>> ED -- THE SIGMA PI PHI IS A FRATERNITY OF ACCOMPLISHED BLACK
MEN IN THEIR COMMUNITY.
THE BETA SIGMA CHAPTER IS HOLDING THEIR WEB DUBOIS PUBLIC
POLICY SERIES EVENT THIS WEEK.
VAN JOHNSON, CHAIR, AND VINCE FITCH JOINED US.
>> IT IS DESIGNED TO BE AN EXPERIENCE, AN ASPIRATIONAL
MODEL OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.
WE HAVE A STRONG INVOLVEMENT BY THE STUDENTS.
WE WILL BE PRESENTING SCHOLARSHIPS WHICH ARE VERY
IMPORTANT BUT ALSO GIVING THE STUDENTS A CHANCE TO INTERFACE
WITH THE ADULTS THAT REALLY CARE ABOUT THEIR WELFARE AND THEY ARE
TRYING TO IMPROVE THIS COMMUNITY.
WE HAVE A NUMBER OF PARTNERS INVOLVED.
POLICE LEXUS HAS BEEN INVOLVED, BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME, AND A
NUMBER OF PEOPLE, A NUMBER OF ENTITIES THAT ARE TRYING TO DO
THINGS TO HELP IMPROVE THE COMMUNITY THAT WE LIVE IN.
BUT IT'S MEANT TO BE -- IT IS GOING TO BE A GREAT EXPERIENCE
THIS YEAR BECAUSE THE DOCTOR IS A GREAT PRESENTER BUT MORE THAN
THAT HE'S GOING TO SHARE A GREAT DEAL ABOUT MUSIC AND JAZZ AND
IT'S GOING TO BE VERY MUCH AN ENGAGED KIND OF A PROGRAM.
AN INTERACTIVE KIND OF A PROGRAM.
>> MR.
JOHNSON, YOU ARE THE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN, AM I RIGHT
ON THAT?
>> THAT'S CORRECT.
>> WE APPRECIATE YOU GIVING US SOME TIME.
MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT DR.
HILL IS GOING TO TALK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE
IMPORTANCE OF ART AND MUSIC EDUCATION, WHAT A PERFECT PLACE
TO BE AT FOR THAT.
AND HOW IT REALLY CAN TRANSFORM LIVES AND HELP THE WHOLE
COMMUNITY.
>> HE'S A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THAT, KNOWING WHERE HE CAME FROM
THE LEVEL HE ACHIEVED.
IT'S GOING TO BE AN INCREDIBLE EVENING.
WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.
WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING THE STUDENTS IN SPRINGFIELD,
EXCUSE ME, THE SPRINGFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS, IN
ATTENDANCE, SO IT WILL BE A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THE
STUDENTS, AS WELL AS THOSE OF US WHO HAVE BEEN THERE A LITTLE
LONGER TO REALLY UNDERSTAND AND SEE HOW THE MUSIC SHAPES OUR
LIVES.
AND THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT COME FROM THE PARTICIPATION IN MUSIC.
>> LET'S BE CLEAR TO THE FOLKS, THIS IS OPENING THE EVENT TO THE
PUBLIC BUT NOT FREE.
>> IT IS NOT FREE.
>> TICKETS ARE EXPENSIVE, BUT GOES FOR A REALLY GOOD CAUSE
SUPPORTING SCHOLARSHIPS THAT YOU FOLKS HAVE AND THE REWARDS
PROGRAM.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
>> EXACTLY.
THERE WILL BE ONE SCHOLARSHIP AWARD AND HAD THREE BOOK AWARDS.
QUITE FRANKLY THIS YEAR THE CROP OF APPLICANTS AND THE AWARDEES
ARE AN INCREDIBLE CROP OF YOUNG MEN THAT FRANKLY WHEN I LOOK AT
THEIR RESUME COMPARED TO MY OWN RIGHT NOW, THEY ARE DOING PRETTY
WELL.
SO WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF IT AND WE THINK IT'S A GREAT
OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE BACK AND DO SOMETHING FOR THE STUDENTS.
>> LET ME ASK YOU, IN GENERAL, THIS ORGANIZATION OF BLACK MEN,
LOCALLY IN SPRINGFIELD AND INTERNATIONALLY, IS ABOUT PUBLIC
POLICY ISSUES, SOCIAL ACTION PROGRAMS, AND ALL ABOUT, AS I
UNDERSTAND IT, BENEFITING THE BLACK YOUTH AND THE FAMILIES AND
THE COMMUNITY.
THAT IS IT.
>> I COULD NOT HAVE SAID IT BETTER.
>> THE ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE 1904.
IT WAS ORGANIZED IN PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, IN
1904.
THE LOCAL CHAPTER HERE, WHICH IS KNOWN AS A BULET WAS ORGANIZED
IN 1983.
SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT HAD BEEN MEMBERS OVER THE YEARS WEB
DUBOIS, HAVE PEOPLE LIKE JEFFREY HOLDER, FORMER U.S. JUSTICE, AND
PEOPLE LIKE THAT, AND OF COURSE, THE GROUP THAT WE HAVE HERE IN
SPRINGFIELD IS AN OUTSTANDING GROUP OF COMMITTED INDIVIDUALS.
