Exclusive: Pledging Graduate Chapter, Service or Misplaced Commitments?

So your sons or daughters after a successful first year of college come home and make the announcement "I'm going to pledge next year" Mom/Dad.  They sell all the reasons highlighting service to community, brotherhood/sisterhood and unity even though your gut and experience says it just their way to get your check/permission to wear acceptable gang colors, drink/party with the best on the yard and skip studies for step show practice.  Despite your parental need to shoot holes in their plans you refrain because even you once toyed with the ideal but never made it a priority.  Now granted fraternities and sororities alike provide great service arms in needed underserviced areas in our communities and their records of producing needed leaders are well documented.

 

Granted the above scenario is most desired if we must go Greek but the more vexing creature comes in the form of the 36 year, married, father of two, account executive the takes his wife to dinner to break the news that "baby, I think I'm going on line soon".  WTH and "where they do that at?" Amazing and abundant are the facebook profiles of men and women, married and single alike just eaten up with obsessive love for their respective brotherhood/sisterhood.  We all know someone like this, you know the ones with children but you'd never know it via their FB profile because the walls are packed with frat shields, pix with the sands or fronts and backs.  What about displays of such commitment to our families, children and communities that need us?  Drop the pix of you at the conclave without your family, taking pix beside national landmarks with your sands while the family is at home alone.  “Give it up” because you are throwing your back out trying to get a step down that wasn't possible for you twenty years ago when you should have pledged. If you are really sincere about being of service to churches, community nonprofits and mainly your families who would love to receive this level of adoration with public displays of affection on facebook.  Pledge that and watch how your world will change for the better.   

Obama At Hampton University Graduation To Deliver Commencement Address

Not as inspiring as First Lady Michelle's speech but makes a strong case for black history and getting an education.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Michelle Obama Commencement Speech At University Of Arkansas At Pine Bluff (FULL TEXT)

This is one of the best commencement addresses I've ever seen to date and I’m stumped to comment. Despite the references to civil rights, black history and the history of the school (University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff) an HBCU this should be shared with young people black and white alike. The message speaks to the necessary need for change in mentality and mindset of our young people today. Today’s young people need to know these are very trying times for our country on political, financial, legal and spiritual fronts. In her address the First Lady says what every parent with children old enough to understand should hear. Her black history references may only prick the hearts of young history aware blacks but makes a strong case for engaging in purposeful, relevant struggle for causing and callings greater than ourselves. Mrs. Obama in accepting the invite to give this address in her own way plants a seed of understanding within the black community that HBCU(s) are still important and needed institutions of empowerment. As for the Tavis Smiley(s) of the world, barking about the need for this administration to adopt a "black agenda" I say read this speech as well as the speech given by President Obama at the Hampton University commencement and share them and hush with the cheap talk, grandstanding and shameless self promotion. In world where we don't hesitate to share pointless devoid of intelligence messages I'm happy to forward this important message that's worthy of sharing.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost