I could not have my GPA drop. I unfortunately saw that happen with far too many men and women and they never seemed to recover and their plans were forever altered. I have met and made friends with many inactivate Black Greeks. They have a skill set we as organizations need but do not access. I would welcome some of the ideas you put forth being carefully and thoughtfully looked in each of the D9. Many are not active because the organizations do not address anything of real social or political relevance and seem to major in minors. Please keep up the work and keep asking the hard questions, hopefully more of us will bring those issues to the local, regional and national levels for implementation. No path of excellence is easy, it is always filled with obstacles and pitfalls. The feeling and knowledge of succeeding is the initial reward and sets the stage for futures accomplishments.
I hope they all dissipate. They were pure trash on my campus and changed seemingly decent people for the worse. I have a relative who told me that he went through so much crazy stuff to get his letters and once he got them he was heavily disappointed. Once the strolling, jacket wearing, step shows, greek parties wear off, you’re forced to face the truth ….. which is these organizations are over-hyped, full of brainwashing, mind-consuming, irrelevant and immature. Like my relative told me, all the things the fraternity offered, he could’ve gotten or did without joining. And I wouldn’t be surprise if he still carries that shame of the emasculation process (pledging) he was coerced to allow, even his pastor was one of those who coerced him to go through the “process” (he no longer attends). But now thankfully he’s fully divorced from the greek system and is looking to help others do the same.
Greek people are a sick people obsessed with idolatry, paganism, and a perpetuating a false family system. The end, no amount of sophistry can change that fact!