GRAND POLEMARCH’S MESSAGE
Our Undergraduates: The Lifeblood of the Bond
social, academic and professional pillars for students that had few, if any, other resources on which to rely. The guiding principle of all organizations for people of color was the notion that achieving students would become successful and reach back to provide the lifeblood for younger members to excel as they did. That process has continued for more than one hundred years in Kappa Alpha Psi and has worked very well. Where other organizations were formed to capture achieving individuals after their collegiate experiences, our Bond was formed as an undergraduate fraternity and has maintained that corporate per- sonality until today. It is noteworthy that Founders Elder Watson Diggs and Byron K. Armstrong debated the wisdom of being an under- graduate only fraternity and settled on establishing alumni chapters, with start- ing the Chicago (IL) Alumni Chapter. But that agreement never detracted from the fundamental nature of the Bond as a strong and viable national organization of undergraduate chapters as we are today. We have had an illustrious history of development and achievement of our undergraduate members. Recently, we concluded the Kappa Klass of our Undergraduate Leadership Institute ULI). But few brothers are aware the Fraternity initiated our formal collegiate training with the first Undergraduate Leadership Conference (ULC) in 1961 at the Golden Anniversary Grand Chap- ter Meeting. The ULC was chaired by Brother Dr. Cleo W. Blackburn and the program curriculum almost mirrored the course schedule at the ULI. The emphasis the Fraternity has place on undergraduate training and develop- ment is unparalleled and unrivaled in this fraternal space. We have invested an enormous number of resources to
train our collegiate brothers but also to assist them when in need. During the height of the pandemic, the Fraternity teamed with the Kappa Foundation, the National Silhouettes, The Senior Kappa Endowment Fund and individual contributing members to create the Undergraduate COVID Relief Fund and gave grants to our young brothers to get them through some harsh financial times. That’s how much they mean to our Bond. As you peruse this edition of the Kappa Journal , you will get just a glimpse of the undergraduates’ experience, who they are and all the magnificent endeavors they are pursuing. You will also get a clear understanding of how your Fraternity is assisting by walking in lock step with our collegiate brothers, helping them maximize their God-given potential and realize their chosen life goals. Working with our undergraduate broth- ers is an incredible journey that none of us should take lightly. We should all serve as confidants and mentors to them as they navigate life and their Kappa experience. We are all dependent on their maturation and professional devel- opment. They are our future businessmen, politi- cians, teachers, doctors, lawyers, and Fraternity leaders. As much as we can- not live without the plasma that flows through our veins, we likewise cannot exist without the Phi Nu Pi blood cells our collegiate brothers provide for our Fraternity to exist. Kappa appreciates and thanks all broth- ers for your service and commitment.
Reuben A. Shelton III, Esq. Grand Polemarch S ince its inception on the cam- pus of Indiana University (IU), the Fraternity’s laser focus has been on achievement in every field of human endeavor, starting with leadership training and development of our undergraduates. Beginning in 1882 when IU enrolled its first Black student, Madison McCoy, the need for Black students to have a support network was self-evident but the vehicle for such group assistance was not so apparent. As more Black students matriculated to IU after McCoy the vestiges of dis- crimination continuously became more visible and served as roadblocks to Black students as they sought to achieve in sports, academics and university student government. In the environment of the Ku Klux Klan and racist cinematography of “Birth of a Nation,” Black organizations were born to serve as unifying groups that lent
God bless you all! Yours in the Bond, Reuben A. Shelton III, Esq. Grand Polemarch
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