My Brother’s Keeper

Vol 2. Issue 1

The Ebony Brotherhood Association

When I took the office of President in the Fall of 2011, I agreed to take the reigns of an organization that was a shell of it’s former self. There was less then five members consistently attending meetings. We had infrequent campus programming. We hardly had any type of university presence. In better words, the organization as a whole had a lot of room for improvement.

The first time that I ran in 2011, I wanted to increase the size of the membership, implement a greater sense of brotherhood, and legitimately impact Capital University. I will be the first to admit that my first term was not as successful as I would have hoped that it would be. We started off strong, with over 25 registrations at the orga-nization fair. There was a lot of hanging out and relation-ship building. Our premiere event, Night in the Mezz, was the undisputable favorite . The other desired imple-mentations did not materialize. At the end of year, the organization would see nearly all of it’s spring semester events, including the Annual Black Male Summit, can-celed.

All failures aside, we created an identity for members to believe in and therefore motivation for continued organi-zation growth . While there were doubts on our abilities to program, the bonds and friendships that were born during my first term are undeniable.

I took office with a desire to build the organization into a powerhouse dynasty with a legacy that its members, current and future, would want to carry on. I told my vice-president, who at the time was Dajon Reese, that my desire was to build Rome in one day. It wasn’t enough for me to lay the groundwork for EBA to become a great organization after I left Capital. I wanted to rejuvenate the organization, see it in it’s glory, and prepare it for stability long after I was gone.

At the end of my first semester, we revamped how we ran the organization. A full executive board was elected for the first time in years. We rewrote the constitution over the summer and started programming efforts early in the year. Effort was the theme that year, and we’ve truly tried to put our best effort forward; everything is intentional. I believe that this shows in our product. In every category, we performed better than we did the year before.

Last year was just the first step; this year we make leaps. All semester we’ve been plotting on ways to take this campus by storm. We’ve introduced new themes and topics: FUTW, MIA, Black Excellence, TIEDUP, GQ MON-DAY. By this years end, Capital will know for sure who we are. This is just the next step in our evolution as an organization. This is the second Ebony Brotherhood Association Newsletter, and these type of projects will continue to be produced. Be on the lookout for new video productions. Stay tuned for Instagram commercials. Hopefully future administrations will keep these efforts going. I believe in the future of EBA; the future is now. Thank you for your support. We are all in this together. Let’s continue building rome.

Presidential Address

Page 2 Intro from President

Page 4Organization Themes

Page 5

EBA Matters

Page 6Young Voices, Old Voices

Page 7

Organization Programming

Page 8Looking Ahead

In This Issue

GOALS

GOALSa

That they are the afflicted, nobody knows the struggles of black males of being minority students on a predominantly white institution more than EBA members. The aim of EBA is two-fold.

Primarily, the organization offers support, (academic, social, emotional and any other respects),

to any member that needs it, to foster retention rates and get black men graduated. The second is to posture itself as the proactive authority on all matters regarding racial relations

and the perspective of the black male.

Stimulate and create a positive social atmosphere; to integrate our members within the greater Capital community, both through collaborative efforts and general acts of sup-

port; to provide community service to Capital as well as the Greater Columbus Area; to establish an inclusive society of brotherhood where our members feel included, accepted, supported motivated, and challenged; and to provide an authoritative voice for the cause

of the black men on campus on issues of society, black culture and racial relations.

to increase the image of black men on campus

The EBA Agenda

GOALS

COMMUNITY AIMS

MOTTO

In today’s world there are so many organizations available for a variety of reasons for people to join to enhance their life. You can literally search anything you’re interested and there will be a group of some sort you can join to support whatever it is your inter-est in. At Capital University one of the main organizations here is the Ebony Broth-erhood Association or EBA. This organization happens to be one that is focused on “enhancing the image of black men on campus” as one member would say. Being that stereotypes and racism still have a presence in today’s world this focus is a good one.

EBA allows African American males a family that maybe they never had and a support system that was maybe never there or that was needed. It is a brotherhood that a lot of men find to rely on in tough times. They hope to push and support each other so each person in EBA can accomplish their goals they have set. Here is three members person opinions on what EBA has done for them:

“When stepping onto Capital’s campus, it seemed hard to find my niche within the multiple personalities present. Albeit, interacting with people embodying a different background than myself is something I appreciate and enjoy doing. Then there are times, although, where I feel the need to relate culturally with someone, and that ‘s where the Ebony Brotherhood Association comes into the picture. I was able to find a cultural haven to be able to express ideas, whether for or against, some of the cultural practices of black men, and more broadly, black people. Even with our differences from time to time, we could come together knowing that there was a common mission interconnect-ed between us all. The mission of increasing the image of black men on campus.” –Nathaniel Carr, Vice President

