Dear Mr. President:
Today is the day we celebrate the life and work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King; a day which has always had special meaning to and for me. For the twelve years that I served as the Executive Director of Phi Beta Sigma, I always worked in the office on this special day. In fact – I always worked on all holidays (derived from the term holy days), Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc. However on MLK Day, I always worked extra long as a tribute to a man who gave all that he had to make America live up to the ultimate goals of its founding fathers.
On this special day, I rededicate myself to the fulfillment of the ultimate goals of our Founders – the Founders of our great fraternity. Phi Beta Sigma is not great because of what it does – because it really does not do very much of what it was created to do. Phi Beta Sigma is great because of its ultimate goal-purpose. The Founders of Phi Beta Sigma established a new fraternity on the campus of Howard University in the winter of 1914 because they did not feel that any organization existed which properly bound college trained men to the communities from which they had come. Our Founders developed a very simple and straight-forward formula. They said that the ultimate goal-purpose of college-trained men should be “Service??? to those from whom they had come – to all humanity. To be able to give the proper “Service???, our Founders believed that college-trained men should pursue the necessary “Scholarship??? – to gain the specific knowledge required to provide assistance to the community. And to be properly oriented and organized, our Founders believed that men should be bound together in a fraternal “Brotherhood???.
As I sit and write this letter to you today and over the days that it will take to complete it; any honest Sigma will have to admit that we are far from the goal-purpose of our Founders. There are specific reasons for our being off track. I wish to share those reasons with you; and to share those reasons with the general membership beyond you who, like you, may not be aware of the reasons for our being so far off track.
I joined Phi Beta Sigma almost forty years ago – about a decade before you became a brother in this great experiment in fraternity life. Because my membership predates yours, and that of many current members and officers, I intend this letter to be instructive – not confrontational. I recognize that you and others may take my letter as confrontational; but I wish to clearly state that that is not the purpose for my writing. I feel an absolute responsibility to advocate for the position of our Founders. I concede to no man any greater right to Phi Beta Sigma than mine and I take no greater right to Phi Beta Sigma than is granted to my brothers. And, if we are to be faithful to our founding principle of “Scholarship???, we should be willing to engage in a dialogue designed to both explore the reasons for our founding and the important mechanisms that our Founders left us to preserve the direction and goal-purpose that they entrusted to us to fulfill. I invite you, therefore, to join in a colloquy that will help to better elucidate the structures and mechanism that we might put back in place as we seek to move to our 100th Anniversary celebration. I recognize that you might not wish to engage in this dialogue or any dialogue at all; but it seems to me that the highest titular officer of our fraternity should be interested in any and all situations that can help to better achieve the goals of our Founders. I write to you in this spirit and for that purpose.
In this writing; I intend to discuss three topics:
- The importance of restoring the Conclave
- The importance of fully establishing the position of Executive Director and,
- The importance of refocusing the position of the program directors.
Restoration of the Conclave:
The defining Article of our constitution (Article III – Section 3) reads, “The supreme body of the Fraternity shall be the Conclave, and it shall be composed of the delegates from the several chapters as provided for in the By-laws of the Fraternity, together with the Present Elected Officers, Immediate Past International President, and the Present Directors of the Regions of the Fraternity.”
It was the intention, both of our Founders and of the constitutional scholars who initially wrote this provision that our chapter delegates, working as a unit, act as the supreme authority of Phi Beta Sigma. And while this provision still stands on paper; in truth and in fact this provision is violated on a daily basis by our officers and by our chapters.
I will discuss the restoration of the Conclave in three sections:
- The basic function and structure of the Conclave
- How we got off track
- What steps must be put in place to restore and implement the Conclave
The basic function and structure of the Conclave:
The Founders organized Phi Beta Sigma to be a brotherhood in the African model. In the African model, power is retained by the member chapters (designated as the bottom level in a hierarchical structure); and the assembly of those member chapters (the Conclave) is the supreme policy and program designating body of the organization. This African designed structure is completely opposite the European model which concentrates power in the hands of a few persons designated as officers (seen as the top level in a hierarchical structure). Under the structure that our Founders gave to us our chapters assembled in the conclave and represented by their respective delegates would be (and are) the body that preserves the direction and organizes the on-going development of the international fraternity.
Phi Beta Sigma has three divisional components which must work cooperatively together in order for the fraternity to function properly; the Conclave, the General Board and the office of the Executive Director. It is the job of the Conclave to define policy and programs. It is the job of the Executive Director and his staff to translate those policies and programs into a workable process of operation, and once approved (by the board on behalf of the Conclave); to carry out that program as approved. And, it is the job of the General Board (on behalf of the Conclave) first to approve the program and then to monitor that the will of the Conclave is being properly carried out by the Executive Director and his staff as agreed to. The Executive Director cannot define policy and, except in the most critical situations, the General Board must not define policy. In the model given to us by the constitution, Phi Beta Sigma operates in a manner drastically different from a European-styled corporation – because it is at base not a corporation; but is, instead, at base a brotherhood.
A corporation satisfies the legal structure defined in the American system; but speaks, in no way to the moral structure required by the Founders of Phi Beta Sigma. A brotherhood is a moral structure where the members are tied to each other morally as well as legally. A legal structure is a low-level structure whereas a moral structure is a high-level structure. Things are often said to be legal (meeting the minimum requirement of law) while the same thing might be highly immoral (not meeting in any way the requirement of morality).
What was envisioned by those who initially designed our shift to a full-time operation was that the Conclave would assume many of the duties that the General Board was forced to carry out at a time when our facilities did not allow us to operate at the level required by a full-time organization. Under the full-time operation plan we should have by now established the mechanism for the Conclave to set up national committeemen for all of the primary committee functions. Prior to full-time operation these major committees were appointed by the president. With movement to full-time operation all committees should be appointed by and become responsible to the Conclave. These Conclave committees would be answerable to the Conclave rather than to the General Board; and would be coordinated by the Executive Director rather than by the General Board. By never expanding to a full-time operational format, and in fact thwarting such a transition, the General Board of Phi Beta Sigma has usurped the normal functions associated with a full-time organization and frozen Phi Beta Sigma into a format that works to keep the fraternity small and ineffectual. The result is predictable.
