The SUSAN C. MOSES Healing Center and Life Laboratory

11/14/2025

"A crisis can make LEADERS
of the ordinariate of men"
👑❤️🖤💚👑

11/12/2025

Uplifting Voices of Black Female School Librarians
from Wilmington Public Library

Black female school librarians are shaping inclusive learning spaces and leading change in education—see their impact in the latest ALA study.
In a profession where less than 10% of librarians identify as Black, the lived experiences of Black female school librarians offer critical insights into the challenges and opportunities for creating a more inclusive and representative field.
A recent study by Cynthia Richardson Johnson, published by the American Association of School Librarians, sheds light on the pathways, barriers, and resilience of Black women in school librarianship. https://www.ala.org/sites/default/files/2025-09/johnson.pdf?mc_cid=e6cd703e25&mc_eid=d3b02c2547

Tinsley Tamla

11/10/2025

Where your heart is,
there your treasure is
- Matthew 6:21

11/08/2025

The Bookstore That Comes to You

Rita Collins has logged more than 100,000 miles and visited 40 states in the 2004 Dodge Sprinter van that houses her traveling bookstore. “If the van could talk, I think she’d say she feels intrepid, going to all these places. And meeting all these people!” Collins says.

People told me it wouldn’t work. My small town of Eureka, Montana, didn’t have a bookstore, so in 2014 I took an American Booksellers Association course on how to start one. Day one, they said, “A town of 1,400 won’t support a book business unless you already own a building on Main Street.” I didn’t.
So I started brainstorming with friends — and landed on the idea of a traveling used-bookstore.

Within six months, I’d found a 2004 Dodge Sprinter van with 70,000 miles on it. A friend designed the shelves. Someone else built them. Someone designed the logo. I asked everybody I knew for book donations — that’s how I get most of my stock. I didn’t have a business plan. I just thought, “Worst case, I’ll sell the van.” I called it St. Rita’s Amazing Traveling Bookstore and Textual Apothecary. The “Rita” isn’t me, though. The bookstore is named for one of the patron saints of impossible causes. It seemed appropriate.

At first, I set up around my county. Then I went to a music festival over the mountains. Before I knew it, I was in Indiana, Tennessee, South Dakota, California. I’ve logged more than 100,000 miles in nearly 40 states, almost always staying with friends or friends of friends, though I’ve slept a night or two in the vehicle.

If the van could talk, I think she’d say she feels intrepid, going to all these places. And meeting all these people!
The little kindergartener who came in with a few crumpled bills and insisted she was going to learn to read before first grade. The cop I thought was going to write me a ticket until he quietly asked, “Do you have any Louis L’Amour books?” (I did.) The bikers, the hippies, the families, the farmers. I’ve seen bears, sandhill cranes, a bison herd maintained by the Blackfeet Nation. I’ve had flat tires in the middle of nowhere and once came out of a coffee shop to find a huge puddle of fuel under the van.

Collins named the bookstore after one of the patron saints of impossible causes. “It seemed appropriate,” she says. Many people had told her the plan wouldn’t work.

Last year, I traded in the Sprinter for a 2023 Ford Transit that fits 700 books on shelves and has storage for 150 more. Hardbacks are $9, paperbacks are $7, kids’ books a dollar. I like to keep it simple. A customer once asked, “You do realize this is a first edition of Dune?” I said, “Great. I’m happy for you.”

Even with artificial intelligence and all that, we still need books — maybe more than ever. Reading can bridge divides between us. It opens our mind to travel, spirituality, languages, cooking, new ideas. I love that my van invites people in, sparks conversations. I’m basically just covering my costs, but I’m very glad when someone finds a book that speaks to them.

Sometimes people like to dwell on things they did in the past. What I love about this bookstore adventure is that it’s about what’s happening now and what’s ahead. No matter how old you are, embracing each day is an opportunity to grow and contribute. As long as we’re alive, we have a chance to make new stories to tell.

Retired teacher Rita Collins, 74, recently relocated to Baltimore, her hometown. Her 2026 plans for her traveling bookstore include a trip through Alabama and the Carolinas.

