On last Thursday (Jan 18), the members of Tri-Sigma Chapter adopted the “Seven Years of Jubilee” resolution to be forwarded to the General Board and the Conclave. The purpose of this communication is to outline the reasons for the resolution and to request the co-sponsorship of member chapters of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
History is the foundation upon which all people and organizations rest as they project themselves into the future. Phi Beta Sigma has a rich history; but unfortunately, much of the documentation of our history is seriously lacking. And every day we are losing elders who have not been exhaustively questioned to record the memories of events and personalities of the past about which our future generations must have knowledge. We recently lost Bro. Francis Hall, the last remaining author of the original Sigma Light. Brother Hall knew all of the Founders and had in his memory countless stories; many of which are now lost forever.
The Seven Years of Jubilee Resolution is designed to intensely focus the efforts of all chapters and units of Phi Beta Sigma on the researching and documenting of our history – at every level over each of the next seven years. Ancillary to the resolution, and not a direct part of the resolution is the construction of an electronic Phi Beta Sigma Family Tree which will document the chartering and development of each and every chapter in our fraternity beginning with the Founders and built upon the two senior chapters (Alpha Chapter for undergraduates and Alpha Sigma Chapter for graduates) as the trunks of our Sigma tree. In order to construct the family tree as well as to prepare the background and source material for an Anniversary history, it will be necessary for every chapter of the fraternity to fully document its founding and its developmental history. Also required will be the recording (both on video and audio) of the most senior members of our fraternity in every area. Over the past few years we have lost elders such as Bro. Oscar Morgan, Oliver Eastman, Bill Doar, and others; men whose very visual presence would serve to both inspire and instruct our future generations. We must not continue to lose our vital history.
The chapters of Phi Beta Sigma are the basic unit of the fraternity and the natural source of the policies and programs that should guide our organization. Over the past few years, an apathy has grown within the fraternity and much of our action seems aimless. This resolution is also designed to stimulate chapters to become cosponsors as a way to introduce them to the process by which they can begin again to have their Conclave delegates structure the business of our bi-annual legislative meeting to give both direction and energy to our future development.
I am urging member chapters of Phi Beta Sigma to adopt this resolution, either in a chapter meeting or by executive committee, and to forward their agreement and co-sponsorship to the Executive Director by certified mail (return receipt requested) for presentation through our General Board (if received in the National Office before February 6th) and to the Conclave (if received in the National Office after February 6th and before the Conclave).
If we set this item of business before the Conclave in the proscribed manner (and other resolutions and amendments in the same manner) we will quickly be able to restore the regular order left to us by our Founders and the Ancestors of Sigma who have left us with the responsibility to carry out the precepts to which they have left us as guardians.
I look to your chapter for your agreement and co-sponsorship and I await actions that you will forward to us for our consideration.
Godbless.