Members of Phi Beta Sigma are continually dissatisfied with the lack of proper service delivery in Phi Beta Sigma. Most members blame the Executive Director; a created impression from which our board members do nothing to dissuade the membership. In truth, the International Executive Director of Phi Beta Sigma has less authority than the National Executive Secretary had prior to the time we opened the National Office. The actual day-to-day activity of the fraternity is presently designed and effectuated through the International President – who is possibly the least able to direct the fraternity as he has received not a single day of training to carry out the tasks which one president after another attempts to achieve.
Over the past several administrations, each current International President rather than “presiding??? over the board (the actual duty implied by his given title), has attempted to “direct??? the fraternity (the duty implied by the title held by the International Director. I served for a dozen years under a series of presidents who served at most four years. Most of them tried to “direct??? the fraternity rather than preside over the General Board. The result has been the lack of any semblance of consistent forward movement.
I do not fault you, Mr. President, for the manner in which you are conducting your office. You are simply doing what your predecessors did before you. And sadly, to my way of thinking, your administration is proving to be no more successful than most of those which preceded you. Phi Beta Sigma is a membership organization. The organization belongs to the membership. And until the membership sets the priorities independent of what is good for any particular officer, Phi Beta Sigma will remain what it has been for most of the last twenty years – fifth in a four man race.
Beyond giving the membership the impression that the Executive Director is the source of the problems in Phi Beta Sigma, the refusal of the board to relinquish to the Director and Conclave the authorities that they should have received almost thirty years ago removes the one body from review and monitoring that was organized for that purpose. One of the primary reasons that the General Board should refrain from making policy decisions is that to do so makes it impossible for them to review and monitor themselves. The Conclave should make policy – the Executive should carry out policy – and the board should monitor the implementation of that policy.
On the one side the board is usurping the function of the Executive Director who should be free to design policy implementation and then carry out that implementation on a day-to-day basis without interference (so long as he is adhering to the previously agreed to plan). On the other side the refusal of the board to coordinate the proper organization of the Conclave means that there is no consistent policy development or follow-up at the Conclave level. If the policy was developed by the Conclave, rather than by a series of presidents, there would be some basis for consistency and organizational memory. The reliance on one president after another developing his own program (a program which under most circumstances is only a political gimmick to get elected) means that every time we get a new president, we also get a new program direction.
How We Got Off Track:
The direction that the Founders gave us was usurped in 1980 at the February meeting of the General Board. At that meeting, I (acting as Executive Director) presented a report of more than 100 pages (a program which had been mailed to each board member thirty days prior to the board meeting) outlining the on-going development of the fraternity. I presented my report as I did because I understood that the Executive Director had the sole responsibility of translating the will of the Conclave into a workable plan of action. At the 1980 General Board Meeting the then president (Charles B. Wright) requested that the board table my report and plan in favor of a plan that he said that he had personally developed. By the presentation of his plan, and the board’s acceptance of that program, the then president and General Board committed what I consider to be organizational treason against Phi Beta Sigma.
From the point of the 1980 meeting of the General Board until today, the successive presidents have believed (quite mistakenly) that it was their right and function to “direct??? the international fraternity. This impression is caused by not understanding the critical difference between a tri-partite structure (such as the United States) and a unitary structure (which is what we have in Phi Beta Sigma). In the United States, the president is in charge of charting a direction for the nation. The only control that the people have is through their elected representatives who, in theory, control the purse strings. In Phi Beta Sigma, all units are fully subservient to the Conclave and the president is primarily the presiding officer of the General Board. In this position, the president has almost no authority to develop policy at all.
The General Board of Phi beta Sigma is formed to give a balanced and uniform review on behalf of the Conclave. Ultimately; no member of the General Board outranks any other member of the General Board. The president is no more important than the vice president or the treasurer. Each elected member has one vote and no one vote carries more weight than another. Moreover, the president, rather than being more powerful – is in actuality more limited than any other member of the board. As the presiding officer of the board, the president should refrain in most cases from taking any personal position at all, as is common for most presiding officers. Presiding officers must maintain a sense of impartiality so that the other board members can feel that they have a fair opportunity to be heard.
Beyond having a presiding officer who can take unfair advantage of fellow board members, there have been specific cases within the fraternity when legal counsels (or those on the board with legal licenses) have also kept important information from other board members on the basis that the matters kept secret were legal in nature and therefore only able to be understood or acted upon by attorneys. Boards are set up to include persons of various backgrounds with the understanding that at times the decisions they reach may not be the most legally protective; but hopefully will be the most uniformly satisfactory.
What steps must be put in place to restore and implement the Conclave:
Phi Beta Sigma initially came to Washington, DC to follow the “Delta??? model. Under the administrations of Hon. Patricia Roberts Harris who served as Delta’s International President (later to become Secretary of H.E.W. and H.U.D.) and Hon. Dorothy Height who served as Delta’s Executive Director (later to become President of the National Council of Negro Women), Delta was able to utilize federal monies to expand their office staff from 6 to 36 workers. The initial purpose of locating in Washington was to be able to work with the federal government fulfilling the necessary contracts that groups of our type and function can perform because of our varied, professional membership while expanding our office staff base.
During my service as Executive Director, I was the single fraternal director who attended the many tiresome White House and Congressional meetings and conferences to which national membership organizations are routinely invited. The result of my diligence was an invitation for our president (Hon. Demetrius C. Newton) to the White House to meet the President of the United States. That situation had not happened prior to my service and has not happened, to my knowledge, since.
Also, in Delta, the Executive Director plans and executes all regional conferences insuring that all members of all regions are properly prepared to make decisions on the important questions facing the sorority at the international meeting. In Phi Beta Sigma, there is no correspondence at all between the various regional meetings and the Executive Director is treated, in most cases, as an outsider rather than as the Executive Director of the entire fraternity. There is also, within Phi Beta Sigma, the tendency to restrict the Executive Director to the administration of the national Office rather than the directing of the entire fraternity and all of its operations.
To put Sigma back on track, the membership, acting through their individual delegates to the Charlotte Conclave, must restore the Conclave as the policy making body of our fraternity. The delegates must take charge of the Conclave, adjusting both the rules and agenda to identify the two or three most important questions facing the fraternity. Once identified, time must be created to debate and discuss the pros and cons of that limited number of questions and a uniform decision made as to how to proceed to reach a consistent uniformly agreeable solution to those problems.
