Page 50 - 100 Day Report-2021

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100 Day Report 100 Day Report
TO FEEL FREE
by Grand Sire Archon Dwayne M. Murray
On the eve of Labor Day, I was spending time with my mother, Elva Mae, when my email chimed. It was the Editor of The Boulé Journal extending an invitation for me to share a few thoughts with the Archons and Archousai of Sigma Pi Phi regarding the importance of the November 2020 election. I spoke to my mom about Archon Burns and his efforts to turnaround a Special Edition of The Boulé Journal within a matter of hours. She shared with her middle son, “The right to vote is precious. I remember the “colored only” signs and the times they called your granddaddy boy. I remember ... the first time I voted, I felt free. I have seen this world change ... I see it could change again. ”
We are aware that something insidious is happing in our nation. Injustice has made victims of us all. Even as I write these words, member boulés are relentlessly vigilant where justice has been challenged at levels reminiscent of the worst days of segregation and social degradation of African Americans in our nation. Before justice could be addressed in Louisville, Kentucky, injustice reared its ugly head in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The stories emanating from the tales of these two cities are repeating themselves with such frequency that the system dedicated to justice has become a judicial nightmare. The stories have not ended with these regions of the country, but continue to appear in one form or another in increasing occurrences.
The world has focused its attention on disparate treatment of people of color and the proverbi- al “walls have come tumbling down.” America continues to suffer and many are taking to the streets in violent protest who would otherwise demonstrate nonviolently. As we watch these events unfold before our eyes, the pivotal ques- tion is, what can we do at the ballot box as a 116-year-old organization whose membership is educated, lives in safe neighborhoods, can shield our children from most struggles of life, has the ability to donate to campaigns and Super Pacs, and are not worried about where our next pay check will come from?
Our initial response, we will take a stand for justice and equality for all people. We have shaken off the shackles of apathy and joined The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee). With the approval and direction of your elected officers, I signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Lawyers’ Committee, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the appeal of President John F. Kennedy to secure the private bar’s leadership and re- sources in combating racial discrimination and the resulting inequality of opportunity. The mission of the Lawyers’ Committee is to secure equal justice for all people through the rule of law, targeting in particular the inequities confronting African Americans and other racial and ethnic minorities.