Alpha Phi Alpha, a fraternity for African American men, was first established in 1906 at Cornell University and “boasts an incredible list of high-profile alumni — civil rights leaders, prominent legal and political figures, scientists, writers, entertainers, athletes and more. Members of the national brotherhood have had an impact on just about every facet of society.”
In honor of Black History Month, the Phi Theta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha at Stevens hosted two events throughout this month. The events were Know Your Rights and Know Our Roots through Musical History. In an interview with The Stute, Alpha Phi Alpha president Terrence Meekins II elaborated more on these events and celebrating Black History Month at Stevens.
When discussing the Know Your Rights event, Meekins noted, “In the climax of police brutality and [the] murder of Tyre Nichols, we wanted to do an event that educated students on campus about ways to maintain themselves and behave during a traffic stop. The event was very informative and engaging but had lower attendance.”
As for the Know Our Roots through Musical History event, Meekins discussed the importance of learning about how Black history plays a role in music history. He described, “Music is one of the most important, widespread, and influential parts of our society and wanted to learn more about how Black history has been involved in music history. With that, we wanted to explore how our African Roots have been a major inspiration to music all over the globe and its specific impacts it had. We started at music from before slavery, to during slavery and how that inspired the Negro-Spirituals and gospel. This led to the beginning of the blues, which would be a major inspiration to almost all modern music we have today. The highlight of this event was the music and informational videos played, that brought analysis and understanding of how the music is built, engaging the audience not only in the history, but the music’s structure and impact on society.”
Meekins continued to express how significant Black History Month is by emphasizing, “One thing we want the Stevens community to know about [B]lack [H]istory [M]onth is the importance of it and that it has truly influenced and impacted our society. More than music and civil rights, but the way we dance, speak, give speeches, and show resistance and resilience. Black history is one of the most important parts of American history and for a long time it has been greatly overlooked. It is important to know the depths of history, understand it all and to make our future a better one for all of us!”
As Meekins mentioned previously, not every event, such as the Know Your Rights event, had high attendance numbers, despite its importance. He summarized, “One thing I would like to see is more outreach and collaboration between the cultured and general community. During our events most people who came were those who were black, hispanic, or within the STEP and Cultural Greek communities that we mostly communicate with already. It would be amazing to have more of the general white population show interest and involvement with events like these because this history and information impacts all of us and we want to share it with everyone!”
So next year, be sure to check out the events at Stevens celebrating Black History Month, not just from Alpha Phi Alpha but from other organizations too! Black History Month offers everyone an opportunity to participate in events that are engaging, meaningful, and informative. There is always more to learn here at Stevens, especially from our peers.