Beyond setting Conclave policy in the two or three most important areas, the Conclave must elect national committeemen for all of the important committees and set before those committeemen the task that they are expected to perform for the upcoming Conclave years.
Finally; and only after the Conclave has decided its direction, should officers be elected. These officers should be elected on the basis of their ability to watch over and preserve the Conclave’s policy directives rather than upon their personalities or the slickness of a campaign. In fact – no officer should be chosen based upon a campaign. Rather; officers should be nominated by their fellow brothers on the basis of their allegiance to the principles of the fraternity (Brotherhood – Scholarship – Service) and their willingness to carry out the Conclave’s policy rather than trying to force the Conclave to follow their policies.
This is the first elaboration of a process to which I will give additional time over the coming months as chapters begin to move to reclaim the authority initially designed for them by our Founders and the elder who assisted them.
The Elevation of the International Executive Director:
When the full-time operation was conceived by Phi Beta Sigma it was premised upon the elevation of the position of Executive Secretary to one of an Executive Director. Our Executive Director, consistent with the Delta plan, would direct the fraternity rather than being restricted to directing the administrative office.
Presently our Executive Director has no overall directorial responsibility for the general fraternity and no control over either the design of the fraternal budget or it annual disposition. By allowing the various International presidents to set the policy course in the fraternity, we have wandered without consistency from one administration through another with little visible accomplishment.
In order to make our Director what he must be; we will have to strengthen his authority in our constitution and to resolve other inconsistencies that have been put into the constitution in recent years. Bro. William Doar served as Executive Secretary for thirty years while remaining as a loyal member of Kappa Beta Sigma Chapter. I served as Executive Director while serving as president of Alpha Sigma. There was never any hint that either one of us was giving any possible favor to our home chapter. Yet; now the Executive Director is specifically banned from chapter membership in the constitution.
As a matter of logic, no officer of Phi Beta Sigma should be divorced from chapter membership and specifically not the Executive Director. All of our officers should be “in the member’s faces??? not simply because we are a member-based, chapter-based organization; but also because they must be directly accountable to those who they are to serve. Of late, becoming an officer has meant that you became superior to regular chapter membership – something which should never be allowed. Many of our past presidents become divorced from chapter membership during their presidency and seldom return to regular, participatory membership after serving as president. This action is diametrically different from the actions taken our Founders who also served in national offices; but remained loyal and active chapter members until their deaths.
At present, there is discussion that a new Executive Director is being sought. My personal view is that such a search is both ill-timed and ill-conceived. First – I do not personally believe than any current board member is properly prepared to choose either an old or a new director; as few are conversant with the actual duties required. Moreover, the fraternity has made a significant investment in the current director; who, while he may not have been the best candidate when selected, has now gained important knowledge on the job as he has progressed.
We stand seven years from our 100th anniversary. The position of Executive Director should not be a political plum to be awarded to favorites. The Executive Director must be accountable to all membership and represent all membership. And while presidents are specifically chosen for short periods; Executive Directors, for the good of the organization, are appointed for long periods.
As the process that will lead either to the appointment of a new director or the reappointment of the current director proceeds, as member, and as the longest-serving past Executive Director, I request that the membership be made aware of the candidates who have applied in the same manner that you, Mr. President, shared the application of the present director.
A previous Executive Director was passed off to the membership as a man who held a PhD and paid a commensurate salary when, in fact, he had only earned a B.A. and had been in the organization for only about four years when appointed executive director. The appointment of that director and the misrepresentation of his credentials was either a deliberate falsification or a gross example of nonfeasance. We do not wish to have such a situation created again. The board has demonstrated its inability to properly investigate candidates; the membership must become involved to preserve the integrity of our fraternity. I request that the names of all candidates and their credentials be made public as was the name of the present director.
Refocusing the Program Directors:
Prior to the advent of integration, the program directors had the responsibility for examining the various programs of the chapters for special award. The program directors had little responsibility to set up programs.
As a chapter-based organization, the chapters have the responsibility of designing programs under the three primary program areas (Education, Social Action and Bigger & Better Business) which can best bring assistance to their local communities and campuses. A program which might work well in one area might be completely unsuitable for another area. The important principle is that all action takes place on the local level and member chapters must make the decision as to which programs best fit both the needs in their area and their ability to bring resolution to those situations.
I was present in the early 1980’s when Vernon Jordan (then head of the Urban League) called the officers of the primary African-American organizations to a series of meetings in New York. At the meetings, we were instructed as to how we would have to change the focus of our organizations in order to be able to receive corporate sponsorships. The change required that we become “top-down??? rather than “bottom-up??? in structure. I did not realize it at that moment; but the change that was being suggested was exactly counter to the direction that our Founders had given us.
Under our previous structure, chapters were asked to do an assessment as to how our programs might be effectuated within their local communities; carefully documenting the outline and conduct of the program in their annual chapter reports o their respective regional conferences. The job of the program directors was to come to the local communities and to highlight the chapters for their achievements and to award them credit in their local communities or on their campuses based upon the conduct of those programs. The best programs could them be compiled and passed up the structure to the national body. This process provided a record as to how programs could best be carried out. With the shift to programs being designed by the program directors rather than by the chapters; chapter reports have virtually disappeared and there is no longer a compilation of successful programs to which new chapter can refer for ideas. Moreover the local highlighting of chapters in their communities or campuses has all but ceased. We must return to the original format given to us by our Founders so that the programs of Phi Beta Sigma can once again become viable and our chapters highlighted in their local communities or on their campuses.
This has been a long letter; but you knew that at the moment you saw my name on your email. You, Mr. President, are the titular head of the fraternity. You are in place not to lead us; but instead to serve us. You are our drum major. We need you out in front effectively leading the Sigma band.
But to be effective, you must understand the function of the drum major. The drum major has flash – he has the lights on him – folks see him in front. But the drum major does not lead the band. That job belongs to the bass drum. The bass drum sets the beat for both the drum major and the band.
And when, from time to time, the drum major drops his baton; he must quickly do two things. First – he pick up his baton and then he must listen for the steady beat of the bass drum. And as long as he brings his left foot down in cadence with the drum, he will be back in step. And with him in step; the rest of the band will be in step also.
