The five historically Black fraternities that are part of the Divine Nine will journey to the Missouri state capitol in Jefferson City May 15 for a day of legislative advocacy and civic engagement.
The fraternities – Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta Sigma, and Iota Phi Theta – are coming together for this event organized by the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus.
“We all have historically done a lot for the community statewide. We want to show unity, specifically as Black men, and make sure we are doing things together,” said Joe Nelson, Social Action Chair for the National Pan-Hellenic Council of KC and member of Omega Psi Phi.
Cheryl Dozier, Executive Director of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus, stressed the importance of the fraternities engaging with the political process at the state level.
“We feel that it’s vitally important that our members of the Divine Nine remain legislatively aware,” said Dozier. “The only way to make that happen is to have them come up and talk to legislators and take part in the process.”
The day will kick off at 9 a.m. inside hearing room two of the capitol building in Jefferson City, where attendees will hear opening remarks. The fraternities will then be introduced on the Missouri House floor before returning for sessions with state legislators.
A pair of guest speakers are also scheduled – Joe Palm, Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Ken Franklin, a government affairs manager with American Water. Dozier says the two speakers will fill in fraternity members on what projects they are working.
“We want to increase their knowledge base,” said Dozier. “And we also want to hear from the fraternity members about what’s going on in their communities.”
In the afternoon, the fraternities will hear from Dozier about the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus’ new disaster preparedness initiative.
“We want to make sure that we let our people know what they can do to save their lives in the event of a tornado or natural disaster,” she stated. “There are just not enough people who know, especially in urban areas.”
Due to the shifting legislative schedule, the full agenda has not been fully set, but Dozier expects some Black Missouri lawmakers to speak with the fraternity members as well. While no specific legislation is being advocated for, the goal is to foster connections between the Divine Nine fraternities and state policymakers.
“We are just letting them know we’re out here,” says Nelson.
The event is free and open to the public to attend. Dozier invited all to “come and just have a good time and learn.”
Thank you will attend