Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper Signs Landmark Gun Control Bills Into Law

Cross-Post from Huffington Post

by Ivan Moreno

DENVER — The governor of Colorado signed bills Wednesday that put sweeping new restrictions on sales of firearms and ammunition in a state with a pioneer tradition of gun ownership and self-reliance.

The bills thrust Colorado into the national spotlight as a potential test of how far the country might be willing to go with new gun restrictions after the horror of mass killings at an Aurora movie theater and a Connecticut elementary school.

The approval by Gov. John Hickenlooper came exactly eight months after dozens of people were shot at the theater, and the day after the executive director of the state Corrections Department was shot and killed at his home.

The bills require background checks for private and online gun sales and ban ammunition magazines that hold more than 15 rounds.

Two ballot measures have already been proposed to try to undo the restrictions.

At the signing ceremony, Hickenlooper was surrounded by lawmakers who sponsored the bills. He looked around with a solemn expression before signing a measure requiring buyers to pay fees for background checks.

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Grant Opportunity to Promote Financial Literacy & Wellness

Do you belong to a Youth or College NAACP Chapter? Would you like to see your chapter take a stand on important economic issues like high unemployment, increasing student loans, credit card dependency and issues that directly affect the youth in your community?

Then encourage your chapter members to take advantage of this recently released micro-grant opportunity! The Financial Freedom Campaign has $1,000 micro-grants available for 6 Youth & College chapters, nationwide to support economic organizing and education work in the field.

Requirements:

Conduct at least 1 workshop or event on one of the following topics:

• Building Credit and Credit Rehabilitation
• Racks on Racks: Understanding the Student Loan Process
• Redefining Wealth: Wealth Inequality and Racial Inequality
• Overcoming Barriers: Identifying Opportunity and Pathways to   success in a challenging 
economy

Hold an NAACP Financial Freedom Campaign Anniversary Event April 5, 2014.

College Chapters may participate by doing at least one of the following:

• Host a workshop
• Educate the community through strategically passing out educational materials in the community
• Host a community event that brings together community members and local and national 
partners
• Event of the unit’s choice which meets the overall goals of the Financial Freedom Campaign

Participate in the NAACP Youth and College Train the Trainer Webinar Series in the fall of 2013.

• All College Chapters will be required to recruit at least 15 college students to attend the Webinar Series.

To Apply:

Complete and submit the Request for Proposal form by March 15, 2013. 


If you need any assistance please contact Mjiba Frehiwot at mfrehiwot@naacpnet.org or 202-478-6407.

Protect VRA Rally on SCOTUS Steps

The Great Debate: Howard vs. Harvard

Divine Nine: Iota Phi Theta

Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Incorporated was the last of the Divine Nine organizations to be founded. It was founded at Morgan State University, in Baltimore, Maryland by twelve students. 1963 was a turbulent year in the United States and out of the harsh political and social climate; these students developed a fraternity for the development and perpetuation of scholarship, leadership, citizenship, fidelity, and brotherhood among men.

Founded: September 19, 1963

Where: Morgan State University (Baltimore, MD)

Motto: Building a Tradition, Not Resting Upon One

Mission Statement: As Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc. continues to grow and strengthen, so will its commitment to make meaningful contributions to society in general, with particular emphasis in the African-American community. Throughout America, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc. has come to represent excellence in all areas. The Fraternity is, and shall forever remain dedicated to its founders’ vision of Building a Tradition, Not Resting Upon One!

Nickname: Iotas

Colors: Charcoal Brown and Gilded Gold

Prominent Members: Bobby Rush, Tommie Frazier, Spencer Christian, Calvin Murphy, Elvin Hayes, T.C. Carson, Jason Manuel Olazabal, Harry Alford, Kendrick Dean, Desi Arnez Hines, II.

Twitter: @IotaInfo

Facebook: facebook.com/IPT1963

Divine Nine: Sigma Gamma Rho

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated was founded at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana and was the first and only sorority in the Divine Nine to not be founded at Howard University or at an HBCU. Their seven founders sought to enhance the quality of life within the community during the harsh racial segregation times on the predominantly white campus in which they were founded.

Founded: November 12, 1922

Where: Butler University (Indianapolis, IN)

Motto: Greater Service, Greater Progress

Mission Statement: Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority's aim is to enhance the quality of life within the community. Public service, leadership development and education of youth are the hallmark of the organization's programs and activities. Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority addresses concerns that impact society educationally, civically, and economically.

Nickname: SGRhos

Colors: Royal Blue and Gold

Prominent Members: Hattie McDaniel, MC Lyte, Kelly Price, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Victoria Rowell, Ellia English, Tonya Lee Williams, Corrine Brown, ‘Lindy’ Corrine Claiborne Boggs, Mother Love

Twitter: @SGRhoUpdates

Facebook: facebook.com/sgrho1922

Divine Nine: Omega Psi Phi

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, founded at Howard University in Washington, DC,  was the first of the intercollegiate Black Greek Letter fraternities to be founded at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). Their four founders, three undergraduate and one advisor, wanted the fraternity to stand for the principles of manhood, scholarship, perseverance and uplift.

