Yesterday was the 105th anniversary of the founding of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, the oldest Black fraternity in the land. It gives me great pride to be a member of the "Black and Old Gold"; I was singing like Young Jeezy (105! Yeaaahhhhh, Shorty 105!) When I look back (over my life) and I think things over, I can (truly) say...that I've been blessed; I got a testimooonnny! Sorry, had to finish the line. Being serious, it's great being an Alpha; the fraternity has provided me so many opportunities, networks, and memories that I cannot find the words to fully express my gratitude. Among the values I just listed, perhaps the greatest benefit is the addition of 10 great men to my immediate family.
In the fall of 2007, 11 men marched the campus of the oldest Black College in the nation and capped off a long and arduous journey to a enchanting destination known simply as the "House of Alpha". For each of us, it took great sacrifice; Rob, who overcame the struggles of being a true geek and his back Bilal not knowing ANY information besides the founders to display courage and lead us to the promise land; Jabari, who had a wife and kids at home; and Cephus, whose S-curl had dried up tremendously. There were serious challenges as well; our late Jewel Anthony Richardson battled with cancer during our trek. While the disease would eventually claim him in 2008, he never made excuses for himself and to this day is one of the greatest Alphas I've ever met. Ironically, during our journey, it was Anthony who would always say something to jeopardize our success lol.
On our first trip together as aspirants, we traveled to Philadelphia to meet with our Dean. We were there until the wee hours of the night, and by the time we were returning we were all tired and a bit agitated. There was 3 cars, and I was in the back seat riding with Bilal, Anthony, Fawaaz the Revolutionary (say his whole name), and the Nigerian superstar OG, aka Ogus. Ogus was driving extremely fast, which is weird because he knows his car was busted, and busted cars going fast scream "Pull me over." As we matriculated back to campus, Bilal continues to do the "Hilal Bilal" dance when suddenly he notices a a suspicious car following us. He tells OG to slow down, but it's too late; the "Berries" were on us. As the resident suburban, I asked to handle the talking. The situation was already bleak; with 4 black dudes in a BUSTED vehicle speeding at 3 am, we needed to be careful. TWO police cars showed up as we pulled over in the parking lot of a bank. We assumed there would be lights and cameras out there. The officer asked us for identification. As I prepared to ask the officer was there a problem, an irritated voice spoke from the front.
"Why'd you pull us over? We wasn't...doing...NOTHIN."
It was Anthony, who decided to become "Martin Luther Da King" at the WORST moment.
I can remember every thought I had following those words: "WHAT ARE YOU DOING????" "This ain't a movie!" "He will beat the BRAKES off us!" "Oh Lordy Lord, I'm going to jail. I was going to be a big TV star; Jesus, I was going to marry a brown-skin woman, and do telethons to bring back Jeffrey Osborne. Can you WOO WOO WOO! Now it's over."
Everyone tells Anthony to shut up, as we handed over our IDs. He continued to talk, his chin so high in the air his goatee was touching the sun visor. The officer looked at Anthony as to say, "You get one, but one more word and I'll beat the brakes off you." We waited there for twenty as I prayed in hopes of saving my future career in Hollywood. The officer finally returned and said, "Stop speeding." He gave us our IDs and left. After the cops drove off, we quickly made our way back to school and thanked God for escaping without trouble. This would not be the last time Anthony said something outlandish, but in retrospect it is hilarious and a memory that the chase of Alpha brought about.
Special shout outs to everyone who was involved in me becoming a member of Alpha Phi Alpha: my parents, my close friends, my line brothers, my dean FIASCO and ADP Rain-dawg, the Golden Lords from the classic "Meteor Man", then-General President Darryl Matthews, Tim Tebow, Derwin off "The Game", and Baked Chicken. I love this fraternity and hope to leave an impact that encourages young black males to seek Alpha.
On our first trip together as aspirants, we traveled to Philadelphia to meet with our Dean. We were there until the wee hours of the night, and by the time we were returning we were all tired and a bit agitated. There was 3 cars, and I was in the back seat riding with Bilal, Anthony, Fawaaz the Revolutionary (say his whole name), and the Nigerian superstar OG, aka Ogus. Ogus was driving extremely fast, which is weird because he knows his car was busted, and busted cars going fast scream "Pull me over." As we matriculated back to campus, Bilal continues to do the "Hilal Bilal" dance when suddenly he notices a a suspicious car following us. He tells OG to slow down, but it's too late; the "Berries" were on us. As the resident suburban, I asked to handle the talking. The situation was already bleak; with 4 black dudes in a BUSTED vehicle speeding at 3 am, we needed to be careful. TWO police cars showed up as we pulled over in the parking lot of a bank. We assumed there would be lights and cameras out there. The officer asked us for identification. As I prepared to ask the officer was there a problem, an irritated voice spoke from the front.
"Why'd you pull us over? We wasn't...doing...NOTHIN."
It was Anthony, who decided to become "Martin Luther Da King" at the WORST moment.
I can remember every thought I had following those words: "WHAT ARE YOU DOING????" "This ain't a movie!" "He will beat the BRAKES off us!" "Oh Lordy Lord, I'm going to jail. I was going to be a big TV star; Jesus, I was going to marry a brown-skin woman, and do telethons to bring back Jeffrey Osborne. Can you WOO WOO WOO! Now it's over."
Everyone tells Anthony to shut up, as we handed over our IDs. He continued to talk, his chin so high in the air his goatee was touching the sun visor. The officer looked at Anthony as to say, "You get one, but one more word and I'll beat the brakes off you." We waited there for twenty as I prayed in hopes of saving my future career in Hollywood. The officer finally returned and said, "Stop speeding." He gave us our IDs and left. After the cops drove off, we quickly made our way back to school and thanked God for escaping without trouble. This would not be the last time Anthony said something outlandish, but in retrospect it is hilarious and a memory that the chase of Alpha brought about.
Special shout outs to everyone who was involved in me becoming a member of Alpha Phi Alpha: my parents, my close friends, my line brothers, my dean FIASCO and ADP Rain-dawg, the Golden Lords from the classic "Meteor Man", then-General President Darryl Matthews, Tim Tebow, Derwin off "The Game", and Baked Chicken. I love this fraternity and hope to leave an impact that encourages young black males to seek Alpha.
 |
| Just because..."Baby Lords!" |
Comments
Post a Comment
Thank you for posting!