COVER STORY
Beta Gamma Brother Traelon T. Rodgers Becomes Youngest Person Ever Selected as a National Officer of the NAACP
By Nicholas Cole
interpersonal relationships and talking to people from various walks of life has also helped him grow as a leader. "During the process, I talked to some people who were 87 years old, and I talked to some who were 20 years old, and I had to explain to them why I thought that I was the better person and what additions I would bring, and so I learned some of those skills through the fraternity," Rodgers said. A native of Arlington, Texas, Rodgers is an alumnus of Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet at Townview and serves as the Vice Chair of the Elections Super- visory, Membership and Units, and the Legal Committees. He is also a mem- ber of Dillard University's Nationally Ranked Mock Trial team. Rodgers has participated in the NAACP's Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO), a yearlong achievement pro- gram designed to recruit, stimulate, and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African American high school students. ACT-SO includes 32 competitions in STEM, humanities, business, and per- forming, visual and culinary arts. Almost 300,000 young people have participated in the program since its inception. For over 40 years, the mission of ACT-SO has been to prepare, recognize and reward youth of African descent who exemplify academic and artistic excel- lence. Rodgers has also served in many leadership roles throughout his life; he served as the Vice Chairman for the City of Dallas Youth Commission, Chairman of the NAACP National Youth Work Committee, and President of the Dallas NAACP Youth Council. His proudest moment as the President of the Dallas Youth Council was when he led a dis-
trict-wide walkout to bring awareness to gun violence in schools. In the position of Chairman of the NYWC, he created task forces that addressed social justice issues that had an impact on youth in the NAACP nationwide. During his lifetime, he has received the NAACP NYWC Chairmans Award, the City of Dallas Appreciation for Dedi- cation and service to the community, the Texas NAACP State Conference Torch Bearers Award, and Rice University Best Attorney Award. Rodgers, a two-term Student Govern- ment Association (SGA) President at Dillard University, noted that as an SGA president, he discovered how leaders can have an effect on a local level. "The decisions that we make as a student government association are liter- ally impacting the students, sometimes immediately, whether we're petition- ing for COVID relief funds, or if we're petitioning for extensions on grades, scholarship requirements, or whatever the case may be. Leading has taught me that the decisions that you make as a leader should be in the best interest of the people you serve. One of the things I always say when I'm creating policies is that policies shouldn't be personal. This means that as a leader, you want to make sure that regardless of what it is you're deciding upon as a leader, make sure that it is going to benefit the people you serve." Rodgers is also the Valedictorian for Dillard University class of 2021. “Traelon came to Dillard as an ac- complished student, an emerging activ- ist, raised up by a praying family,” Dr. Walter Kimbrough, president of Dillard University said. “Dillard was a place for him to take advantage of a number of opportunities that added another layer of texture to
A merican Poet Robert Frost once said that the path he chose made all the differ- ence in the world. Being an admirer of Frost, Brother Traelon T. Rodgers' path – to lead – has allowed him to make history by becoming the youngest person ever selected as a national officer of the NAACP. Rodgers, 21 (Beta Gamma 2019), a senior majoring in Urban Studies and Public Policy at Dillard University in New Orleans, has been selected as an officer serving as the Assistant Secre- tary of the NAACP National Board of Directors. "It feels great because, in 112 years, we have never had an officer under the age of 25, so it feels great to be the person that they chose," Rodgers said, before adding, "I've actually been on the board for three years. I just got elected as an officer." Rodgers went on to reveal that as an officer, he intends to "elevate and emphasize the importance of making decisions that are best for the youth and impact the younger generations. What I immediately intend to do as an officer is make sure that our voices are amplified and elevated." As for how Kappa Alpha Psi has helped prepare him for leadership, Rod- gers said, "My networking and oral skills have been strengthened through Kappa. Specifically, for me being selected as an officer, Kappa really helped prepare me because to become an officer, you have to explain why you are the best choice. Just like it is with Kappa, you have to explain to brothers why you think you would be a good fit into the fraternity, so my process to being selected as an officer was very similar." Rodgers revealed that developing
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