plezWorld Remembers 9/11

It was a bright sunny Tuesday morning, I had taken the week off from work because we were bringing the newborn SugarPlum home for the first time. My wife had gone into the office in downtown Atlanta to grab a few things and then were going to get our daughter at noon.

plezWorld saw something on the television about about a plane flying into the World Trade Center in NYC and decided to turn to CNN and see what was going on.  I turned on the TV just in time to see the second plane slam into the tower... in disbelief!  The imagery of the moment, no, that entire day will forever be etched in my memory.


The most joyous day of my life - bringing home my baby girl - merged with the most horrific day in US history. I remember holding her in my arms that afternoon and into the night wondering what had become of the world, when someone would plot and plan such a diabolical attack. And I remember fighting back the tears while thinking of what a hateful world we had brought my daughter into... I could only pray she would be capable of growing up devoid of the cynicism and hate this day brought us.


It is now a decade later, two wars have run their course, we have a Black President, bin Laden is dead... and my innocent little girl is a pre-teen. She is pretty as a button, lovable, and kind. But we have raised her in a changed world, where every motive is suspect, our freedoms have been abridged, our economy has tanked, and political vitriol has damn near crippled President Obama. This post-9/11 world is vastly different than the one I grew up in. I can only hope we can use this tenth anniversary of 9/11 to put this behind us and move on to a kinder, more understanding America.

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity - 100 Years of Achievement

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. was founded on January 5, 1911 on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.

Re: Official Statement on Founding of Kappa Alpha Psi

Today,we celebrate the vision of ten founders, who recognized the need for college-trained men to countermand the vestiges of racial discrimination at the Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, that mirrored the community-at-large in Indiana and across the nation in general. Our Founders not only recognized the indifference of the majority population to the needs of African Americans, but had the foresight to take action to do something about it. As a result, Elder Watson Diggs and nine other students at Indiana University at Bloomington decided to join together to broaden their social, academic and economic opportunities. Thus, they founded a college fraternity, following their peers at Howard University, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. The first century of our fraternity, then called Kappa Alpha Nu was launched in January 1911.

When we study our one hundred year history, we learn that our Founders, though young in age, were filled with wisdom beyond their years. We learn that they understood the environment around them; they recognized the opportunities that their collegiate peers had that were denied them. They learned that they were not on a level playing field, but simply members of a racial minority for which equal accommodations and access were not granted. They learned fast that racial denial did not have to be, if they would but join together with other students of like circumstance and change the socio-economic paradigm in which they lived.

Throughout our Kappa lives we have always remembered the year 1911. We have taken every opportunity to reflect on the miracle that happened in January of that year. We have honored our beloved Founders, as though they were far above mere mortals, not because they were, but because we uniquely know the depth and breadth of their vision and the one hundred years of positive results.

I pray that future generations of Kappas will continue to perpetuate the legacy of our Founders, and that the service we render to mankind will reflect acts of substance, that not only satisfy members of the fraternity, but change the plight of the least of these in our society-at-large. I believe that we will continue to grow as “One Kappa! Creating Inspiration” and always responding to “A Call to Service.” Happy Birthday Kappa Alpha Psi!

Sincerely,

Dwayne M. Murray, Esq.
31st Grand Polemarch

plez sez: Congratulations on 100 years of Achievement to all of my Fraternity Brothers!

Achievement in every field of human endeavor.