Why Were Black Folk Arguing Over LETTERS due to MLK's Dedication Special on BET?


Before I say anything, to my Chapter Vice President (Road Dog), Chapt Bro(Jag Grad) and any brother of Alpha on here, If what is posted below is out of line, Im sorry...but I gotta say this.



SUJagFan said:
:lol:

I've heard that gang argument too, but I don't understand it. For those of you who say black greeks are "gangs", what do you mean?

I didn't watch the show yesterday, because it was hyped as "Alpha Man". To me, MLK's impact on society went beyond his fraternal affiliation. To those that know, there were members of each organization in his inner circle who played key roles. People who without which I doubt he would have been able to have the same impact. This transcends fraternity and sorority. I just saw it as a pathetic attempt by Alpha Phi Alpha to draw attention to themselves. So, I didn't watch.
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HOLUP...

Pathetic attempt??? If any of my fraternity brothers in the BLACK AND OLD GOLD on here shared some of the FIRSTs that came from Alpha, and the things Alphamen have accomplished, you would retract that statement in a heart beat.

So for you to assume that it drew attention to us, is beyond sad. Seriously...

Trust me when I say this, we don't have to "draw attention" to ourselves, our accomplishments speak for themselves. OVER 105 years worth of accomplishmnts, firsts, accolades, etc. "And we aint nowhere near done." (Excuse the improper English)

*steps off ice box*

DISCLAIMER: This was not a subtle attempt to discred anything Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta Sigma NOR Iota Phi Theta has done or accomplished. As The Founder eluded to earlier, I have much respect for the above mentioned fraternities and appreciate what they have done as well.
 
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SUJagFan said:
:lol:

You refuse to accept that your organization is not important to anybody but you.

:lol:

That ain't BS, dude ....
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Wow.. Are you really that Ignorant or just bored today?????

Either way you sound quite Asinine dude...
 
The Founder said:
It was documentary on his fraternity for God's sake. Brother no offense but you sound like you wanted to pledge Alpha but was rejected or an Alpha took your woman....I mean really recognize the nature of the programming then adjust your television programming. It was interesting to me because maybe young men will see some positives in not just Alpha Phi Alpha but other fraternities.
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:lol:

If you only knew the truth ....

You've been away for a while. You'll soon learn not to make assumptions about me. :)
 
Some people take Greek life too seriously. Real talk. I love Omega to death but I respect all of the d9. We were all created to improve the life of black people.
 
Jax said:
Before I say anything, to my Chapter Vice President (Road Dog), Chapt Bro(Jag Grad) and any brother of Alpha on here, If what is posted below is out of line, Im sorry...but I gotta say this.






HOLUP...

Pathetic attempt??? If any of my fraternity brothers in the BLACK AND OLD GOLD on here shared some of the FIRSTs that came from Alpha, and the things Alphamen have accomplished, you would retract that statement in a heart beat.

So for you to assume that it drew attention to us, is beyond sad. Seriously...

Trust me when I say this, we don't have to "draw attention" to ourselves, our accomplishments speak for themselves. OVER 105 years worth of accomplishmnts, firsts, accolades, etc. "And we aint nowhere near done." (Excuse the improper English)

*steps off ice box*

DISCLAIMER: This was not a subtle attempt to discred anything Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta Sigma NOR Iota Phi Theta has done or accomplished. As The Founder eluded to earlier, I have much respect for the above mentioned fraternities and appreciate what they have done as well.
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Great and Tactful Post Big Bro.

Its obvious the DOCUMENTARY was only to focus on yet another humbling and important aspect of Bro. Dr. King's life. Nothing more, nothing less. Anyone stating more are just in search of attention.... Grow Up!!! Really!!!
 
I'm not an Alpha. But my father is. And when I watched that documentary with him, I could see his Alpha Phi Alpha pride gleaming from his soul. It was kinda interesting to see him like that to say the least. I imagine that if one brother accomplishes something, then it is an accomplishment for ALL brothers to celebrate. Should they not be proud of their Alpha brother? Some may see it as a shameless plot to get attention or TV time, and that's their prerogative. But you can't knock those who see the significance behind MLK's accomplishments AS A MEMBER OF ALPHA PHI ALPHA. I promise you, if MLK were a member of any other fraternity, his fraternity brothers would have thought to acknowledge him in an equally appropriate manner.