AARP

11/08/2025

📚📖The Bookstore That Comes to You! 📚📖
When Rita Collins started her traveling shop, she never dreamed how far it would take her Published October 17, 2025. AARP
📚📖📚📖📚📖📚📖
Rita Collins has logged more than 100,000 miles and visited 40 states in the 2004 Dodge Sprinter van that houses her traveling bookstore. “If the van could talk, I think she’d say she feels intrepid, going to all these places. And meeting all these people!” Collins says.
📚📖📚📖📚📖📚📖

11/08/2025

* * A MUST READ * *
I am my mother’s oldest son. I love who I am today, and despite many issues, she shaped me. My father was gone for good by the time I was 10. Even when he was around, he only taught me what I didn’t want to be. I love Black mothers, and what I’m bringing up here is a discussion, not a critique. Over years of observations and recent conversations, I’ve noticed a pattern. Some people may be familiar with the cliche: Black mothers raise their daughters and love their sons. I hadn’t heard it before, but I immediately understood it when I did.

Several women in my life believe their mothers favor their brothers. The girls were expected to achieve more academically, have more chores, and be more independent. The boys are coddled in a way the girls are not afforded. This isn’t just some bias specific to these women. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. One woman, although the youngest child, was expected to cook, clean, and iron her mother’s clothes while her brothers played video games. I remember her telling me that for Christmas, she received a pack of Oreo cookies while her brothers received something more substantial. Even as an adult, she is expected to solve every family problem.

I’ve also seen this in the classroom when teaching siblings. Although this isn’t always the case, I’m much more likely to see a mother struggle to believe her son is doing something “bad”. “Not my baby!” is a phrase I’ve heard from many mothers almost exclusively when I’m calling about their sons.

I recently received a video in which a man argued that Black mothers were ruining their sons because they loved on them too much for too long. He argued they are raising boys, not men, and went on to say the mothers wouldn’t even date the type of man they are raising.

Love is a good thing. It is a crucial thing, but everything in moderation. Love your son, but don’t hide him from the real world. Make him work. Allow him to fail. Have the same expectations for success you would have for your daughter. Research shows it is possible to love your children too much. A bit of frustration and struggle in childhood creates adults who are better able to navigate the real world. When kids are overly protected, they struggle on deciding career paths and relationships. Depression, anxiety, and emptiness are all common symptoms. The brother of the woman mentioned earlier is going through this right now. He is 40 years old, living at home, depressed, angry, and with no hope for the future. His sister is independent, career-driven, and financially successful.

Is the cliche true?
I acknowledge my bubble, and even within that, there are exceptions to the rule. If reading this, I would love to know your experiences, but I did decide to do a bit of research before throwing out my observation. A 2010 study broached this topic. They took 1500 kids with Black mothers, and the results show there are some significant differences between sons and daughters, especially if we ignore boys who are born first. Boys who are born first and girls end up with similar results, but boys who are born later stand out. “The results showed that later-born boys had fewer chores, argued more with their mothers, lived in less cognitively stimulating homes, and were not allowed to make the same decisions as were the girls or firstborn boys at the same age. The later-born boys were also lowest in achievement and highest in externalizing behaviors.” -source
Although again we are working with a smaller sample size, it does suggest there is some truth to the idea that “boys are being loved too much.”

But why do mothers favor their sons? There isn’t an easy answer to any of this, but I’ve found a common thread in my personal bubble and online. There seems to be an attempt to shield these boys from a harsh, racist world. Some people argue Black men have it harder, especially when we look at the prison system. Police brutality is a rampant problem for everyone, but Black people, and especially Black men, are disproportionately the victims. The justice system was built to criminalize and punish Black men to the extreme. From this angle, it isn’t hard to see why a mother would want to shield her son from that world.

The way a mother perceives the world likely impacts how she treats her son, but the way she perceives Black men will likely have just as much impact. Centuries of propaganda and perhaps personal experiences may teach Black women to believe Black men can’t succeed. They are going to end up in a gang, or jail, etc. Why push him to succeed if he can’t succeed?

One study shows Black mothers have lower expectations for their sons and believe them to be less academically competent. This study consisted of 334 African American mothers from diverse backgrounds. Some were married, some were from urban areas, etc. This supports what I generally see in the classroom. On average, Black mothers are more likely to push their sons when they are athletes.

In relation to this mindset, mothers push their daughters so hard because of the same belief, men will fail you. Black women have to be successful, independent, and educated to conquer the world. Men raised by those same parents enter the world with only the goal of surviving and staying out of trouble. Sadly, in many situations, this mindset hurts everyone. Once they grow up, many of these successful daughters are expected to raise these sons, who were never raised by their mothers.