In Phi Beta Sigma, the Executive Director is the bass drum. He sets the steady beat to which you, while serving as president, must temporarily march.
I have written to you, in this first letter of several, to urge you to work with drum that the fraternity now has and to begin moving Sigma in a corrective direction. Many of us have already decided that we are going to see Sigma become what it was created to become. I have known and liked you for a quarter-century. I would like to see you give presidential leadership to the restoration of the Founder’s direction. But I am honor bound to also inform you that neither I nor the membership will not follow you if you decide either to continue in the present direction or to move counter to our joint efforts.
Phi Beta Sigma is a brotherhood and our eventual direction must be consistent both with the direction set in place by our Founders and the progression of those programs as enumerated through the various policies and programs put in place by our Conclave. We cannot any longer be governed by the will of a few or the personal direction of a small clique within our wondrous band. We must become “one for all and all for one???. That, for me, is the real message of the power of one. We must be a corporate ONE; not just ruled by one.
Mr. President, you can help to salvage the remnants of what our Founders established. I call upon you to do so.
Godbless.
Brothers please read this letter! After reading, please copy this letter and e-mail it to every brother within Sigma. I appreciate this brother and it further notes what so many have said on this blog. While it is callled the unofficial blog, look at how many brothers read and visit the site. It is grassroots efforts like this site that we return Sigma to its original purpose.
The truth sure hurts! I only hope brothers read this open letter and do something about it.
The frat is speaking up! And Paul should listen to what the brothers are saying behind closed doors. I believe if the leadership dosen’t listen a “take the frat back” campaign will begin.
If not Paul, then who? That is the million dollar question no one wants to answer. I visit this site weekly to see who might be running for national president and to date no news. If that is the case then we really have nothing to say because we offer no alternative.
Hotep Brothers:
NO ONE SHOULD BE “RUNNING” FOR PRESIDENT. We should not be in a political situation. WE ARE A “BROTHERHOOD”.
You have the power to recommend someone to your brothers based upon their past allegiance to our principles and how they have handled power in th past.
WHO DO YOU WANT???
That is the pertinent question.
Godbless.
Brothers,
We are the brothers that need to do something about it. As we gain momentum others will join us in our work to return Sigma to the members. Paul is not thinking about any of this, which is an unfortunate reality. His vision is too clouded and at this poitn we are only providing lip service.
We all need to be in Charlotte and bring at least one other brother with us. Showing in numbers will have them pay attention to what is going on around them.
There are too many brother afraid to speak out or confront these cats. This is OUR farternity. What are we willing to do to save our wondrous band?
When we arrive in Charlotte we need to place names in nomination, from the floor, for all positions. Now is the time to collect those names and discuss our options. So, start suggesting names to the membership that we can discuss. I is also vital that we encourage all chapters to send their delegate to the conclave with open minds. Do not come with a concrete slate of candidates to vote for, but leave your options open.
PEACE,
Todd
This is OUR fraternity and returning it to the brotherhood will take a change in mindset. The real answer to this delimma is how to expose the brotherhood to the truth that has always been in front of them. All a brother has to do is read the Sigma Light and he would understand that we have moved away from our founders goal. So How do we expose brothers to the truth? Simple we do so through e-mail, letters, etc. And begin a grassroots effort to educate the brotherhood. THAT IS WHY, I BELIEVE A CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT THAT IS QUALIFIED AND HAS THIS MESSAGE COULD WIN EASILY! THE BROTHERS WANT CHANGE BUT WHO IS THE ALTERNATIVE!!!!
Paul wins b/c no alternative offered! Same ole shi… no alternative candidate offered! And the conclave is approaching!
Jim there has to be an alternative candidate out there. While I remain hopeful, I encourage all the brothers I know to get more involved. I took Brother gerald Smiths letter and sent it to several e-mail groups within PBS. Also, there is a group of brothers in LA trying to get Brother Sammad to run for president. I am going to join that crusade and try within my means to offer an alternative for the future of Sigma.
Mallet, G. Smith, Will, Thomas and others need to stop writing. You guys really think the brotherhood cares about change. Until you energize the local chapter to really care by putting forth a unified plan, they will continue to operate the same way. This I believe starts wit a brother who will really represent the brotherhood. I have read this blog over the past month and the one thing that stands out is brother want change but offer no road map by way of an alternate person who will represent that change. Whether we want to believe it or not, if griff is not the man then when are we going to see this other brother stand up and represent what so many brothers are noting on this blog which is a request for change. WHO?
Hotep:
I plan to do exactly what you have asked for Brother Ted.
The best Sigma that I know ((Bro. Meredith Jackson) has gone inactive since joining the ministry. I am now searching the country for him. Many brothers will recognize Meredith as the brother who, for years, worked registration at the Conclave (quietly serving his brothers).
Meredith is a Sigma’s Sigma. He exemplifies our principles. I would feel totally comfortable offering him to my brothers as our president.
I urge other brothers also to seek out those who we will recommend rather than those who are “seeking” office.
Godbless.
Sammad is being offered & their is a team in LA urging this brother to run. however I know Brother Jackson but have not seen him in more than a decade. I will aid with the search.
Whoever is offered has little time to formulate a message and get it in the hands of brothers across the country. I know Sammad but dont know Bro. Meridith Jackson. Whoever is the alternative needs to stand up and do so soon!!!!!
http://www.anthonysamad.com. Encourage the brother to run! He has a search committee regarding the viability of running this year. We all know we need change.
Hotep Brothers:
I do not mean to throw cold water on anybody who may be put forth as a presidential possibility; but research need to be done on whoever is put forth before they are recommended.
I have known Anthony since his last name was Essex and he was part of the Charles Wright camp. He may have changed – but there are questions that should be put to him to determine whether Anthony (or anybody else) is in line with restoruing the fraternity to the Founder’s path – or just interested in being the next “king of the hill”.
And while having been incarcerated may not be a deterrent to holding the highest office in our fraternity, brothers need to be aware of the record before they elect him and not when they read it for the first time in Jet Magazine following the election.
Once again, the primary qualifications should be how closely the proposed brother satisfies the principles of “Brotherhood”, “Scholarship” and “Service”.