Which is why I am so disgusted to hear about members of his own fraternity arguing about whether he "skated" or not. Is that even a relevant issue among fraternities and sororities these days? That right there is the gang mentality I am talking about. Apparently, some of his own brothers believe that he didn't earn the right and privilege to be considered a member in good standing...after all he's done for our community and our nation while representing the fraternity.

Simply disgusting...
 
I am not an Alpha (of course), but I am a member of a sorority in the Divine Nine and I love Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc with all my heart. I didn't see the documentary either, but for it to provoke such confusion and chaos among my fellow posters is a discredit to Dr. King and his legacy, a discredit to the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc, and a discredit to the members of the remaining Divine Nine (Black Greek Letter Organizations).:no:

Whenever I read about Dr. King or whenever I watch documentaries about him, what I see and read about is a man of God, sent from God, who saw that the world needed a dramatic change. He spent his adult life promoting, fighting for, and serving communities for that change. He was an accomplished, well educated, gifted young man who happened to be a Morehouse man, and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. And I'm sure his fellow Alpha fraternity brethren around the globe (yes because 8 out of 9 BGLOs have memberships around the world) are beyond happy and honored to call him one of their own, as are the alum of Morehouse as well. PVSax99 was right; we should all be happy and celebrate the success of our brother, regardless of his Greek fraternal ties.

The work of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc does speak volumes. As with the case of Dr. King, I'm sure the Seven Founders saw a need for change among the Black/African American community and visioned much better. The vision became reality and reality continues today. But their work, and the work of Dr. King does not diminsh the greatness of the remaining BGLOs. They all 9 span from a time when it was damn near impossible for Blacks/African American to advance/excel in anything (1906-1963); we had little or no representation in any area of social life (business, entertainment, education, sports, politics, etc); for Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Delta Sigma Theta, Phi Beta Sigma, Zeta Phi, Beta, Sigma Gamma Rho, and Iota Phi Theta to still survive and flourish today is an accomplishment that even Dr. King would be extremly proud of. We all continue to serve our communities, our churches, our schools, our organizations with the honor and pride we were each founded on, and we do not have the mentality of gang bangers.

Serving was what Dr. King was all about. One of my favorite quotes from him is this:

"Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace; a soul generated by love"

It is when we remember this that we remember who Dr. King really was; a man who loved to serve, who lived to serve, and died to serve.
 
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I, too, respect the life and legacy of MLK. I respect his work and his achievements. I'm very happy that a memorial has been erected in his honor in our nation's capital.

I do not equate the achievements of an individual to those of an organization they happen to be a member of. They are not one and the same to me.

Therefore, it's easy for me to be interested in the MLK memorial, but totally uninterested in his ties to a fraternity. That is insignificant to me and I believe it is insignificant to most Americans - black and white. I think it's quite selfish and disrespectful for the organization to use this wonderful occasion to garner attention for itself rather than putting the spotlight where it should rightfully be - on MLK. Especially, when some members of the organization question the legitimacy of his membership altogether. Quite disrespectful.

It's too bad that some of you are offended by that. But, frankly my dear ....
 
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^^^ Yep. Took offense to your "Pathetic Attempt" comment. "Pathetic" and "Alpha"...never in the same sentence.
 
SUJagFan said:
I do not equate the achievements of an individual to those of an organization they happen to be a member of. They are not one and the same to me.
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Let me take a different angle for you to understand. You are a SU grad, when Rickie Weeks was drafted by the Brewers in the first round, EVERY SU alum saw it is a victory for SU, because an SU product did big and better things. SU was extremely proud of it's own. That same pride SU has for it's products that make it big is the same pride that fraternities have for it's brothers that make POSITIVE contributions to society.
 
Devil's Gun Trigger Man said:
Let me take a different angle for you to understand. You are a SU grad, when Rickie Weeks was drafted by the Brewers in the first round, EVERY SU alum saw it is a victory for SU, because an SU product did big and better things. SU was extremely proud of it's own. That same pride SU has for it's products that make it big is the same pride that fraternities have for it's brothers that make POSITIVE contributions to society.
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Great example.