Despite my claims here, every situation is different. This isn’t an indictment on how anyone is raising their children.
I also need to point out while doing research, I saw some pretty negative comments, especially toward Black women. I’m relatively certain those people just look for any reason to attack Black women because the comments didn’t relate to the actual topic. To be clear, this is about Black people, and people in general, as a whole. I encourage people to join the conversation, but please keep your unrelated hatred to yourself.

Motherhood is hard. They are expected to be perfect and receive most of the blame whenever something goes wrong. In comparison, fathers are rewarded for doing the bare minimum. (Have you ever seen a father go to the grocery store with the kids?) Mothers usually do the best they can with the tools they receive. I doubt any mother is consciously favoring their sons, especially if they understand how it may impact them in adulthood. Hopefully, this works as another tool, something to consider while navigating the most difficult job in the world.
Tinsley Tamla
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/are-black-mothers-ruining-their-boys/ar-AA1KzXWX?ocid=msedgntp&pc=DCTS&cvid=690f82d5856642d18f8db1f082fb6114&ei=11&fbclid=IwY2xjawN8cnpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeimpuISyUo6xekN0NAbhMOLwj_FegoPY5-22AyP5Yi2tIxCzYWT-HG0el614_aem_5oyZfBXSP-Xv58fRUgcgeQ

Exploring the pitfalls of this maternal relationship

11/08/2025

Dispatches From the Dearly Departed
Are you among the many Black women blessed by signs, sensations and the spiritual presence of loved ones who have transitioned?
By Pamela M. McBride

Have you ever been grateful for a spiritual grace from a loved one or a sign from Heaven? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Tony Wilson’s sudden earthly departure in 2021, soon after Thanksgiving, left his wife, Jennifer, with an emptiness too vast to bear. A year later, its weight was still unbearable. “I can’t say whether I asked for it, or whether it was a quiet wish whispered to the universe, or a yearning that lived deep in my soul,” she said. “But I told him: I can’t believe you left me to carry this alone.” Then, while scrolling through her Ring camera footage, Jennifer saw a bright purple light surrounding the fire pit. Through the trees, she saw Tony’s smiling, peaceful face.

While scrolling through her Ring camera footage, Jennifer saw a bright purple light surrounding the fire pit. Through the trees, she saw Tony's smiling, peaceful face.
“In time, I understood it was simply a gift, a reminder. And so, I stayed with that moment, letting it wash over me, grounding myself in the beauty of it, fully present in the grace it brought,” she remembers.

Jennifer’s experience with After-Death Communication (ADC) is not uncommon. According to a 2023 Pew survey, about half of U.S. adults reported a deceased family member visited them, as did 63% of women and 67% of Black Protestants. About half of those same groups also reported experiencing at least one of the following with a deceased family member: their presence, telling them about life events or having the deceased communicate with them.

According to a 2023 Pew survey, about half of U.S. adults reported a deceased family member visited them, as did 63% of women and 67% of Black Protestants. About half of those same groups also reported experiencing at least one of the following with a deceased family member: their presence, telling them about life events or having the deceased communicate with them.
“ADC is a deeply personal experience where someone feels a connection to a loved one who has passed away,” said Detrell Hawkins, Southwest Georgia Regional Program Manager for Kate’s Club, which supports people through grief. “It often feels spiritual, comforting, and deeply affirming.”

Nnenna Freelon, author of Beneath the Skin of Sorrow: Improvisations on Loss, refers to them in her December 2024 podcast Great Grief as “gifts that are treasures beyond compare, that are perfectly sized and suited for your heart.

Jennifer Wilson can relate. “Seeing Tony’s face was like he sent it to restore me and give me the strength to endure the pain,” said Jennifer. “Each year, I find myself returning to that week—uninvited but inevitable. I am deeply grateful, though, that our final holiday was peaceful.”

Continuing bonds affirm that the relationship changes, but it doesn’t end.
Detrell Hawkins, Southwest Georgia Regional Program Manager for Kate’s Club, which supports people through grief
This strength is part of the “continuing bonds” approach to the grieving process.

November 12, 2025 Free Online Event: Life After Loss—How to Be a Calm, Competent Executor. Click Here to Register.

