Cynicism Is For Lightweights.

I Developed A Loyal Following. No One Knew I Was Homeless.

Alpha Phi Alpha, The Oldest Of Negro Fraternities, With All Of Its Members Presumably Far Above The Average American And Having A Good Practical Understanding Of The Salient Factors Involved In The Negro's Problem, And Which A Membership Upwards Of Eight Thousand Men, Should Be Able To Take Into Their Hands The Leadership In The Negro's Struggle For Status.

My Life Has Been Full Of Struggles - Coming From A Troubled Home, Moving Out When I Was Fifteen, Ending Up Homeless By Eighteen. The One Thing I Always Knew Was Being Jaded And Bitter Was Equal To Letting Life Win.

Never Before Was It As Incumbent Upon Every Members To Restate Loyalty And Exemplify Fraternal Obligation By Consistent Life And Unimpeachable Character. But These Must Be Reinforced By A Growing Consciousness Of The Responsibilities That Alpha Phi Alpha Faces In The World Today, Where, If Ever The Problems Which Beset Us Are To Be Solved And A Way Of Deliverance Discovered, It Must Be By The Application Of Those Principles Upon Which We Are Founded.

I Would Always Encourage People Of Any Age Not To Be So Quick To Follow Other People's Truths But To Search And Follow Your Own Moral Code And Live By Your Own Integrity, And Mostly Just Be Brave.