Congratulations to ΚΦΛ Chapter’s Alpha Man of Merit and Alpha Man of the Year
Page 4 AΦA FRATERNITY, INC. • KAPPA PHI LAMBDA (ΚΦΛ) CHAPTER • COLUMBIA, MD
JANUARY 2016 (updated Feb. 3)
www.apakpl.org • Edited by Bro. Kerry G. Johnson • email: caricatureKerry@verizon.net
The 41st Annual MLK, Jr. Memorial Breakfast “Your dreams and your values shape who you are,” Bro. Hrabowski told the attendees. “Somebody worked hard, and that’s why you are here!”
Bro. Kerry G. Johnson Associate Editor to The Sphinx
Bro. Hrabowski recalled his challenging upbringing in a segregated Birmingham, Ala., during the 1960s. Despite the obstacles encountered, he succeeded with the help of loving parents, civil rights and church leaders, and other community mentors.
To Whom Much is Given, Much is Required! – Luke 12:48 The familiar biblical quote best sums up the challenge Bro. Freeman A. Hrabowski, III gave the audience of more than 1,200 people during the 41st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast sponsored by Kappa Phi Lambda Chapter and The Alpha Foundation of Howard County, Inc. The popular event was held on Sunday, January 10 at Martin’s West in Baltimore. Bro. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County was the keynote speaker for the breakfast.
Hrabowski graduated from Hampton Institute (now Hampton Univ.) with highest honors in mathematics. He later earned a doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Even though his dreams became a reality, he said so many people’s dreams are “deferred” due to life’s challenging circumstances. “So many adults today are embarrassed because they cannot read,” he said.
Bro. Freeman A. Hrabowski, President, UMBC was the keynote speaker of the 41st Annual MLK Memorial Breakfast.
He urged the crowd to lend a helping hand to those in need. “The dream is that we will focus on the problems of human kind,” he said. In closing, Hrabowski urged the students and audience, “Watch your words, they become your thoughts! Watch your thoughts, they become your actions! Watch your actions. They become your character!” More MLK Breakfast coverage on Page 4 >>
Photos provided by Bro. Calvin Austin
Bro. Jones joins Democratic Board
Photo provided by Shaundra Jones
Congratulations to Bro. Opel T. Jones, I, ΚΦΛ Chapter President, who was chosen to fill a vacancy on the Howard County Democratic Central Committee (HCDCC). He and other members of the HCDCC will work with the Maryland State Central Democratic Committee. In this important role, he will help to
raise awareness about the Democratic Party and issues affecting Howard County residents. Additionally, he will support and volunteer with candidates for the upcoming 2016 general and presidential elections. Bro. Jones was sworn into office for the Maryland State Central Committee on Dec. 5.
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ALPHAS IN THE COMMUNITY Bro. David Barrett’s letter appeared in Washington Post On Dec. 14, Bro. David Barrett penned a commentary that was published in The Washington Post. Here’s a copy of the text: Regarding the Dec. 13: Local Opinions essay
“President Woodrow Wilson doesn’t deserve a school”: Americans could learn from Ghana. While there in 2010, I visited the slave dungeons of Cape Coast and Elmina. These were the damp, dark, squalid, wretched places where Europeans housed captured Africans for the purpose of enslavement, sometimes for as long as three months. The Ghanaian government wanted to raze the structures and replace them with hotels. African American ex-pats proposed the structures be preserved to mark this shameful part of Ghana’s history. Now, they are tourist attractions that have plaques that acknowledge and apologize for the role that Ghanaians played in the slave trade. Wellinformed guides take tourists through the dungeons explaining in graphic detail the atrocities that took place while the people awaited their fate. We should not erase history. Rather, we must mark changes in our views of individuals now seen as racist as pivotal points in American progress and in understanding who we were and what we are still becoming as a nation acknowledging our history of white supremacy and systemic, institutionalized racism and terrorism. Such an acknowledgment should include major events and the leading players associated with them. Only then can we begin to heal. Do the name changes, but educate at the same time. – David H. Barrett, Ellicott City
Project Alpha scheduled at Centennial Kappa Phi Lambda Chapter’s will sponsor Project Alpha on Friday, January 29, 2016 at Centennial High School located at 4300 Centennial Lane, Ellicott City, MD 21042. The event will begin at 7:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Project Alpha provides education, motivation and skill-building on issues of responsibility, relationships, teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases for high school age males in Howard County. This national Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. program was developed in partnership with the March of Dimes. The chapter needs your assistance with this annual project. Brothers, if you’re considering participating as a workshop leader or want to provide on-site support, please email: Bro. Bruce Nelson - brucenelson91@yahoo.com
Brothers show off their painting skills On Dec.19, the Kappa Phi Lambda Community Service Committee came together with the Hearts and Homes for Youth (HHFY) nonprofit organization and painted the interior of a house. The home will be used to support young girls that are in foster care. Kappa Phi Lambda had the most participation of all the organizations that helped that Saturday morning. The HHFY was pleased and enjoyed having such a large number of volunteers partake in the event. Afterwards, Hearts and Homes for Youth invited the Brothers to volunteer for other opportunities in 2016. For more info about, visit: http://heartsandhomes.org/ Photos provided by Bro. Devynne Espeut
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ACCOLADES AND HIGH ACHIEVEMENTS
Bro. Raphael honored by his success at NASA
Colin Powell, the former U.S. Secretary of State, once said: “Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.” Bro. David Raphael subscribes to this viewpoint and, as a result, was recognized on a few instances in 2015 for his hard work and perseverance.