“When a loss involves someone whose presence shaped your life, that bond can continue in a new source of strength, remembrance, and connection,” said T***a Butcher, doctoral candidate in grief counseling and founder of The Good Grief Healing Center.

“Continuing bonds affirm that the relationship changes, but it doesn’t end,” said Hawkins.

It allows the griever to integrate the loss into their life and find comfort in belongings, daily rituals, and symbolic reminders.

After more than a decade, Renee Jones and her family still get rainbow reminders from her husband, Addison, to remind them to preserve the family bond and celebrate life events. There was one over the stadium when their son won his State Championship race, one over their oldest son’s wedding venue, and one when their daughter left the hospital with their first grandson.

“We share the story of the perfect rainbow with our grandchildren who never met him in an earthly life but know him through his signs,” said Jones.

Renee Jones and her family still get rainbow reminders from her husband, Addison, to remind them to preserve the family bond and celebrate life events. There was one over the stadium when their son won his State Championship race, one over their oldest son’s wedding venue, and one when their daughter left the hospital with their first grandson.
ADC can also help you work through past challenges.

“As a Black woman, I know the layers that can exist in grief from personal loss, community trauma, and generational pain. I also know the power of joy, faith, ritual, and remembrance in our healing,” said Hawkins. “Good grief involves learning to make space for those feelings and allowing ourselves to heal without shame.”

Margarette Jacob struggles to know who she is with her granny and mother gone. She spent most of her life caring for and being heavily guided by them in all her life choices. They passed in 1999 and 2016, but still appear in her dreams, always needing her to get them somewhere. She’s finally coming to terms with, not acquiescing to, the decisions they’d make for her.

“I quit my job to be an entrepreneur and shaved my head,” she said. “They would have hated that, but they can’t be hurt or disappointed by my choices anymore. Walking in my freedom now fulfills the desires and hopes they held for me.”

Hawkins states, “Emotional and spiritual connections are a form of love and especially meaningful in Black communities, where honoring ancestors and storytelling are vital parts of cultural identity and healing.”

An everlasting power and presence
While our loved ones can’t be with us forever, the power and presence of their love can be everlasting. Here are five ways to stay connected with them.

Love Letters
“Writing love letters is powerful for Black families, especially when emotional expression wasn’t always encouraged, said Hawkins. “It helps release emotions we’ve held onto and say the things we never got to. Just ask Wilson, Jones, and the twelve other Sorority sisters who co-authored Bridges of Resilience: Empowered Widows’ Epic Journey of Strength and Sisterhood, a profoundly personal collection of their healing stories.

Community Memorial Events
“A community day of healing offers a space to say your loved one’s name aloud, create a placard or token of remembrance, and truly see your grief reflected and respected,” said Butcher.

Living reminders like a flower garden, a planted tree, or even a pet are also meaningful ways to commemorate your loved one.

Holiday Honors
Facing our loved one’s empty seat during the holidays can be tough, but we can change the narrative. “Instead of focusing on their absence, reflect on what they would be doing if they were here,” said Butcher. “Say their name. Share stories. Laugh at their old jokes. Honor the truth that their presence lives on in you.”

Visual Remembrance
For Butcher, looking at photos is more than nostalgia; it keeps the connection alive. Create visual memories like a coffee table book, photo wall, or a collaborative virtual photo album with Google Photos or Amazon Photos. Lift your spirits by getting photos off your phone and into your life.

Finishing Touches
“There’s something profoundly sacred about being able to give them, in death, what they couldn’t finish in life,” said Butcher, whether it’s a garden, a book, a business idea, or a family tradition. That’s a powerful gift of love, remembrance, and healing.

Remember to seek peace in the good grief this holiday season — connections with your dearly departed.

Are you among the many Black women blessed by signs, sensations and the spiritual presence of loved ones who have transitioned?

11/07/2025

Chinatown Walking Tours – Asian Americans United

Saturday, November 8 | 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. | Register for location details

The walking tour will consist of Chinatown historical sites, oral stories from the "Our Chinatown" project, and affected locations from displacement and gentrification. The tour covers Chinatown's history from its founding in the 1800s, to changes of growth and shrinking due to immigration laws and development projects. The tour will take approximately one hour and cover about one mile of walking.