PEOPLE LOOK AT PEOPLE, HOPEFULLY, WITH THEIR
ACCOMPLISHMENT BUT WE FOCUS ON THE ACCOMPLISHMENT AND
CONTINUING THE CONTRIBUTION, SO IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE RESUME
AND WHAT YOU HAVE DONE IN THE PAST BUT ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE
GOING TO DO TODAY, SO IT'S ALL ABOUT TRYING TO IMPROVE THIS
COMMUNITY BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WE ALL ARE INTERCONNECTED, AND
WE'RE TRYING TO HELP IN THAT WAY.
>> I LOVE THE FACT THAT YOUR LOCAL GROUP, EACH GROUP IS
CALLED A BULET, WHICH CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG, BUT FROM THE
GREEK, THE MATERIAL THAT I FOUND, AT THE WEBSITE, THE
COUNCIL OF NOBLEMEN.
>> RIGHT.
>> IT'S REALLY GREAT, WHAT A GREAT, GREAT TERM TO GIVE TO AN
ORGANIZATION.
IF YOU ARE PART OF THAT, YOU ARE GOING TO RISE UP TO MAKE SURE
THAT YOU ARE WORTHY TO BE PART OF IT.
ABSOLUTELY.
THAT'S REALLY THE KEY, AND IT'S ALL -- THAT'S THE WAY IT IS, IT
HAS OPERATED SINCE 1904, ALL ABOUT UPLIFT AND LOOKING TO
ENCOURAGE AND PUSH FORWARD.
AS FITCH MENTIONED, ONE OF THE PEOPLE A MEMBER OF THE EARLY
YEARS, WEB DUBOIS, HIMSELF, YOU HONOR HIM BY NAMING YOUR SERIES
HERE LOCALLY AFTER HIM, WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS NATIVE, A MAN
IMPORTANT TO US, IN THESE PARTS IN PARTICULAR.
>> ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY.
AND HE SPOKE ABOUT THOSE WHO -- SPOKE ABOUT THE TALENTED TEN
COMMITTED AND GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY, AND THAT'S WHAT WE
BELIEVE IN.
WE THINK THIS EVENT IS ONE PIECE OF THAT.
IT'S ONE SMALL PIECE OF WHAT WE DO, WHAT WE SEEK TO DO.
>> AND WHAT I GUESS -- GO AHEAD.
>> ALSO, THE -- >> THE SCHOLARSHIPS ARE NAMED
AFTER HOWARD L. EDMONDS.
HE WAS THE FOUNDER OF THE LOCAL CHAPTER, THE LOCAL 1983 CHAPTER.
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY HE WAS AN EDUCATOR OVER THE YEARS AND
WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH THE SPRINGFIELD PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND
WORKED AT THE DUNBAR COMMUNITY CENTER FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.
BUT A COMMITTED EDUCATOR SO THE SCHOLARSHIPS ARE MADE FOR HOWARD
, AND WE HAVE A LIST OF FOLKS IN THE LOCAL BULET, AND
WHAT AN AMAZING GROUP OF PEOPLE.
YOUNG AND OLD, ATTORNEYS, EDUCATORS, AND PEOPLE IN VARIOUS
MEDICAL FIELDS.
YOU NAME IT, THEIR ACCOMPLISHED GENTLEMEN THERE, AND RETIRED
JUDGES AND ACTIVE JUDGES AND I CANNOT IMAGINE WHAT THE
DISCUSSION AND IDEAS PUT FORWARD SOMEWHERE GOT TO BE LIKE BECAUSE
THERE IS A WHOLE LOT OF PHYSICAL POWER AND A LOT OF BRAIN POWER
IN YOUR GROUP.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
AND THE ONE KEY POINT IS, WE ALL BELIEVE IN MENTORSHIP, AND IT IS
NOT JUST FOR SOMEONE WHO IS YOUNG.
AT MY AGE I STILL APPRECIATE THE MENTORSHIP THAT I GET FROM MEN
WHO ARE A BIT OLDER, A BIT WISER.
SO ABSOLUTELY.
WANTING TO GO BACK TO A POINT THAT HE WAS MAKING, THE HISTORY
OF THE BLACK ORGANIZATIONS REALLY DOES START WITH THE SIGMA
PI PHI FRATERNITY BUT AFTER THERE WAS COLLEGE GROUP
ORGANIZATIONS FORMED.
AND THOSE ORGANIZATIONS ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT TODAY AS THEY WERE
THEN.
SO THE ORGANIZATION HAS A STRONG HISTORY, BLACK, GREEK
ORGANIZATION, A STRONG HISTORY.
MANY OF US ARE MEMBERS OF THE COLLEGE GREEK LETTER
ORGANIZATIONS, AND WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THOSE MEMBERSHIPS.
THIS S THE -- THE BULET IS A CONTINUATION OF THAT.
>> THE DISTINCTION IS THAT THIS IS A -- YOU HAVE TO HAVE A
COLLEGE DEGREE.
THIS IS A GRADUATE FRATERNITY.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER GREEK FRATERNITIES THAT ARE
UNDERGRADUATES.
BUT THIS IS STRICTLY FOR COLLEGE GRADUATES.
VAN JOHNSON, BROOKS FITCH, THANKS FOR WHAT YOU ARE DOING IN
THE COMMUNITY, FOR BETA SIGMA BULET.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING US.