The President’s Message

Welcome to Black History Month 2023,

Without taking for granted the importance and amount of contribution to the narrative of Black History that we have impacted, do we ask ourselves what is the comparative relevance or impact to what we do now as compared to the eras of the past? Based on the historical records we have been important cogs in the engine of change in the more overtly harsh society of the past. We have been a nexus of many first and trailblazing accomplishments collectively as an organization and as individual members. Thankfully today there are not as many “firsts” and we live in a less overtly harsh society that assaults as the Black mind, body and soul. Less overt harshness does not equate to a less widespread harsh existence to Black life in our society. Very recent history provides not merely incidental examples of this but systemic ones.

On the last Friday of January 2023 we were exposed to the video evidence of an institutional organization’s lynching of Tyre Nichols. Extremely disturbing and sadly not new or unexpected; neither was the melanin content of the attackers. (Check out KRS-One song Black Cop). Open any balanced newspaper or magazine and read articles regarding collective Black life. Without a long dissertation, the lack of value on and hostility toward Black life is a learned, deeply baked in behavior in this society. And it does not matter how little or how much melanin one has. Black on Black crime, police brutality against Black people, laws on the books, lack of laws on the books are manifestations of people’s learned behaviors and resistance to changing of those behaviors and belief system.

So what do we do? What do we need to focus on collectively as an organization and individually, how are we comparing to the works and accomplishments of our fraternal forebearers?

Fraternally, Tony Wilson

Brother John “Tony” Wilson, President 2022 - 2023

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Mu Lambda Chapter