ARL ILLUMINATOR VOL. 15 – ISSUE 1, Service & Advocacy Edition 2020

The President’s Corner

With early voting here in Ohio, our Brothers shifted their focus to encourage early voting by making phone calls, engaging in social media and, ultimately, organizing a March on Morse. The March on Morse in was conducted in partnership with the Franklin County Board of Commissioners and the Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services.  Brothers marched from Job & Family Services across Morse Road to the Franklin County Board of Elections where they passed out snacks, water and encouraging words to hundreds of people standing in line to cast their early votes. The response of the community was incredibly positive as many people who were not familiar with our Fraternity asked about who and what Alpha is all about. It is this work, Brothers, that truly exemplifies the mission of our dear Fraternity.

Brothers, this was great work in support of the VPHP initiative.  The good news, however, is that there is more work to come as we serve and advocate for our communities.  The Civic Endeavors Committee is fired up and ready to go. Their work is not ending now that the election is over; in fact, it is just beginning.  Stay tuned and get involved!

Onward and upward brothers.

Bro. President Luke Fedlam

Chaplain’s Ward

Greetings Brothers,

I want to thank my phenomenal Alpha Rho Lambda brothers for your outstanding support of myself in my role as Chaplain, but most especially for your passion in helping other brothers. I miss seeing all of you in person, but I am grateful that we have Zoom and other virtual points of contact to assist us in our communication. 2020 has proven to be one of the most challenging years to date as we battle COVID-19 as well as battling the terrible side effects from bad governing and partisan politics. However, there is a balm in Gilead. Brothers have actively participated in the voter awareness process and worked to ensure that democracy and equality prevails in our city and nation. I am glad to play a role in connecting Alpha Rho Lambda to the Columbus Unit of the NAACP and I urge all brothers to join the NAACP to continue the great civic work of both organizations.

I am excited to announce that on October 21, my office in conjunction with the ARL exec Board, launched the first ARL Spiritual Wellness Check-in on Oct. 21, 2020. It was a great success as several brothers came together providing testimonies and encouragement. The ARL Spiritual Wellness Check-in will be held every 3 ^rd Wednesday at 7pm . Additionally, I encourage brothers to continue to check in on our sick and distressed brothers. Brothers, if you know of brothers who are sick, in distress, or who have passed away, please let me or the My Brothers’ Keeper Committee know as soon as you find out so I can respond in a timely manner. In addition, if brothers are doing well and would like prayer/counsel, please let me know as well as there are so many good things going on for Columbus area brothers.  I will continue to keep all of our brothers and families in our prayers for prosperity, healing, strength, and wisdom.

Let’s particularly keep the families in prayer of our deceased brothers since the last publication including Bros. Rev. Ward Parham, Robert Short, Dr. Luther Ike, Nathaniel Angel, Sylvester Angel, Charles “Ed” Smith (PMARVP), Rev. Joseph Lowery, Rev. C.T. Vivian, Gus Ridgel (PMWRVP), Ron Russell (Past National Sergeant-at-Arms), Sharron Anderson (PMWARVP), and Past General President James R. Williams. These brothers were giants in our communities and truly reflected the values of Alpha men and more importantly, men of God. “As our Good Shepherd, Heavenly Father, we know you will lead us beside quiet places and restore our soul and body. We trust you and want to follow your leading. Help us to welcome this time not as an interruption in our carefully planned schedule, but as an opportunity to draw strength and nourishment for the journey ahead. You are our healer and our Great Physician. We look to you and give thanks for the promises in your Word that assure us of your presence and your help.

Amen!

Fraternally,

Bro. Roderick “Rodney” Q. Blount, Jr.

Chaplain

ARL Launches New Jr. Esquires Academy Program

The longstanding flagship Alpha Esquires program, created in 1987, is a youth development group sponsored by Alpha Rho Lambda Chapter consisting of young men from the Franklin County area who are in grades 9-12. The group objectives are to involve the young men in programs in leadership development training, career awareness, community involvement, educational planning, communication skills and social awareness. Now, as of October 2020, a brand new program has been initiated with a focus on middle school young men.

On Sunday, October 4th, 2020, 18 male middle school students were inducted into the Junior Esquires Academy (JAE) program for its inaugural year. The induction ceremony was held in-person in a socially distanced, mask-enforced setting. Parents were in attendance watching on the sidelines as their sons were being inducted, along with various brothers, committee members, and executive board members as well.

In a similar scope to the Alpha Esquires program, the Jr. Esquires will learn leadership, communication, and other skills that will enrich their foundations of manhood. “I heard about the program through my husband’s cousin who’s an AKA, and she’s good friends with John Gore [ARL member]. I’m excited for him to have role models within the men of Alpha for him to learn from” says Deidre Woods, mother of JAE inductee Gregory Woods Jr. When asked what he seeks to gain the most from the program, Gregory states “I want to learn skills such as being more responsible, and to build relationships with the other boys in the program and the Alphas as well”.