Let’s not just throw out names without research.
Godbless.
Bro. G. Smith,
I had the privileged opportunity to view and thoroughly read your letter to bro. Paul Griffin who is our 32nd International President of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated. I can truly appreciate your words to bro. Paul Griffin as I can see your zeal and your passion to have Phi Beta Sigma be returned to the structure of brotherhood that it was at one time when you became a member. I can openly and honestly say that I want nothing more than to see the brotherhood that we once had returned to our ‘wonderous band’. In other words: I also want my fraternity back!
I am not here to question or debate anything that you said. This response to you is for my own clarity. In other words I am here to LEARN. I as respond to you I am also reading your letter and the areas that I touch upon are the areas where I seek clarity. This way I can learn from you [or anyone else who wishes to chime in] as I go along. I chose to forward instead of reply so that this way the letter will still be attached and anyone who wishes to see your words in reference to my questions may do do. Again I am not here to question or debate, I am here to learn. If I do not touch upon a particular area that means I totally understand what was said and there is no need to elaborate any further OR it means that I missed it totally.
First of all, I totally agree with you when you said “Phi Beta Sigma operates in a manner drastically different from a European-styled corporation — because it is at base not a corporation, but is, instead, at base a brotherhood”. No truer words have ever been spoken. With that in mind I also agree that we as a fraternal brotherhood should have shifted to a full-time operation a long time ago. With the vision of a full-time structure and operation within vision I first wish to ask…
1. What would be the titles of the officers who are also paid employees of the fraternal brotherhood as a full-time structured operation?
2. May I please have a definition of “National Committeemen”? I have never heard this title before.
3. If I may ask, why do you believe that we have never expanded to a full-time operational font? Do you believe that move was COVERTLY intentional or PURELY accidental?
4. With the term ‘training’ [or lack thereof] in connection with our International Presidents not having received any in order to carry out the tasks that which one President after another has attemped to achieve…are you suggesting training workshops for those officers [such as newly elected Presidents and newly appointed Executive Directors] in order to have the effective tools necessary to meet the overwhelming demands of the offices in question?
5. If you are suggesting training workshops, who would be the ones to conduct these training workshops for newly elected officers and newly appointed Executive Directors? [I am thinking not past officers as their thinking was flawed in the role and duties of the offices to begin with].
6. Did the General Board EVER have the Constitutional Powers which allowed them to vote and on and table a report of the Executive Secretary / Executive Director in order plan in favor of a report by the President that had not yet even been seen let alone reviewed?
7. If the General Board NEVER had such delegated Constitutional Powers then how was this allowed to happen? In other words, how could the General Board assume a power that is not expressly granted to them by our Fraternity’s Constitution?
8. Are the intended powers of the President anything more than presiding or acting as a figure head to our national organization?
9. What is your reason as to why particular legal counsels have kept from other board members or from the general brotherhood membership in total? If it is legal in nature and language then don’t we as college educated men have the capacity to understand the legal jargon if it is explained to us thoroughly?
10. Who are the members that plan our regional conferences other than the Regional Director? What are the titles of regional conference planners?
11. What is the difference between ‘national committeemen’ and ‘program officers’?
12. What is the ORIGINALLY intended role and responsibilities of the International Executive Director [elevated up from National Executive Secretary]?
13. Do you bro. Gerald know the names [if any] of any candidates who have applied for the position of International Executive Director?
14. Why do you believe that our immediate past International Executive Director was passed off as possessing a PhD when in fact he only possessed a B.A.? Do you believe that this was a COVERTLY intentional move or a PURELY accidental move? Do you believe that it was the intention to intentionally mislead the brotherhood on the credentials of our immediate past International Executive Director?
15. The CHAPTER REPORTS committee is not the only committee that has virtually disappeared. So has the SIGMA / ZETA RELATIONS committee. Why do you believe that these two committees have ‘virtually’ disappeared? Do you believe that the disappearance of these committees was a COVERTLY intentional move or a PURELY accidental move?
Okay, these fifteen questions are the areas where I am seeking clarity in connection to your letter to the International President, Paul Griffin. Please understand I am not defending Paul Griffin because I personally do not believe that he has done a THING for Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity since he was elected into office at the 2005 Conclave in Los Angeles, California. Also I am not here to argue or debate a thing. I said it before and I shall say it again, I am merely here to learn. Once you are able to school me on what I have just asked bro. Gerald then I will be able to move forward and keep up with your position. I defer to you as you are indeed the seasoned brother here. I eagerly await hearing your response.
Hotep, bro Gerald Smith
Bro. Lorenzo E. Johnson
Epsilon Sigma Chapter
Harlem Alumni Chapter
Spring 1988
Logic1914@aol.com
Dear Brother Johnson:
I am deeply appreciative that you have taken the extraordinary step of writing to pose questions to me. Many members know that things are not organized correctly; but they will not invest the time to ask questions or seek information. I am urging brothers to ask questions because I am certain that if they get the proper information, they will know automatically what to do to put Sigma back on track.
1. What would be the titles of the officers who are also paid employees of the fraternal brotherhood as a full-time structured operation?
There is no real difference in the titles than the titles we presently use. At this time, we only have one paid officer in Phi Beta Sigma. That officer is our International Executive Director (IED). Had we expanded to the point envisioned at the initial opening of the National Headquarters, we would probably have both a paid Comptroller and Accountant on staff by this time; and they would also be officers of the fraternity.
The difference comes not in the titles but, instead, in the functions. Part-time organizations do business in an occasional, non-consistent basis. Full-time organizations do business on a daily, consistent basis; and therefore must have a trained, full-time staff that is following a consistent plan of operation which has been adopted or agreed to by the membership.
2. May I please have a definition of “National Committeemen”? I have never heard this title before.
You have not heard this terminology because we do not presently have any National Committeemen. We are still, as I have said before, operating on a part-time basis while portraying ourselves to the public as a full-time organization. Simply calling a “part-time??? operation “full-time??? does not make it full-time.
When arrive at the Conclave in July, we will be told that there are committees on which brothers will be asked to serve. Brothers will volunteer to serve on the Grievance Committee, the Resolutions Committee, the Law and Revision Committee, etc. Over the four to five days of the Conclave the committees will hurry to make decisions on the important matters placed before them without the preparation, time and attention that the matters deserve. Organizations that are organized do not do business in this way.