“I am a freshman at Capital University and I am enjoying it here thus far. I decided to join EBA primarily because many of the upper-class members reached out to me and told me about the positive experiences that they have had with the organization. The goal of “enhancing the image of black men on campus” attracted me, as African Americans are in a great minority on campus. I think that it is necessary for us to continue to thrive past the stereotypes and statistics that say that we are less likely to succeed. As an African American male, I hope to achieve my career goals of becoming a Chem-ical Engineer with a Master’s degree and becoming financially stable for the rest of my life. I am glad to surround myself by brothers who share high aspirations with me, and will be there to push me and lift me up through my struggles; I am glad that I joined EBA.” – Kessashun Arthur

“Last year, when I first came to Capital University I was aware how minor of a black population there would be on this campus. My friend Camren Harris told me about an organization called EBA and said it would be something I’d probably be interested in. See-ing how I did not have too much else going on around here. I figured it would be a great opportunity. The thing that I noticed when I first started is how every-one who was truly involved made me feel welcomed. Granted there was one moment that was a misguided image at the beginning of seeing EBA, I looked passed it and continued to want to see what it was like. As time went on, some situations occurred in my personal life and I did not have the will to truly want to contin-ue. The members of EBA helped me get through that rough period of time. “ – Manthani Brown

EBA Matters

Vice President Nate Carr

3.0 GPA

I’ve been a member since my freshman year. EBA was brought to my attention by my roommate. He invited me to a meeting, but I decided to stay in and do homework. It would have been in my best interest to go, but

I didn’t. It wasn’t until the President Malcolm White approached me about it at lunch while I was stuffing my face with food. He asked me to come to the meeting on Tuesday, and I responded with a muffled “yes”. That

Tuesday night, I went to the meeting, and the rest is history.

Coming out of high school, I knew the importance of joining an organization. It allows for a person to actively engage the campus, through networking, event planning and holding,

and much more. I was in many academic organizations in high school, with the most prom-inent being my S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) club. I thought that I would most likely join an academic organization and be mostly dedicated to that. The only problem was, I had no knowledge of what organizations were out there, because I was a late

applicant and therefore, I missed Smooth Transitions. I also was unable to attend the Org Fair, due to not knowing about it. It was because EBA went out of its way to find me, that I

was able to find a home organization. EBA became that organization which would allow me to engage the campus and be involved in helping the university grow.

The greatest memory came from two moments. One of them showed the social camaraderie of brothers in and of EBA, and the other showed how we can come together to be culturally

responsible. Planning for the annual Lip Sync competition for the spring of 2013 was the greatest social memory with EBA. EBA placed second during the 2012 Lip Sync perfor-mance, so our eyes were dead set on the Golden Mic for first place. During early to mid

January, we started narrowing down ideas and coming to a conclusion. We were marking off what we wanted to accomplish and what the focus of our performance would be. The

conversations were intense, because the passion was high. Through thick and thin, we were able to decide on a theme, and a list of songs. During the week right before Spring Break, we realized that the date of the competition was moved up to the week we returned from

our break. Although there was initial panic, we were able to buckle down, and through three nights of planning, we were able to snatch the Golden Mic and claim first place in the 2013

Lip Sync Competition!

Culturally, holding the Black Male Summit during the spring of 2013 was a great accom-plishment. The theme for our discussion was “Black Boy Fly”, titled after the song of the

same name by rapper Kendrick Lamar. We designed it so that members of EBA could present a topic, then open the floor for questions and discussion of each topic in a forum

format. My topic was Success vs. Greatness, and for once, I felt as if I was able to discuss a more clandestine topic that tends to avoid being mentioned within black culture. I highlighted the concentrated focus (even an obsession to some extent) with being financially successful, and allowing for that to determine

progress in the black community versus actually channeling the tradition of having a love and concern for others while still having a political voice. Overall the event was a success, as the turnout was good and we were

able to present what we felt needed to be presented to the community as black men.

I am a freshman at Capital University and I am enjoying it here thus far. I decided to join EBA primarily because many of the upper-class members reached out to me and told me about the positive experiences that they have had with the organization. The goal of “enhancing the image of black men on campus” attracted me, as African Americans are in a great minority on campus. I think that it is necessary for us to continue to thrive past the stereotypes and statistics that say that we are less likely to succeed. As an African American male, I hope to achieve my career goals of becoming a Chemical Engineer with a Mas-ter’s degree and becoming financially stable for the rest of my life. I am glad to surround myself by brothers who share high

aspirations with me, and will be there to push me and lift me up through my struggles; I am glad that I joined EBA.Currently I am studying Chemical Engineering and I have a 4.0 GPA to this point. I am also a member of Capital’s track and field team as a 200m and 400m sprinter. I can proudly say that though many of the African Americans on the team have decided to quit, I continue to push through the struggles that a college sport presents and I hope to continue to get better. Track has been a passion of mine since I was 12 years old and I have numerous accomplishments that I have obtained in it since then. Another thing that I have a passion for is music. I have been playing the piano since I was seven years old and I continue to practice it here on campus whenever I have spare time, whether it be classical music, gospel, or contemporary

hip-hop and R&B. I realize that I am extremely privileged to not only be in college, but to be blessed with some of the talents that I have. Just

today, I received the news that a friend of mine from back home in Cincinnati was shot and killed during a home invasion. He was a very talented track athlete who was attending the University of Akron on a full ride scholarship. Growing up in the neighborhood that he and I lived in, and attending the high school that he did, the majority of people do not attend college and a great percentage that do attend college do not finish. As an African American male, he was going against the statistics that his environment presented and he had a very bright future. It is humbling for me to see the situation that I am in now and to witness the tragedies that other people like me are dealing with. To sum this up, I recognize that it is imperative that I keep God first in everything that I do and to trust that he will continue to carry me

through any situation.