There are a few brothers in the chapter who sought for their own sons to go through the program themselves, one of them being Bro. Aaron Martin. “I got a little emotional watching Isaiah put on that Jr. Esquires shirt, remembering how I used to put ‘Future Alpha’ shirts on him. I’m happy that he wants to be associated with that group of exceptional men who will run the program (some who have known him his whole life), and that he wants to build relationships with like-minded young men in the program”. Isiah Martin remarks that the program would be a good opportunity to prepare him for being an Alpha Esquire. “I plan on giving back to the community by helping to take care of the environment, such as picking up litter. That, along with being in the Jr. Esquires program, will help build me a good reputation that will set me up for the future” he adds.

The Junior Esquires Academy program is well underway, and under the guise of co-committee chairs Bro. Henry Savage and Bro. Ezekiel Peebles (Immediate Past President of ARL), the program will make its mark and aid in the development of young men for years to come.

Being a Black Father in 2020

Written by Bro. Richard Randolph II

   “Are you serious…”

These are the words my 11-year-old daughter uttered in a soft voice while hearing about the killing of Rayshard Brooks. It was just weeks before this incident when I was sitting in my living room talking to my son and daughter about the killing of George Floyd and the purpose of the protests that followed. You see, as a father one of the most important jobs I own (with pride) is being a protector; I must say that this year (2020) has challenged my conviction around being a protector of my family; knowing that at any given moment I could be another hashtag and have one of the greatest blessings given to me of being a father, stripped away.

            The weekend before we received the stay at home order here in Ohio, me and my family were in Louisville, KY celebrating my father getting married. This weekend celebration was also met with the traumatic news of the killing of Breonna Taylor by Louisville police officers. The same weekend that we were sharing in a joyous occasion, was the same weekend we shared sorrow, and frustration. While on the drive home back from Louisville, me and wife began to think through how will we explain what happened to Breonna to our kids? How will this impact our daughter knowing that she heard about the news at the same time we did? And on top of that, how do we begin preparing for the shut down due to the pandemic?

            Being black in America; we are often met with the added burden of facing a reality where we have to work twice as hard to make it in America. This was no exception when it came to being a black father; that weekend I was faced with the added burden of not only explaining the pandemic to my children but also, having a discussion around the killing of Breonna Taylor. As a black father during this time of civil unrest and a worldwide pandemic; exhaustion often settles in. I have battled with exhaustion both mentally and physically this year but I know that the work I am doing with investing in my children to teach them how to navigate through such a time like this is needed and it’s a battle that I will continue to fight.

            As a family, we have experienced events together this year that will be life-long memories. The protests we have attended together, the community gatherings, the zoom calls with extended family, the evenings of endless board games, the evenings of karaoke in the living room; these memories coupled with the evenings where we all just shared in tears of sadness and frustration are all memories that will help in my children’s growth as full human-beings who are proud in their identity and unapologetic in their beliefs.

            “Are you serious…”, were the words that uttered from my daughter’s mouth the night Rayshard Brooks was murdered. The words that followed are what give me hope that I am trudging down the right path as a father, and those words that she uttered next were; “we can’t stop fighting for what is right”. This year has brought forth a range of emotions I have never experienced before as a father, but this was the inspiration I needed to keep pressing forward, this was the hope we needed as a family to never stop fighting for what is right.

Fraternally,

Bro. Randolph

ARL’s Voter Engagement Plan and How It Succeeded

This recent general election was one of, if not the biggest that the United States has ever seen. ARL’s Civic Endeavors committee, led by Bro. Nate Stewart, did a sensational job of educating the masses on the importance on voting, mobilizing individuals to go vote, and creating a foundation that ushers in a new level of emphasis on not just general elections, but the local and primary elections as well.

Bro. Nate Stewart, in conjunction with Bro. Curt Walker, started the blueprint for his voter engagement plan by watching other organizations within the Columbus community that focus on voting (such as the Women’s League of Voters) host events, and then mapping out a gameplan that modified the national ΑΦΑ’s voter objectives, which are: education, registration, and mobilization.

The ‘modification’ aspect was necessary due to today’s climate where everything is virtual, whereas activities hosted by the chapter in the past have been heavily reliant on face-to-face interaction. One of these modifications was the implementation of the social media campaign. Given current events and the ongoing pandemic, this was the best way to reach the masses and keep them educated on a consistent basis. The main advantage was that a large majority of individuals have access to social media and engage in it daily, whether it be through Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc., so this allowed a wide audience to be reached. The biggest and most successful installment in the social media campaign was the “Why We Vote” video (found here ), which went so far as being featured on a local news station.

