GRAND POLEMARCH’S MESSAGE
Moving Through the COVID-19 Pandemic Towards the Kappa Future of our Dreams A s we continue on the second century of achievement of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., it is expected that each
changed how people of the world con- duct their day-to-day business. Kappa Alpha Psi is no exception. Fortunately, our leaders have a history of overcom- ing obstacles, and have taken expedient measures to keep the mighty ship of Kappa on course. The Grand Board is grateful for the willingness of Kappa leaders at all levels to make the extreme sacrifices necessary to carry us through these perilous times. Since the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis hit, it is amazing how many phone and video calls we find ourselves on each day. It’s probably becoming a frequent phenomenon for most brothers. We are experiencing new technology chal- lenges, including alternative ways of communicating safely, enabling us to meet our statutory and ritualistic responsibilities. Most of us are getting used to the world of virtuality. For those of you have ad- justed to this new-norm, help our broth- ers get up to speed. Help them to con- nect in new social ways, hosting virtual parties, happy hours and with reunions with friends who have not connected in decades. People have been having church or just hanging out on Facebook and other social media platforms. All of these things are holding us tightly in the BOND. We’re grateful to our diligent COV- ID-19 task force for keeping us vigilant during these tumultuous times. Together, we continue to unceasingly
of us is reflecting on the great accom- plishments of all who have knelt at the sacred Delphic Shrine. We look back at the history of our beloved Founders, who were compelled to look through the windows of classrooms at Indiana University just to seek access to educa- tion that was gratuitously afforded their White counterparts. We continue to empathize with their inherent ability to achieve and persevere. One of the major problems in our nation during the pandemic has been the lack of human compassion by the nation’s national leadership. Let us be champions of compassion and empathy where we live. Disrupting one’s usual routine for the benefit of others may not be to everyone’s liking, but throughout history, humans have been willing to make sacrifices to protect the health of others. The willingness to do so seems to be part of human nature. There is some evidence from early history of human groups supporting elderly and disabled individuals who would have been unlikely to survive on their own. Let us reach out as our Founders envisioned and do unto others as all Kappas should. More recently, we have been strug- gling with a novel pandemic called “COVID-19.” This contagious virus has
Reuben A. Shelton III, Esq., Grand Polemarch
8 | SUMMER-FALL 2020 ♦ THE JOURNAL
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