As an Associate Branch Head for the Telecommunication Networks & Technology Branch at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, located in Greenbelt, MD., he provides administrative and technical supervision necessary for accomplishing the work/goals of the Branch. He serves as a technical consultant and helps to evaluate the technical merit, cost, and schedule of proposals; and assists in troubleshooting project issues.
Before this position, Bro. Raphael served as the Command & Data Handling (C&DH) Product Development Lead (PDL) for the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission. As a PDL, he led a team of both civil servants and contractors and successfully delivered two Engineering Test Units (ETU) to the Flight Software team and FlatSat laboratory respectively.
Additionally, Bro. Raphael delivered four Flight Units (FU) to the four MMS spacecraft. He was on console when MMS launched successfully on March 12, 2015, at 10:44 p.m. (EDT) and was jubilant when initial telemetry showed all four observatories were performing perfectly with no issues or problems.
As a result of his dedication leading this effort, on April 8, 2015, Bro. Raphael received the Robert H. Goddard Exceptional Achievement Award for Leadership. On July 8, 2015, he received both the Agency Exceptional Achievement Medal and the Agency Group Achievement Award (on behalf of his team). Bro. Raphael was featured in the Applied Engineering and Technology Directorate (AETD) July 2015 Newsletter in the Supervisor’s Corner. Last October, he was also featured on “Conversations with Goddard.” He was recently selected as the Branch Head for the Flight Data Systems & Radiation Effects Branch and he will be transitioning to his new post in the near future.
Congratulations Bro. Raphael!
View a related link: http://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/david-raphael-builds-spacecraft-subsystems-and-pays-it-forward
Bro. Johnson designs new medallion
HCC HONORS HOWARD CO. EDUCATOR, BRO. SILAS CRAFT WITH ANNUAL BUFFET The Silas Craft Collegians Scholarship Endowment at Howard Community College is a program named in honor of Bro. Dr. Silas Craft, Howard County’s first African American high school principal. Bro. Craft was a highly-respected civil rights activist, and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Bro. Kerry G. Johnson, ΚΦΛ Chapter’s Associate Editor to The Sphinx, was asked to design an inaugural medal for the American Physical Society (www.aps.org). Bro. Johnson is the art director for the society. He was appointed the task to design the new 4-inch medallion to honor the recipient of the APS Medal for Exceptional Achievement
in Research. The award will recognize the contributions of the highest level that advances the world’s our knowledge and understanding of the physical universe in all its facets. The medal carries with it a prize of $50,000, a certificate citing the contribution made by the awardee and presented during a ceremony in Washington, DC.
The HCC Educational Foundation, in partnership with Hunan Manor Restaurant, are pleased to present the Silas Craft Collegians Dinner on
For more details, see the flyer on Page 8. Tickets can also be purchased by contacting Bro. Norris Jennings, via e-mail:
ntjenni1942@gmail.com
Monday, March 7, serving dinner continuously from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Hunan Manor Restaurant, located at 7091 Deepage Drive, Columbia, MD, 21045 will offer a Chinese buffet that supports the program that was initially implemented to assist African American high school graduates whose past academic performance did not reflect their true potential or desire to succeed. The program has been expanded to include other minority students.
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41st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast Photos provided by Bro. Calvin Austin, Bro. Rodney Hawkins, Bro. Opel T. Jones, I (Section 1 of 4)
Representatives from Allstate Insurance donated $1,500 to AFHC.
Bro. Mark Tillman, the 34th General President of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. honored Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD) for her many years of public service during the Annual MLK Breakfast.
Bro. John H. Taylor selected as ΚΦΛ “Alpha Man of Merit”
Bro. Moss Kendrix selected as ΚΦΛ “Brother of the Year”
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41st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast Photos provided by Bro. Calvin Austin and Bro. Rodney Hawkins (Section 2 of 4)
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41st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast Photos provided by Bro. Calvin Austin, Bro. Rodney Hawkins, Bro. Jae Li (Section 3 of 4)
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41st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast Photos provided by Bro. Calvin Austin and Bro. Rodney Hawkins (Section 4 of 4)
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For ticket information through Kappa Phi Lambda Chapter, email Bro. Norris Jennings – ntjenni1942@gmail.com
HUNAN MANOR PRESENTS
SILAS
CRAFT COLLEGIANS COLLEGIANS
DINNER
BENEFITING THE Silas Craft Collegians Scholarship Endowment & Program at Howard Community College
MARCH 7, 2016 Doors open at 5 p.m. ◆ Serving continuously from 5 to 8 p.m.
ONLY $ 45 PER PERSON Includes dinner, dessert, beverages, tax & gratuity
100% of proceeds benefit student scholarships & programs
7091 Deepage Drive Columbia, Maryland
443-518-1970
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howardcc.edu/sccathunan
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