Partnerships were a big help in the execution of the voter engagement plan. Partners included NAACP, NPHC, and non-partisan groups such as Columbus Stand Up and Columbus Urban League. There was an emphasis on unity and working together, rather than years’ past where organizations operated in in a self-focused manner and had their own agendas. A key (no pun intended) partnership was with Keys to Black Wealth (KTBW), a national summit dedicated to building and sustaining generational wealth and closing the racial wealth gap. KTBW, hosted by Bro. David DeBerry II, gave ARL a 15-minute platform that allowed us to speak about our efforts and convey to a national audience about the importance of voting (especially early voting), how critical it is, and things to look out for. It was an essential partnership in regards to spreading awareness of voting.

Once the partnerships were set up, the next step was to focus on specific populations. A couple of the more important populations were the senior population and the re-entry population. The senior population was one of the most impacted groups in regards to voting this year due to COVID and the fear of the virus itself, which would in turn diminish the amount of voter turnout for the group. As it pertains to the re-entry population, individuals with a felony on their record get discouraged when it comes to voting as they feel that their right to vote has been dissolved. This, however, is not the case, as Ohio is one of the select states that allow those with a past felony to vote due to special provisions within the state. By encouraging seniors to vote via mail-in ballots, and educating the re-entry group on the special arrangements they can utilize to make their votes count, the Civic Endeavors committee aided in the increased voter turnout within the city of Columbus.

On October 24th, ARL and its Civic Endeavors committee had its biggest event of the election season, which was the March on Morse event. This initiative consisted of having numerous people within the Columbus community meet up at the Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services to enjoy coffee, breakfast, and music before heading over to the Board of Election Office (a mere 7-minute walk away) in waves to facilitate voter turnout and encouragement. In addition, to the amenities at the Department of Job and Family Services, brothers of ARL also walked up and down the long line of early votes handing out water, juice, and snacks to all the families, friends, and individuals waiting to vote. This event was a huge success and had over 7,000 views on Facebook, which can be seen here.

Now the election is over, the work is still not done. ARL is looking to start a community conversation series focused on educating our community between election cycles and holding our candidates that we put in office accountable while they’re serving their terms. In addition, the chapter looks to create a stronger voting block within the Black community, and making sure that we are well represented in the city of Columbus and the state of Ohio as a whole. With Bros. Nate Stewart and Curt Walker at the helm, ARL and its Civic Endeavors committee is making major strides in the emphasis of voter education and turnout, and you can rest assured that we will place ourselves on the forefront of representation on civic matters.

Young Black Voters Matter

Written by Bro. Dr. Curtis Walker Jr.

The United States Presidential Election presents an opportunity for American citizens to choose the direction of governance for the next four years. And yet, voting means many different things to as many people. Some people choose to vote because, to them a vote represents the power to elect their leaders. Others may choose to vote because of the history of disenfranchisement and suppression that limited the power of those who came before them. Some may even choose not to vote because they have lost faith in the power that voting has to impact their daily circumstances. Young voters, in particular, are told they have the responsibilities of a citizen, once they become eligible to vote. In return for the newly appointed duties, young voters want their voices heard and assurance that they have a seat at the table that decides both their future and their today. Over the past few weeks I had the chance to speak with two young black female voters who reflected on their reasons for voting, the engagement of their peers, and their plans to stay engaged after the election.

1) Reasons for voting :

Interviewee 1 : I am a first time voter and granddaughter of an immigrant and the people who are in office are speaking for me and creating policies for me that is against me and I’d like to change that.

Interviewee 2 : I am a first time voter, and I voted for myself and my community and although some people are discouraged from voting because they feel like they don’t have a say, I feel like it’s just one person who can change a lot of the dynamic of policy and your immediate community. There have been a lot of historical people who led the way over time who have made those strides and informed us on how to vote so it’s always necessary to take that information or we’ll continue to see history repeat itself.

2) Importance of the issues spoken or not spoken to:

Interviewee 1 : It was important to me that the president focused on rolling back the climate action plan and other environmental policies and refused to condemn white supremacy.

Interviewee 2 : It was important to me to speak on Race, the actual issue of race when it comes to black and brown people and immigrants to the country.  The candidates would revert back to the economy (in the debate) and I question whether both candidates actually addressed the issue to the best of their ability.
The economy and healthcare as well.  For the economy to really function people need to have substantial healthcare and that comes to health and wellness. You can’t expect people to work and do labor if they’re not receiving the proper healthcare. The economy is definitely important, but I feel it should be focused on what people are needing during these times due to COVID, due to the mental anguish of racial discrimination people continue to face.

