15

the first time i ever heard of phi beta sigma was my freshman year. i was working a telemarketing job on campus hitting up alumni for donations when a coworker, who i later figured out was an AKA, said to me “i could see you in a black frat.” later that year, i went to my first step show. i asked my friends “who are we rooting for?” and they said “the sigmas. they’re the best ones.”
a few months later i run into some old high school classmates. somehow the subject of pledging comes up. i tell them the story about the AKA and we get a good chuckle out of it. dewight johnson tells me he was thinking of pledging sigma b/c either his dad or grandfather was frat.

over the next 4 years, i got to know the sigmas on campus pretty well. being on a campus that was then 64.5% caucasian, every other ethnic group couldn’t help but bond together. it wasn’t until 1992 that i took a real close look at sigma when a good friend of mine, bro. james johnson-hill, pledged that year.

i found out later i almost didn’t even make it on line. having existing relationships with most of the chapter biased many one way or another and i had my doubters. some of it my own doing – like my sands, marlon, and i showing up at the practice field 50 yard line instead of the “actual” 50 yard line. geniuses!

here i am 15 years later and doing more for Sigma than ever. pledging as a senior trying to wrap up a 5-year engineering program didn’t leave me a lot of time for step shows and party hopping. then i had a blue phi rebirth in 2005. trust me i had real reasons to say the hell with sigma, but i was humbled and amazed at the true brotherhood i was blessed with during my lowest moments in sigma. to have brothers i barely know – many of whom i never met much less spoken to. most of whom i only exchanged emails with. – stand up for me, pick me up and dust me off, then encourage me to put my best foot forward. stress the positive. it reminded me why i love this frat.

so today on my 15th anniversary in our wondrous band, i want to say BLUE PHI to you. because in your own way, you’ve helped bring bluephi.net to what it is today.