What we should do is to appoint Conclave-level committees which would operate throughout the year so that when the arrive at the Conclave they could present their final reports that are well thought out, concise and complete rather than rushed, incomplete and often in error. At the Conclave, they would also hold hearings in order to formulate and finalize the recommendations that they bring before the Conclave to get further instructions.
National committeemen elected by the Conclave at the Conclave would be responsible to the Conclave itself rather than to a political president. They could be questioned and would have to answer; which is not now a part of the process. Their routine work would be coordinated by the Executive and reported through regular means throughout the year to the membership. You would know the members of the various committees both in your region and in the country; and you would be able to consult and interact with them.
Let me give you an example of how we now do business:
At the Dallas Conclave in 1999, a report was made to the General Board and then adopted by the Conclave that expelled twelve members from the fraternity. The action was completely unconstitutional. Several officers rammed the action through hand-picked committees and with the help of a biased presiding officer and no one ever took the time to examine whether or not the constitution had been followed before putting in place the fraternal equivalent of the death penalty. And unfortunately, the primary violators of the constitution were the three attorneys who served on the board at that time (one as Regional Director, one as Legal Counsel and one as National President).
The constitution says that in order for anyone to be expelled from the fraternity, notice must be given to them at-least ten days prior to the Conclave at which the action will be put forth so that they can personally appear before the Conclave in their defense. The Conclave is the final authority – not the board.
Regardless of the merits or non-merits of the various cases, the basic directives of the constitution were violated as less than ten days elapsed from the time that the board voted to bring the action before the Conclave until the expulsion was voted. None of the expelled brothers were notified that they were going to be expelled; and although years have passed since the expulsion, to this day none of the men has been informed that they were expelled. The actions were purely political and designed to make certain officers look good on the Conclave floor.
By the way, two of the expelled brothers are presently members of my chapter and I wish that someone would object to their activity so that I could take the fraternity to court to force us follow our own constitution.
3. If I may ask, why do you believe that we have never expanded to a full-time operational font? Do you believe that move was COVERTLY intentional or PURELY accidental?
The answer is “a little bit of both???. The shift in operations happened at the same time as the election of President Charles B. Wright. Charles was a tall, gifted and charismatic brother who, unfortunately, believed that the president of the fraternity should be similar to the President of the United States. He was able to bully the board into doing what he wanted. Charles’ administration was short because, in his short eighteen months in office, he nearly bankrupted the fraternity. It took the administrations of both Demetrius Newton and James Floyd to put us back in the black. While the fraternity was on shaky ground, Charles’ friends and cohorts laid low. As soon as the fraternity was back in the black, Charles’ main supporter, Carter D. Womack resurfaced and ran for president three times firmly restoring Charles’ president-centered structure in place and insuring Sigma’s retreat from the Founder’s pathway using public relations gimmicks; but lacking in any tangible achievement at all.
4. With the term ‘training’ [or lack thereof] in connection with our International Presidents not having received any in order to carry out the tasks that which one President after another has attempted to achieve…are you suggesting training workshops for those officers [such as newly elected Presidents and newly appointed Executive Directors] in order to have the effective tools necessary to meet the overwhelming demands of the offices in question?
What most brothers do not understand is that the elected officers of the fraternity serve primary in ceremonial positions. Their primary function is to monitor activities on behalf of the Conclave. You don’t need a great deal of training to watch and monitor.
The elected officers serve temporarily as was originally supposed to be the same for our congressmen and senators. Unfortunately, unless the masses watch those who they elect; many will try to find ways to enshrine themselves in office as many congressmen have done. In our case, most of our officers have been in one board office or another for most of the past thirty years. They are no longer interested in principle; but instead in maintaining position. Our officers don’t get a lot of money from the fraternity; but over time it allows for regular and routine travel and nice amenities.
Average brothers must begin to enforce standards on their officers. Elected officers must serve those who elect them rather than order around those who elected them. They must do what we say rather than try to force us to do what they want. And if we insist that they exemplify our principles, we will get a whole different group from those we now have.
5. If you are suggesting training workshops, who would be the ones to conduct these training workshops for newly elected officers and newly appointed Executive Directors? [I am thinking not past officers as their thinking was flawed in the role and duties of the offices to begin with].
Your question points up one of our most glaring problems. We have no public service or public service training in Phi Beta Sigma what-so-ever. From time to time, we have workshops on how to dress to impress or to get a job – but that’s stuff focused on us. Remember GOMAB means “[We are the] Generations of men About Business – translation, “It’s All About Us???.
The Founders asked that we focus on humanity. They said – “It’s All About Them???. We have no workshops designed to make us better humanity focused public servants – for members or officers. Just like our officers, we have become completely self-centered, self-promoting and almost totally useless as Sigmas. And the outside world knows that we are not about anything; which is why they don’t give us any “dap??? at all.
At this point, we would need to bring in folks who actually do public service to teach us all how to get back on track.
6. Did the General Board EVER have the Constitutional Powers which allowed them to vote and on and table a report of the Executive Secretary / Executive Director in order plan in favor of a report by the President that had not yet even been seen let alone reviewed?
Easy answer is “NO??? – But they did it.
All problems begin in the mind. Most of our members are “chapter-centered???. We have never “mentally??? become a national organization – we don’t think in a national manner. The only time we function as a national organization is at the Conclave – and then only for a couple of days. Our officers understand how we think; and they exploit out lack of national focus to their benefit.
When I served as Executive Director, I was continually amazed that brothers would show up at the office and expect me to “just sit and rap??? with them. They had no concept that the headquarters was a “business office??? rather than a big “frat house???. They had no concept that I had administrative duties to perform on behalf of the national fraternity. Often, I had to politely ask them to leave so that we could get our work done.
Most brothers unfortunately do not know how a business should operate so they do not watch and do not demand consistent progress and process.
Let me give you an example:
Several months ago, brothers were up in arms about the administrative records being housed in the basement. The officers got busy and made it look like they were doing something. The brothers promptly went back to sleep.
I am on the reclamation committee, and I don’t have the slightest idea what is currently going on – and so I am certain that the average brother has no idea what’s going on. We have had no meetings and I am not certain who else is on the committee – Do you know who is on the committee???
