Testimony by K. E.  

​

I would be shocked if you went to a HBCU longer than a day and didn’t encounter some form of greek life. The first probate I witnessed, I remember marvelling at everything happening around me. A sea of people surrounded a black hearse. Greeks from the divine nine created a barrier around the area where the new Alpha’s were being introduced. I was amazed how much impact Greeks had on campus. I’ve always suggested they were more popular than the football team. They had the latest trends, the chants, the influence, they had it all. Something in me was drawn to it, especially the brothers of Kappa Alpha Psi. My father was a Kappa but he never influenced me to join and he didn’t have to. Kappa sold itself. Greek life sells itself. They were everywhere! Involved in sports, student government, royal court, even faculty. The interesting thing is that people in these organizations are only human beings, but the mystique that surrounds the organization is alluring.

 

My personal issue was one with identity. I couldn’t tell you who I wanted to be in college, but I could tell you who I didn’t want to be…myself. I grew up in church receiving all of the fundamentals of the faith: Adam and Eve, Jesus, the cross, sin, heaven, hell, etc.

​

I learned the sword (Bible) drills, sang on the choir, and even praise danced. All these things are awesome but should be a by-product of what the faith is really about. I went into college with the principles but let the allure of being accepted get to me. Let’s just get this out in the air, believing and receiving Jesus produces a lifestyle that is counter cultural. End of story, end of discussion. A very basic example of this is sex before marriage. In the body of Christ, sex is only given to those who are married. PERIOD. At MY college, sex was given to anyone who wanted it. Didn’t matter if you just met that week or even that day. It was something to do. But back to Kappa, I saw how involved they were in student government, conducting different programs, and being leaders. I didn’t have any biological brothers and wanted some fraternal ones. Joining for the networking is a plus because I was inducted into a world of brothers that can help me get ahead. However I cannot fail to mention the clout that came with being a Kappa. I’ve realized you cannot simply join an organization without taking on all of it’s good and bad. I guess at DSU the persona of Kappa’s were pretty boys, smooth, debonair, etc. So if you told someone you were a Kappa, that’s probably the first thing they will think of. I like to think of it like a cloak you cover yourself with. People have different reasons for joining, but I can honestly say my reason was to put away who I was. I don’t mean to sound too deep but it’s true. I liked the girls but was afraid to talk to them, all the ones I was interested in were not interested in me. In my situation, I wanted to enjoy the college life and be in the in crowd but I just didn’t fit in. Something was missing.

 

If anyone reading this is struggling with these thoughts in college, I have a bit of advice. Get your identity in Jesus Christ. Be DIFFERENT. Be yourself! You don’t have to conform to an organization to be accepted. I’m open enough to admit that I did that. I embraced Kappa Alpha Psi, I wanted what it had to offer. I enjoyed the image, brothers, parties, programs, drinking… but at the end of the day it wasn’t me. None of it. That’s probably why I was such a terrible member, especially after graduation. Terrible as in I didn’t pay dues, join a grad chapter, attend meetings, participate in community service, and if I did I wasn’t enthused about going. I did enjoy homecoming and Founders Day festivities but even that got old. I honestly didn’t care. I was selfish. Kappa only magnified my selfishness. It gave me a mask to put on and I wore it well. I used to blame Kappa Alpha Psi for my lifestyle but in reality all Kappa did was create a space where I could become someone I wasn’t. It provides the persona and you have to make it your own. That’s what I did. Kappa taught me to come out of my shell…be seen and noticed. Strolling in parties is a great example of that, everyone must move out the way here WE come. I can go on and on.

 

Years later, I started to develop my walk with Jesus Christ. Eventually I discovered information about cults and the occult which lead me to believe Kappa Alpha Psi is not what Jesus wants in my life. I didn’t think about it while I was joining because I just wanted to be done my process. In my mind I was like hurry up and give me my card and pin me! I just want to be done.

​

I encourage any believer reading this to take a look at the “rituals”, what is being done, what is being said and ask yourself is this pointing me to the person Jesus Christ?

For non-believers, ask yourself what are you bowing to, repeating out of your mouth, is this real? What is the origin of this?