Black History Month

Dear Brother,

This week begins Black History Month. It is a time to celebrate the accomplishments of great brothers and sisters from our past, and from today, that advance the African diaspora forward. It is also a time to reflect on how we can together create our own Black History.

What began as Negro History Week in 1926 with historian Carter G. Woodson has grown into a month that provides many people 360 degree exposure to the great achievements and culture represented within the black community.

Many of us can probably recall hearing about great men like our brother Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. or strong women such as Rosa Parks who dramatically changed the course of history on December 1, 1955; we heard these in our school lessons and Black History Month programs as we grew up. However, the greatest aspect of Black History Month for me was learning about the numerous achievements of some of our lesser known, but highly relevant and influential, brothers and sisters in various sectors and industries in our society. It spoke to the reach and impact that any one person can have, and that we all can make history in our own way.

Even our own great House of Alpha is itself a part of the great fabric of American history, interwoven with the threads of Black History. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. set the standard as the nation’s first intercollegiate historically black Greek-letter organization. My brothers, each one of us is the embodiment of Black History, because we are all Alpha Phi Alpha.

As candidate for 34th General President of Alpha, I believe it is important to protect Alpha’s Corporate Identity for our own growth and preservation, because it not only is an investment in Alpha’s future but it also is a deposit into Black history. And when you invest in Alpha, you continue to give life to those institutional and personal legacies that have added to the chapters of Black History and Alpha’s great legacy.

I encourage you to regard this month as an opportunity to educate yourselves about the work that many Black men and women have done, and are still doing, to make history. There is nothing greater than the continual pursuit of knowledge and enlightenment, and we owe it to the legacy of those before us to embrace the spirit of this month and become continually acquainted with our own history.

Fraternally,

Brother Mark S. Tillman

Candidate for 34th General President
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.