αφα alum invites nphc greek advocacy at umkc

Dr Lawrence Ross, Jr has an important message for greeks at the University of Missouri at Kansas City: keep up the good work, and always try yet harder. He was lecturing to an engaged crowd on his history of NPHC greeks cum college biography, "The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities." He leavened the dryer bits with personal anecodtes about his own search for belonging and meaning in college as a pledge and brother of Alpha Phi Alpha. NPHC greeks represent some 1.5m members, thus comprising up to ten percent of the African-American population. That is a substantial cohort, and with the demographics, says Dr Ross, come responsibility: "Remember when you're initiated that you're a servant to the community, to move the African American community and the community in general forward." He described the pantheon of NPHC all-stars, invoking the Rev Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, and Dr WEB Du Bois, as well as the giving hospitality of black greeks living worlwide from South Korea to Ghana, before turning to what his student audience could do themselves.

He placed particular emphasis on showing the way forward to high school students who do not have and may not even conceptualize the opportunities UMKC students have in such abundance: "A lot of African American kids don't even think of college as an option. What [black] fraternities need to do is go do actual physical visits to high schools and do step shows to raise money for scholarship funds." Nor did his call to action fall on deaf ears. An undergrad Alpha Phi Alpha brother approved: "I really enjoyed coming here, [Dr. Ross] is a really good speaker and had some good insights."

UMKC University News