It's true that Southernites are proud of Rickie Weeks and his accomplishments.

However, Rickie Week's accomplishments have nothing to do with Southern University. The fact of the matter is Rickie Weeks would have made it to the majors whether he went to SU, JSU, MVSU, LSU or didn't go to college at all. Actually, SU is fortunate that he choose to attend and play his college ball there.

To suggest that Rickie Weeks accomplishments lend any sort of positive attributes to SU is misleading at best and an outright lie at worst. The same is true with MLK and Alpha Phi Alpha.

MLK was a great man and you all were fortunate to have him associated with your fraternity. Be proud of him. We all are. I know I am. But, to act like his life lends any credibility to Alpha Phi Alpha is delusional at best. Don't fool yourself into thinking his success had anything to do with the "brotherhood" of Alpha Phi Alpha. Don't do that to yourself.

And don't be surprised when someone sees through the pretension of trying to make that connection.
 
I just ask you to watch the documentary before you say anything. In this current day, most people didn't even know he was an Alpha man. And as all Divine 9 would tell you, they all have members whose legacies definitely supercedes there letters. Now in this case, you sit here and say that you honor a man for his courage and bravery, but do you even know what it took for him to be placed on the mall with other American heroes? That was explained more in the documentary than anything. And yes as an Alpha man I am proud that we honored America's hero who also happens to be an Alpha man. You see, there is so much negative that is associated with greek life, but something positive arrives and it is a ploy to gain some notoriety that all these orgs already have. As Alpha men are taught, "your legacy supercedes your letters. be known for your cause to aid the downtrodden, not for your letters. be known as the great who happens to be an alpha." Sorry you have an ill will towards greek life but without it, alot of freedoms and opportunities would not be there. It is apart of our diaspora. our black american history. Accept it. Embrace it.
 
STORM's Magnificent said:
I just ask you to watch the documentary before you say anything. In this current day, most people didn't even know he was an Alpha man. And as all Divine 9 would tell you, they all have members whose legacies definitely supercedes there letters. Now in this case, you sit here and say that you honor a man for his courage and bravery, but do you even know what it took for him to be placed on the mall with other American heroes? That was explained more in the documentary than anything. And yes as an Alpha man I am proud that we honored America's hero who also happens to be an Alpha man. You see, there is so much negative that is associated with greek life, but something positive arrives and it is a ploy to gain some notoriety that all these orgs already have. As Alpha men are taught, "your legacy supercedes your letters. be known for your cause to aid the downtrodden, not for your letters. be known as the great who happens to be an alpha." Sorry you have an ill will towards greek life but without it, alot of freedoms and opportunities would not be there. It is apart of our diaspora. our black american history. Accept it. Embrace it.
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Although I harbor no ill will toward greek life, I can appreciate your post. It's one of the most intelligent responses I've received so far.

The bolded quote speaks directly to my point though. Whether you admit it or not, the documentary WAS a ploy to use a positive event to cast a positive light on your organization. As you admit, there is so much negative associated with greek life - including Alpha Phi Alpha. Isn't that a part of the "brotherhood of Alpha Phi Alpha" also? If you were to paint an accurate picture of Alpha Phi Alpha, wouldn't it include those negative aspects as well? Where's that documentary?

That's really what I'm getting at. I don't feel that using MLK as a reflection of the organization is an honest portrayal of the organization. It's an attempt to present the organization in a way that may not necessary match reality. Putting on airs. A ploy as you call it. A ploy to encourage people to believe something that may not be true. Cannot be true.

Is that dishonest? Misleading? Self-serving? What ever you call it, let's not pretend it was just about being proud of a fraternity member.

I'm not picking on Alpha Phi Alpha and I don't dislike the fraternity or any of its members. I would feel this way about any organization. I don't believe in riding on other people's laurels.

Just like Black people who thought their lives were going to change because Obama was elected President. No, Obama was elected President. Your black ass has to go to work tomorrow. That's just the way I feel. :noidea:
 
Not knocking you for your opinion man. A healthy debate hurts no one. Just stating that Alpha was the reason he got on the mall. It started with our fraternity. The groundwork/foundation of the monument. So the segment was fitting.
 