But no one has kept the president’s feet to the fire. No one has asked for a progress report or an update or a time table. Most brothers are too busy writing Bluephi.com about Lovie Smith’s white wife. We don’t put much focus on important things.
Our officers have learned that no one is watching. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely!!!
7. If the General Board NEVER had such delegated Constitutional Powers then how was this allowed to happen? In other words, how could the General Board assume a power that is not expressly granted to them by our Fraternity’s Constitution?
Getting power is like rape. You don’t ask for what you want. You just take it.
The Conclave has never outlawed pledging. The board did that. The Conclave never voted to buy a building. The board did that. Two national dinners have been held to honor past presidents. The Conclave never designated those dinners or the committees that organized them. The board did that. Right now – some on the board are planning to sell the headquarters and move somewhere else. By the time the Conclave finds out, it will be a done deal. Right now there are plans to install a new Executive Director before the Conclave. Did you know that – will you have a say in the matter. The answer is “NO???. Do you even care??? – For most brothers, the answer seems to be “Not Much???.
Are you beginning to get the picture???
When folks are laid back and not watching their interests, devious people take whatever power they can get and they hold it as long as they can.
8. Are the intended powers of the President anything more than presiding or acting as a figure head to our national organization?
In a national organization of our type and structure, the national president has very limited power. The primary operational officer is the Executive Director – our COO. The president is the CEO.
Actually, the president does not even have the duty of presiding at the Conclave. At the Conclave we are a “delegate assembly???. During the Conclave we have no officers.
The president may or may not be a delegate to the Conclave depending upon whether or not his chapter designates him as one. Any delegate may recommend to the conference any other delegate to be presiding officer. There is no constitutional provision that gives that duty to the president.
9. What is your reason as to why particular legal counsels have kept from other board members or from the general brotherhood membership in total? If it is legal in nature and language then don’t we as college educated men have the capacity to understand the legal jargon if it is explained to us thoroughly?
More than a decade ago, I sued Phi Beta Sigma to force the fraternity to pay me the monies that I was legally owed. When I won the case, the lawyers for the fraternity requested that the record be sealed so that members of the fraternity not be able to see the dynamics of the case. Bottom line – folks will do whatever they have to do to maintain their power. Members of the board have been intimidated by the lawyers on the board just as members of the fraternity have been intimidated by the board itself.
Boards are put in place to reach the best “overall??? decision which may or may not be the most “legally defensible??? or “legally protected??? position. Being an attorney does not mean you are always right in your decisions. There are at-least two lawyers in every case – and in each case one of them has to lose.
One more note about my case against Phi Beta Sigma.
When I left the office of NED, it was said that I had stolen the computer programs and the tax money. Both charges, never made formally – only through rumor – were completely false. But here’s the thing. To this day not a single brother has ever asked me anything about either the charges or my case against Sigma. In most cases, we get what we deserve for our non-attention.
10. Who are the members that plan our regional conferences other than the Regional Director? What are the titles of regional conference planners?
You are a member of the fraternity in good standing. Why don’t you tell me? The point is, like most other stuff, they don’t tell you – and you never ask.
11. What is the difference between ‘national committeemen’ and ‘program officers’?
Their functions are different. Committeemen serve on committees. Program directors monitor the carrying out of programs.
12. What is the ORIGINALLY intended role and responsibilities of the International Executive Director [elevated up from National Executive Secretary]?
Take a look at any other organization with an Executive Director or the equivalent. I will use the NAACP as an example with one caveat. In the NAACP the person who functions as the Executive Director is Bruce Gordon even though his actual title is President and CEO. When Benjamin Hooks was Executive Director years ago, he changed his title to president (because he said that he wanted to be president of something). The president’s title was changed to Chairman of the Board. But, in actuality, Bruce Gordon functions as an Executive Director and the Chairman of the Board is Julian Bond.
Bruce Gordon runs the NAACP on a daily basis (all of it). You hear from him all of the time. Julian Bond is the actual head of the organization (he hired Bruce Gordon); but Julian Bond is heard from on a very limited basis. It was envisioned that our Executive Director would function similar to Bruce Gordon running all facets (not just the administrative office) of the fraternity on a consistent and cohesive basis.
13. Do you bro. Gerald know the names [if any] of any candidates who have applied for the position of International Executive Director?
Nothing official has been released and you are the first to even ask.
Word on the street is that Donald Jemison, Marco McMillian and Robert Greaux have applied and been interviewed. Since Marco McMillian is Carter Womack’s choice; that’s the choice I expect will be given to the board next month. Whether or not he is qualified is not even an issue. Whatever Carter wants Carter is willing to work to get. And most members just sit back and rub on more Vaseline.
14. Why do you believe that our immediate past International Executive Director was passed off as possessing a PhD when in fact he only possessed a B.A.? Do you believe that this was a COVERTLY intentional move or a PURELY accidental move? Do you believe that it was the intention to intentionally mislead the brotherhood on the credentials of our immediate past International Executive Director?
Brother Womack wanted Brother Miller because he knew that Lawrence would do as he wished and did not have enough strong ties with other areas of the fraternity to cause him any problems. He also knew that neither board members nor fraternity members would do any research what-so-ever to verify credentials and that they would assume that Lawrence was qualified if it was said that he had a PhD. And on that basis they could pay him twice what is was making.
Brother Womack was right one every score.
By the way, the information that Brother Miller did not have a PhD was revealed during my case against Phi Beta Sigma in court – which is one reason that the record was sealed. But I’m certain that you knew that (smile).
15. The CHAPTER REPORTS committee is not the only committee that has virtually disappeared. So has the SIGMA / ZETA RELATIONS committee. Why do you believe that these two committees have ‘virtually’ disappeared? Do you believe that the disappearance of these committees was a COVERTLY intentional move or a PURELY accidental move?
I have been married to a Zeta for nearly forty years. I have had a sister who is a Zeta for fifty years. I have been the son of a Zeta for nearly sixty years. I believe in Sigma/Zeta relationships.
Many of our present “leadership??? are unmarried and have lifestyles greatly different from mine. Sigma/Zeta relationships, Sigma/AKA relationships or Sigma/Delta relationships are not real high on their list. You do the math.