Founded: November 17, 1911

Where: Howard University (Washington, DC)

Motto: Friendship is Essential to the Soul

Mission Statement: Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. mission is to bring about union of college men of similar high ideals of scholarship and manhood in order to stimulate the attainment of ideas and ambitions of its members; occupy a progressive, helpful and constructive place in political life of the community and nation; and foster the humanity, freedom, and dignity of the individual; and aid downtrodden humanity in its efforts to achieve higher economic and intellectual status.

Nickname: Ques

Colors: Royal Purple and Old Gold

Prominent Members: Langston Hughes, Carter G. Woodson, Bill Cosby, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Earl Graves, Jesse Jackson, Roy Wilkins, Walter Massey, Charlie Ward

Twitter: @officialoppf

Facebook: facebook.com/FIETTS

Divine Nine: Alpha Kappa Alpha

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated was founded in Washington, DC on the campus of Howard University. Their 20 pearls laid the groundwork to make an organization for women with college education to make change through service. Their organization through over 100 years has remained true in two themes: the importance of the individual and strength of an organization of women with courage and ability.

Founded: January 15, 1908

Where: Howard University (Washington, DC)

Motto: By Culture and By Merit

Mission Statement: To cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards, to promote unity and friendship among college women, to study and help alleviate problems concerning girls and women in order to improve their social stature, to maintain a progressive interest in college life, and to be of “Service to All Mankind.”

Nickname: AKAs

Colors: Salmon Pink and Apple Green

Prominent Members: Wanda Sykes, Bernice King, Star Jones, Toni Morrison, Phylicia Rashad, Loretta Devine, Maya Angelou, Jada Pinkett Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, Rosa Parks

Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Alpha-Kappa-Alpha-Sorority/

Divine Nine: Alpha Phi Alpha

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated was founded in Ithaca, NY on the campus of Cornell University by seven black men. It started as a study and support group due to the intense racial tensions effecting each of the founders. Their study group then progressed and transformed into the first intercollegiate Black Greek Lettering Organization that paved the way for the other fraternities and sororities of the Divine Nine.

Founded: December 4th, 1906

Where: Cornell University (Ithaca, NY)

Motto: First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All

MissionStatement: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. develops leaders, promotes brotherhood and academic excellence, while providing service and advocacy for our communities.

Nickname: Alphas

Colors: The Most Distinguished Black & Old Gold

Prominent Members: Martin Luther King, Jr, Thurgood Marshall, Duke Ellington, Jesse Owens, Charles Hamilton Houston, W.E.B. DuBois, Cornel West, Paul Robeson, Hill Harper, Omari Hardwick

Twitter: @apa1906NETwork

Facebook: facebook.com/1906apanetwork

From the Burning Sands of the Divine Nine

Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs) began to come into fruition in the early 20th century due to the trials and tribulations that many black people were facing within the United States at the time. The inclusion of African Americans in universities proved to be trying times for black students in the early 1900s. Often ostracized and banned from joining many social organizations, black students began searching for ways to cope with these struggles. There were a few attempts at creating intercollegiate BGLOs, with Alpha Kappa Nu beginning in 1903 and then disbanding due to a struggle in keeping steady membership, Alpha Phi Alpha was the first successful fraternity to sustain its membership and expand.  Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. was initially started as a study and support group for the black male students at Cornell University who were facing harsh racial prejudice at the time. Black students often could go days without seeing each another person of color on campus, so their study group served as their decompression from the struggles they faced.

Following in the footsteps of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., eight other intercollegiate fraternities and sororities were founded on the similar principles of service and the betterment of black men and women. Many different movements and political events effected how these organizations came about as well. Alpha Kappa Alpha paved the way for sororities in 1908 when they were founded at Howard University. Kappa Alpha Psi was founded in Indiana for similar reasons to Alpha Phi Alpha, racial tension and prejudices on campus led them to create their fraternity as well. Omega Psi Phi was the first of the divine nine fraternities to be founded on an HBCU’s campus at Howard. Delta Sigma Theta’s beginnings were strongly influenced by the Women’s Suffrage movement. Springing forward to the most recent of the divine nine organizations, Iota Phi Theta was a product of the civil rights movement and they were very influential in shaping the political landscape of Baltimore after they were founded.

The Divine Nine organizations are as follows:

The Fraternities

• Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (1906)
• Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. (1911)
• Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. (1911)
• Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. (1914)
• Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. (1963)

The Sororities

• Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (1908)
• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (1913)
• Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. (1920)
• Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. (1922)

These organizations, some of which are over 100 years old, have contributed countless hours of service, scholarships, and leadership to communities all around the world. Though they all differ in their founding principles in one way or another, they all come together as a unified body to create social change and leave the world as a better place. Yet, each of these organizations deserves recognition and a deeper insight into the work they really do day in and day out in the honor of their fraternities and sororities. Many of our celebrated leaders within the black community are members of Divine Nine organizations and they continue to foster talented individuals over the years. Join us as we celebrate the works and impact that these each of these organizations have had and continue to have in communities of color all over the world.

This week, in honor of Black History Month, we will highlight each fraternity and sorority of the Divine Nine.