Young Voices, Old Voices

KessasHun Arthur4.0 GPA

Fall Programming

Brothers In Bexley 4BIB4 is a semi-annual program where the brothers of EBA congregated in an intimate setting to bond with each other. As a predominantly black male organization in the mid-dle of a predominantly white campus in a predominantly white neighborhood, there is often a sense of disenfranchisement. The BIB series provides a much needed chance for members to talk about their identity and discuss the issues that we face as we develop

into men AND LEADERS on campus.

Made In America (MIA) The Made in America series are invitation events where black men on campus or else-where come to speak to EBA members about their experiences growing up. A lot of the successful men in power at Capital come from humble beginnings and inviting them to our meeting for a non-academic discussion can serve as an inspiration for students. These sessions have helped members to identify positive role models and connect those

older men with those of us who are serious about making something from their life.

Dean Adderly, Dr. Shakir Abdullah, and Assistant Director of Financial Aid Marcus Jackson have all spoken before the organization, thus far. As we look forward to the

future, we hope to involve more community leaders as well.

Lazer CrazeThe members of EBA took a “field trip” up to Powell Ohio where we bonded with SAAAC and Sister Network over a couple of games of laser tag. It was a great way for

us to go back to just being kids. The trip also served as a great team building activity.

Open Mic and Poetry in the OMC (One Main Café)

Rhythm and Word have always been elements of our community. Our open Mic Night was a great opportunity for students in and out of EBA and SAAAC to show their cre-ative side though artistic expression. With selectively invited guest features, Capital alum Hanif Abduraquib and national poetry album of the year award winning John Gibson, as well as student sign-ups, Capital was blessed with rhythm, rhyme, and reason on an

especially memorable night in October

FUTW Black Male SpeakThe essence of the FUTW series is to address any racial tensions, stereotypes and mis-conceptions. Our first program dealt with Interracial Dating. In front of an audience of 50 of our peers, we watched videos, asked provocative questions and held a rare conver-

sation on one of the most taboo topics in contemporary society.

Next Semester At A Glance

FUTW Black Male SpeakThe essence of the FUTW series is to address any racial tensions, stereotypes and misconceptions. Future programs will deal with the issues of “Nigga Moments”, “Homophobia and Masculinity

in the Black Community”, and much more.

Made In America (MIA) The Made in America series continues with more special guest and maybe some returning speak-

ers, as well.

Brothers In Bexley 5Semi-annual program where the brothers of EBA can congregate in an intimate setting and bond with each other. As a predominantly black male organization in the middle of a predominantly white campus in a predominantly white neighborhood, there is often a sense of disenfranchise-ment. The BIB series provides a much needed chance for members to talk about their identity and discuss the issues that they face as they develop into men AND LEADERS on campus. There also

may be a BIB 6 at the end of the year

Open Mic and Poetry in the Student Union We’re following up this semester’s successful open mic with a sequel. Look for more special guest,

a wider venue with better acoustics and more rhythm, poetry and student performances.

Black Male SummitThe summit is an annual event designed as a forum to discuss publicly the various issues facing the black community. Guest speakers will be present, an EBA member will MC and food will be

provided.

Hip Hop ForumThe hip hop conference is a first of its kind type of event at Capital that we hope will develop into an annual attraction. EBA wants to host a convention-style, weekend long event surrounding one of the most popular music genres of today. The conference is going to be composed of three main

components: a producer showcase, a workshop day, and a Sunday competition. Friday’s producer showcase will be an invitation for any Capital student, but especially those in the conservatory to perform original music and put their talents on display. It is like a talent show for students who rarely have an oppurtunity to display their creativity outside of a scholastic setting. Saturday’s sessions will include a brunch and workshops that cover a multitude of topics ranging from the Importance of Undeground Rap, the distinction between Rap and Hip Hop and

much more. We will also stream some prominent interviews from beacons on the culture and host discussions reflecting on them. Sunday will be a competitive tournament where students will try to argue who is the best rapper ever through structured debate. The summit will be open to the entire campus

public with select invited guest from the community.

Chucks ExhibitEverybody loves chucks and most people have a pair. With the right leadership, this program could be a really monumental event where many people across different cultures come together for a unifying love—Chuck Taylors! The event will lead to a discussion in cultural parallels and help us to identify ways that we are the same, when there exists so many flagrant ways that we

are different.

Lip SyncChampionship aspirations! Time to repeat!

3 on 3 Basketball TournamentInvigorating campus spirit, friendly competition and raising funds for the organization. This tour-

nament will have a cash prize!