In closing:
Thank you once again for your questions. Please encourage your brother to ask me questions and to ask other brothers questions. If we begin to ask and answer questions we may gain the information that we need to save Sigma.
Godbless.
Brother Smith could not be more right. I have been apart of Sigma for nearly 50 years and have seen our spiral downward with regard to leadership. We need to return Sigma back to its “authentic self”. Many brothers have left Sigma because it left them, not the opposite. If anything this conclave or as its promoted a reunion of lines must be a real reunion whereby we return Sigma to Sigma and get back on the right track!!! Please, even if you love Paul, urge him to lead us back to our original purpose, which is why I became a member and so many of you.
Mallet & a team in Florida will be offering a candidate soon. This is good because we need other candidates that will put the presidents feet to the fire.
Paul will face real competition this year. While on the surface it looks like a landslide brothers are offering new candidates for this years conclave.
Conclave? Who among us can afford Conclave? The Chapter wants money, the Undergrads want money, the State wants money for their dues & conference, the Regional wants money for their dues and conference, and the National wants money annually… I’m sorry, but I’ve got nothing left for Conclave. These days make me wonder if Sigma is about nothing but wasting money. The only ones who can comfortably afford Conclave are those unmarried ones with no kids, that Bro Smith refers to, who get to enjoy that Paycheck all by themselves. And those severely punitive Conclave Absence Fees are about to chase many of us here out of the Fraternity! ! !
Paul offers no explaination to problems with the fraternity. Today I attended the state conference meeting for Texas and Paul was asked about problems w/the frat and he noted them as rumors.
Yep…all rumors. And Donald Jemison is still the NED.
Mallet
I don’t know what to believe anymore….
Is the posting above signed as Gerald Smith truly him or someone else? Are its contents the truth or rumor? Was the decaying frat documents in the basement described by Bro Abby Raymond truth or rumor? Is the Life Members treasury depleted or not? Was the rejection of the Sigma History Display at future Conclaves truth or rumor?
Spreading rumors is so evil. Where is the love for truth?
Brother I feel your pain but unfortunately its all true. It is certainly sad to see this happening but we have to arm ourselves and get involved in fixing the problem. The basement pics are true, the life membership funds being depleted are true, and yes G. smith did write the aforementioned response to the president. But rather than ask if these are true what are you going to do about it? Are you going to sit around and do nothing? What are you going to do? Will conclave 07 make a difference? If not apathy becomes the dominant theme once again.
Paul has got to go this year! Never have I seen in all my 25 years as a brother a president disregard the problems with the fraternity. I will be at this years conclave and I am encouraging all brothers to attend.
Mallet, Jeminson was let go today. Now who will to blame? Will Paul stick out like a sore thumb?
Hotep Moe:
Your information is completely incorrect.
Godbless.
Brothers lets not jump to conclusions, Jeminson decieded to leave. He knew he would be blamed for the gambit of problems at this years conclave. There is alot of heat on Paul and who better to blame other than the IED. Now Paul can say it was the IED’s fault and not own the problems by using Jeminson while asking for another 2 years.
Jemison did a good job. He was simply blamed for all the bad that continues to occur under this administration.
Jemison = scapegoat. It a front to make us think he is the total blame for the mess at the national office.
Take Griff Out. Hey lets go to conclave ready to get rid of Paul. My chapter here in Alabama is ready to support whoever runs against Paul. We are taking Griff out.
What has Paul done? No one seems to know. I just wish I knew what he did since being president. Somebody please tell me something. Anybody…All of the comments on this blog note him as being awful to say the least for the fraternity
Who is our National VP? What has this brother done? When you look at our numbers, one wonders…..who is holding who accountable?
We need to pray for Paul. He just dosent get it. My mission is to simply pray for new leadership even if Paul is the one providing it.
March 1st is Pray For Paul Day! seriously we need to pray for our President. I agree with Tim. Something is really wrong in our org. we need help that God can provide. My chapter along with a few others in the Chicago area are calling 3/1 as pray for our president day.
March 1st is my birthday. I’m going to be praying for me.
Mallet
Lets join together and pray as brothers for Paul. I think its a great idea. We need direction and 3/1 is a good day. Pastor Otis Williams out of Austin has said he will spearhead this effort in this Chicago.
3/1/07 could prove to be a wake up call for our president. Lets pray for vision and insight for the future of our great brotherhood.
Why are we praying for 32? He has shown little or no desire to initiate conversation with brothers that are not part of his advisor circle, he has made no effort to live up to his platform, he has lined his cabinet with (if I say it, then it will be a hardaway moment), he has tried his best to appear hip (aka boule) but came across as inept, country and out of touch (aka boule, nphc conference, pick an event, etc…).
Pray for him…I will pray that eventually he realizes what he has done by aligning himself with the snakes and backstabbers…
Lord Help us! We need to do something. And it seems no one is running against #32. Prayer is the obvious solution. Again, Lord help us.
#32 dosent care about what the brothers are saying. He is counting on brothers making comments via this blog and others yet doing nothing when its time to vote.
Prayer works but PAUL DOSENT!
Paul means well. Just needs help and guidance.
You’re all assholes. How do you air your internal drama out like this for the world to read. Just another laughing stock!
Brother, you obviously do not understand and are not apart of this organization.
Brothers,
While, of course, I don’t agree with the derrogatory comment by ‘Outsider’ above, it does seem like this forum should NOT be the one in which we slam and bam each other (however deserved it is). Needless to say, Phi Beta Sigma is a work in progress and may be struggling with leadership right now, BUT airing these issues out via a VERY public and uncontrolled blog (which is used by other orgs as well for all to see), strikes me as dumb (or at very least, inconsiderate to prospective members and/or neos). Why not use the services provided by the national website…you know, where you need to be a member and log in and all if we would like to discuss internal affairs.
Just my two cents,
Brandon C. Boles
Brandon, I hear you loud and clear but I disagree. We have issues the world needs to read about. I am sorry, keeping it a secret does not work with this org.
…so much for the private bond held between frat members…
How is it going bruhs? man i just want to say that our business should stay our business. if you make public the problems of our organization then you are offering outsiders into our frat. another thing is the meaning of our fraternal salutation is posted on the web by this site for the whole damn world to see.