STORM's Magnificent said:
I just ask you to watch the documentary before you say anything. In this current day, most people didn't even know he was an Alpha man. And as all Divine 9 would tell you, they all have members whose legacies definitely supercedes there letters. Now in this case, you sit here and say that you honor a man for his courage and bravery, but do you even know what it took for him to be placed on the mall with other American heroes? That was explained more in the documentary than anything. And yes as an Alpha man I am proud that we honored America's hero who also happens to be an Alpha man. You see, there is so much negative that is associated with greek life, but something positive arrives and it is a ploy to gain some notoriety that all these orgs already have. As Alpha men are taught, "your legacy supercedes your letters. be known for your cause to aid the downtrodden, not for your letters. be known as the great who happens to be an alpha." Sorry you have an ill will towards greek life but without it, alot of freedoms and opportunities would not be there. It is apart of our diaspora. our black american history. Accept it. Embrace it.
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06
 
SUJagFan said:
Just like Black people who thought their lives were going to change because Obama was elected President. No, Obama was elected President. Your black ass has to go to work tomorrow. That's just the way I feel. :noidea:
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+1. :bowdown: :clap:

Interesting dialogue. :tup:
 
SUJagFan said:
The bolded quote speaks directly to my point though. Whether you admit it or not, the documentary WAS a ploy to use a positive event to cast a positive light on your organization. As you admit, there is so much negative associated with greek life - including Alpha Phi Alpha. Isn't that a part of the "brotherhood of Alpha Phi Alpha" also? If you were to paint an accurate picture of Alpha Phi Alpha, wouldn't it include those negative aspects as well? Where's that documentary?
:
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Since you bring up this interesting fact, If you could, I need a list of all of the documentaries atleast in the last 25 years that have been nationally televised of any of the african-american greek lettered organizations proudly taunting or bragging to America? I would like to know so I can go and watch them and get a better understanding of your reasoning. I apparently missed them all. At the rate of reality TV, I don't see why we shouldn't see more positive.

These organizations are like anything else a person is apart of, Red Cross, Salvation Army, profession based organizations. They serve some facet of the greater good. Divine 9or any fraternity/sorority is scrutinized or judged mainly because of the different requests or heavy demands to gain access or affiliation into these organizations. But I would like for a moment for people to stop judging these established community service based orgs off of heresay or folklore. It is so much more to it. And to say no one cares, you don't care, or anyone cares, it is pretty disheartening and sad. I will admit, everyone that is made is not 100% pure etc. But the same can be said on any job, church, family household or what have you. But to minimalize the accomplishments of anyone including there personal affiliations, it is hard to take you serious.

Again, healthy debate. Not attacking you. Don't know you to do that.
 
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I applaud the Men of A Phi A for leading the charge and getting this done, however I was also turned off by most of the things being presented about Dr. King's memorial b/c it felt like a tribute to APhiA vs. Dr. King. I just have never looked at Dr. King and thought about his affiliation with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

I just figured that b/c I'm a member of a Greek org and most of the information I was getting was coming from Greeks that I was getting the "Greek aspect" of the Dr. King Celebration weekend. Shucks, I thought most of the celebrations that were to take place during the weekend were open only to members of A Phi A as much as the org was mentioned. :lol:
 
Since the Alpha's wanna take credit, how about the Booker T. Washington Alumni association in the Atl take credit also then? I mean he was a Washington High Alum first. :noidea:
 
PVSAX99 said:
These days, they are nothing more than college gangs. Coming from a family with nothing but Alphas, Omegas, and AKAs, as much as I respect all fraternities and sororities, these days they just act like a bunch of gangs. What pisses me off even more is that while they are arguing about him "skating", not a single one of those gangbanger wannabes went through half of what he had to go through during that era.
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That's a great point PVSAX99, not to go into great detail, but it seems that it is just a loss of traditions because the adversities that went on a while back are no longer their and people just aren't teaching those values and a lot of blacks feel they can can be laxed in their behavior or get away with those brazen attitudes that was once frowned on!
 
Those GDIs I tell ya. They are worse than gangs. :lol: People have their reasons for not pursuing in a Greek organization, but the negativity they project toward actual members is interesting.
 
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