Hotep To the Keepers of the Dream – The Brothers of the Dove:
Several weeks ago, in the middle of the night, a soft voice whispered to me in my sleep. The voice said to me, “You must go to Kansas State University. The answer that you have searched for over more than a quarter-century is waiting for you in Kansas”.
Kansas? Manhattan, Kansas? What the hell could I possibly find in Manhattan, Kansas?
The answer came back, “You will find yourself in Manhattan, Kansas.” And then the soft voice fell silent.
I was born 61 years ago in Manhattan. Manhattan, New York (Harlem Hospital to be exact). I have searched, without success thus far, to establish the exact moment of my birth in Manhattan on February 14, 1945. A little bit more than a quarter century before my birth, the Delta Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma was born on the campus of the Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas.
The Founders of Phi Beta Sigma lived, and personified, the principles that they established and left to us. A. Langston Taylor had heard of the fraternities on the campus of Howard University before his acceptance. And Abram Langston Taylor had made promise to God that if he were ever able to attend Howard University; he would work to establish a new fraternity – a fraternity that would exist under a new mandate. Brother Taylor’s personal motto was, “Culture for Service”. Brother Taylor promised God that if he were ever able to attend Howard University, he would establish a fraternity dedicated to sharing the benefits that he had received with those who had not been quite so fortunate. With the establishment of Phi Beta Sigma, that promise to God was fulfilled. Founder Taylor exemplified the principle of Service.