[23314] in APO-L
Re: [APO-L] African American Support Group
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Settummanque, the blackeagle ((LTC)
Fri Dec 20 00:05:15 2002
Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 23:03:22 -0600
Reply-To: "Settummanque, the blackeagle ((LTC) Mike L. Walton)" <blackeagle@usscouts.org>
From: "Settummanque, the blackeagle ((LTC) Mike L. Walton)" <blackeagle@usscouts.org>
To: APO-L@LISTSERV.IUPUI.EDU
In-Reply-To: <1715.66.72.130.99.1040352574.squirrel@webmail.muohio.edu>
My Brother, Diane Clarke wrote and asked:
>I don't want to be insensitive, possibly nieve but what types of adversity
>are African-American brothers facing in Alpha Phi Omega to warrant a
>support group.
In SOME campuses, African-American (AA) males (particularly) are teased and
picked upon by other AA
males...most of whom belong to one of the "big four" social frats on that
campus. They view APO as a
"white group", with none of the "tough, character-enhancing" experiences
that one would find ina "real BLACK
fraternity."
A lot of AA APO pledges leave us because of that pressure.
At SOME campuses, AA females are being told that "pledging APO amounts to
"selling out your kind" because
those pledges are not giving the big bucks and getting the garments
"required" by AA sororities. This "sell out"
can really tear a sister down, I've observed, because not only do other
black females basically "not associate" with the APO pledge, but they also
attempt to get that pledge to de-pledge and to "take up the Sister sorority".
Hate to toss stones, but at the two campuses where I've been associated
with APO as an active, the Alpha Kapha Alpha sorority and the Omega Psi Phi
and the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternities were extremely BIG into doing this.
There's another problem that AA males and females have that "majority"
pledge candidates don't have for the most part: an understanding of what
APO IS and what it is NOT.
We are NOT a "stepping organization" even though some of our Southern
brothers have developed traditions of "stepping" (dance steps chorographed
and designed to entertain and "poke fun" at the other fraternities).
We are NOT a "branding organization" (I believe it's in our national bylaws
whereby we don't apply any sort of brand or emblem to the skin of our
candidates or actives). Several social fraternities believe in such and
this is how they "treat you" on the campus and socially at clubs, dancing
locations and bars otherwise.
We are a SERVICE organization. We provide a great deal of service, and
while some of it is paid and which funds the chapter's activities...we do a
lot more because we are whom we are. We want people to know that we are
into serving other people. Social fraternities do service as a sideline or
purely because of the income generated.
We are a TRUE BROTHERHOOD. We take in all candidates, make them pledges
and teach them the essence of brotherhood, service and leadership, and turn
them into brothers. We want to do this because it builds campuses.
Leadership on our campuses come from leaders. We provide the learning lab
for those leaders.
For those reasons, I can personally see the need for a support group for
African-American and any other -American students. I could see the need
for such a support group for older students pledging APO. I could see the
need.
>In our chapter there has never been one inciting incident
>to warrant the need for us to be supported in a forum. I feel that being
>brothers as Alpha Phi Omega IS our support group- for counselling,
>homework assitance, etc- and our forum is brotherhood- but maybe other
>chapters dont function as we do, and so if there is genuine problems
>especially those feeling "uncomfortable" the only way to solve them would
>be to confront them as a whole group instead of separating people further.
It's not in our chapters, Roscoe...it's from the external pressures of
pledging or serving in an organization which
doesn't "sound", "look" or "think" black.
Settummanque!
(LTC) Mike L. Walton (settummanque, the blackeagle)
http://www.mninter.net/~blkeagle/
Burnsville, Minnesota
