NATIONAL FOUNDERS’ DAY THE BAHAMAS
“THE OLDER GENERATION NEEDS THE SPEED OF THE YOUTH. THE YOUNGER GENERATION NEEDS THE WISDOM OF THE ELDERS.” - The Honorable Paul Young, Mayor, City of Memphis
Second, it redefined self-worth. By holding the summit at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar—with its spa, art galleries, golf courses, and white sand beaches— Kappa’s leadership quietly stated that its membership belonged in spaces where global decisions are made. For undergraduates especially, the message was repeated: not only can you be here, but you should be here. Finally, it operationalized Kappa Alpha Psi’s core value, Achievement. The Leadership Summit was not pre- sented as individual resume padding but framed as a communal obligation: to one’s founders, to one’s chapter, to one’s city, to one’s stadium of ancestors watching from metaphorical bleachers. The sessions ranged from artificial intelligence and humanoid robotics to campus capital campaigns, servant leadership, disruptive innovation, mental health, financial fitness, and the mechanics of moving a multi-gen- erational organization. The recurring questions— How can I do more for Kappa? How can Kappa do more for the world? In one of the weekend’s simplest, yet most distilled moments, Brother Rodney Adkins offered his own answer to the question, “How can I do more for Kappa?” He replied, “this is the greatest fraternity known to man. It’s been 115 years of great Kappa men across the world, achieving and changing the world for the better in all that we do. I boil them down to five simple words. It’s about brotherhood, it’s about achievement, enrichment, partnership, and service. Kappa lives in you. It is your superpower.”
else.” At the time, he had just returned from college, and friends were urging him to move to glitzier markets like Atlanta, New York, or Los Angeles. He chose Memphis—and chose to tether his engineering and planning skills to neighborhood revitalization. Brother Young became the city’s housing director in 2016, then decided, around 2020, to run for mayor—a move some considered outlandish. “We will never change our city by just fixing what’s wrong. We must lean into what’s right,” he told brothers in Nassau. Young spoke of a summer youth employment program that placed 1,800 teenagers in jobs with local businesses, not as a feel- good gesture but as a strategy to seed hope—the belief that tomorrow can be better than today if young people know the steps to get there. “The older generation needs the speed of the youth,” Brother Young added, reflecting on intergenerational friction. “The younger generation needs the wisdom of the elders. When your coalition includes that level of diversity, age diversity, demographic diversity, geographic diversity—those things matter.” Between questions, the two mayors
traded small jokes that hinted at a deeper alignment. Both men see their cities as spiritually linked. Dr. King was born in Atlanta and martyred in Memphis; civil rights struggles, past and present, crossing state lines. “Atlanta and Memphis are so tied,” Brother Dickens said. “We learn from each other each day.” THE FORMAT AS MESSAGE The genius of the 35th Administra- tion’s National Founders’ Day format had become impossible to ignore. Why does holding a leadership boot camp at a luxury Bahamian resort work so pow- erfully? First, it shattered hierarchy. Undergraduates were able to sit in the same rooms as generals and Fortune 500 executives, with their career aspirations dissected out loud and business cards collected like currency. A brother who aspires to have a career in cybersecurity was pointed toward corporate Chief Information Security Officers, and an engineering major was connected with a CEO who had spent decades in manufacturing. “Most people never have the opportunity to experience this level of training,” Grand Polemarch McMikle said.
WINTER 2026-2026 ♦ THE JOURNAL 45
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