3) Driving factors of disengagement in the young voter demographic :

Interviewee 1 : I believe the shift from being 17 and considered a child and being 18 and being considered an adult is really sudden and it doesn’t feel like my voice is being heard as an adult. It doesn’t feel like our voices matter in conversation. But I think that’s changing.

Interviewee 2 : I believe the people around you have influences and if you don’t have family members or teachers that encourage you to vote, and vote properly, that can discourage people.  I believe the concept of “You are the Future; you are the future direction”, but with them in office, we’re not the future. We’re here now and we’re ready to change, but if you continue to say we’re the future, we’re never going to be prepared and never going to be equipped to even respond. Your voice is a response to how you feel and if you’ve had somebody trying to shush you or say “you’re the future until I get out of office”, but we’re here now and we see what’s going on and we have things to talk about. And a lot of people feel like they can’t vote. Especially if they’ve been incarcerated, they may not know about their rights to retain their voter status after being imprisoned.

4) How you will stay engaged after voting:

Interviewee 1 : I will continue to watch the news and multiple news sources because I know they can be biased. I’m currently involved in different programs within the community, and a lot of the people who I speak with within these programs inform me on a lot of local news. I’ll continue to be involved in the community and listening to others.

Interviewee 2 : I believe bridging the gaps between the different stakeholders is very important; watching what different groups of people are doing, how they are addressing these concerns. I believe it’s important to vote in all elections. You also must have an awareness. In order for me to be aware I have to do research. I need to see what politicians are talking about. I need to see what educators are talking about, and what information are they providing me. How can I can use that information for my benefit, and sometimes even call into question some of the information I’m receiving. Some people don’t know what to believe. You have social media and people who are just spewing stuff that they want a candidate to change based off of using the internet in a derogatory way. I believe connecting and staying connected, bridging the gap between these people and these stakeholders will help me stay engaged, I can’t solely rely on all these people, I have to do internal research myself.

5) Convincing your peers that voting and staying engaged is important to their lives and future:

Interviewee 1 : I would encourage them to be involved in the community and listen to others. The people I’m around don’t listen to other people’s perspectives and how their life may be different and how even our policy is affecting them different. I think it’s important to just listen to people in your community and just talk to other people.

Interviewee 2 : I believe young people; we like to see results. Connecting through social media is a good way to get young voters out. Everyone is always on their phones, especially during the pandemic, finding different ways to get their attention, making it fun, enjoyable, helping them recognize the importance of getting out to vote and mobilizing. There are a lot of adults who see themselves has having seniority towards youth and that can discourage people from saying things. For example, if we’re having a community council meeting or having a live webinar instead of being just solely adults talking on what is important in the community, having the youth talk (18-25) who can speak for yourself. It’s more than having something on the agenda. Continue to encourage young people to use their voices. Meeting them where they’re at. If they’re on social media go to social media. But you need people who are in those age ranges to be helping you. You need someone internal to that [youth community] to have that perspective.

6) Fear of a connection between results of the election and increased reports of violence:

Interviewee 1 : Social media is going to fuel the violence because it’s been divisive since the past election – I am worried about that for two reasons. First, how difficult it is to remove false information from social media and stop it from being spread around, social media algorithms show you exactly what you want to see reinforcing anyone’s ideas that they previously had. And second, if people want to believe that one or the other side is more violent, they’ll see that through inaccurately reported, false news, about violence on one side or the other.

Interviewee 2 : I don’t fear but I am a bit concerned. Things have gotten more tense during campaigning and leading up to the election. I’m concerned about what this will look like and the state of the nation. The biggest thing is that we’re no longer able to remove the personal feelings from politics. So people are democrats or republicans but what is the rooted in and based on the politics and ideology, they are trying to marginalize or harm through hatred toward a class or social group.  There has been concerns in the back of people’s mind, will history repeat itself and what would that look like.

7) Biden has won a close, emotionally tense election. If you could tell the Biden Administration one thing to focus on to demonstrate leadership of a diverse (if not divided) country, what would you say?

Interviewee 1 : I would tell the Biden administration to figure out a way to promote effective communication with others and understanding each other without judgement.

Interviewee 2 : If I could tell the Biden Administration to focus on one thing it would be restorative justice for minority communities: black and brown communities. We need to have minorities not only in positions of power but be afforded the opportunity to make long term investments for their families and communities. This is not the sole responsibility of the Biden Administration but it is a start. It seems to be a never ending debate about issues but limited policy implementation to combat issues such as the wealth gap in America. I hope this administration can focus on redirecting the focus to minority priorities, concerns, and well-being. Biden is focused on unity for all of humanity which is important alongside equal opportunities and distinguishing the importance of equity for low income and marginalized communities.

ARL ILLUMINATOR VOL. 15 – ISSUE 1, Service & Advocacy Edition 2020

Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Rho Lambda, Columbus, OH