Know Your Rights & Letter Writing 4 Will Kim – Woori Center

Tuesday, November 11 | 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. | ARCH Building, Room 108 (3601 Locust Walk)

Koreans 4 Decolonization (K4D), Asian Pacific American Leadership (APALI), and Woori Center are hosting a Know Your Rights community teach-in and Will Kim Letter Writing Session. Will Kim is a PhD student at Texas A&M University who was wrongfully detained by US Customs and Border Control on July 21.


INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/p/DO7JyHZiWPB/?igsh=bG42cXZod3E1eGM3

breadrosesfund.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a12bd5ebdb04d32cc59cd0287&id=40c24b9ec6&e=84497c929b

11/06/2025

* * DONATION NEEDED * *
Having trouble feeding your pets?
The ACCT Philly Pet Food Pantry can help!

In times like these, ACCT Philly’s Pet Pantry assists pet owners who are struggling with the cost of pet food. Our goal is to provide supplemental pet food to owners who may be experiencing financial difficulty. Those eligible for ACCT’s Pet Pantry must meet the criteria below:

- Be a resident of Philadelphia, with valid ID or proof of address
Able to provide proof of spay/neuter for all pets at your residence
Able to show verification of income (pay stub, benefit verification letter, etc.)
If you are interested in applying for Pet Pantry assistance, please fill out our Pet Pantry Request form here. We will be in touch with you shortly!

- The majority of our supplies are donated by the public, and we have limited inventory.
- Supplies are provided on a first-scheduled, first-served basis and availability is not guaranteed.
- Recipients may only schedule one appointment per month to pick up supplies.
- We ask that participants request only the food they need, so that we may make these donations available to as many families as possible.

Support the Pet Food Pantry Program!

- In supporting Philadelphia’s animals in need, we go through thousands of pounds of dog and cat food monthly.
- Your generous gift can help pets stay at home with their families, and prevent animals from going hungry.
- Please consider purchasing items off of our Amazon Wishlist to help us meet the needs of our community.
- You can also drop off donations any day of the week from 10am to 6pm!

If you’d like to make a larger monetary donation to sponsor a pantry day, please contact: Development@AcctPhilly.org

https://acctphilly.org/pet-pantry/
Mobile Notary Public, Uniquely Done Enterprises
UNIQUELY DONE ENTERPRISES

10/25/2025

Two Black fraternities at Yale survive on one member each
Alejandro Rojas ’26 and Keith Pemberton ’27 are both the singular members of their historically Black fraternities, groups they hope to keep alive at Yale’s campus. Olivia Cyrus 5:21 am, Oct 24, 2025, Staff Reporter

The Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity has 880 chapters worldwide and approximately 200,000 active members. At Yale, though, there is only one: Alejandro Rojas ’26.

Although his grandfather is an Alpha, Rojas, a biracial African- and Mexican-American, admitted that he wasn’t “super conscious” of the Divine Nine — nine historically Black Greek fraternities and sororities that comprise the National Pan-Hellenic Council.

“I just gravitated towards the idea of history and the legacy,” Rojas said. “It was a lot of learning about the things around me and being conscious of a deep history at Yale.”

The Zeta chapter of the fraternity was chartered at Yale in 1909, predating the founding of the Afro-American Cultural Center. In the 1980s and ’90s, the fraternity had nearly 20 members on the yard, according to Rojas, the president of the chapter, which also includes members at University of New Haven, Southern Connecticut State University and Quinnipiac University.

Rojas said the fraternity is also the oldest continuous Black undergraduate organization on campus. Rojas has — singlehandedly — helped maintain that.

Such a history, Rojas said, has been difficult to uncover due to the University’s less-than-sufficient documentation of the fraternity’s presence on campus.

Pre-1970, many Black students at Yale didn’t live on campus and were registered in New Haven ledgers, rather than as Yale students, Rojas explained. Several members of his chapter weren’t identified because they weren’t displayed in yearbooks and class archives.

“A lot of our history has been lost because of the lack of documentation from Yale University,” Rojas said. “Fundamentally, it was an issue with whether or not Yale recognized the status of these students. I feel this responsibility to make sure that this history is honored despite how Yale might not have honored it in the past.”

He cited James Pennington, a formerly enslaved man who studied at the Divinity School at Yale in the 1830s but wasn’t recognized as a student until the University awarded him a posthumous honorary degree in 2023, as an example of this historical erasure.

Michael Morand, director of community engagement at Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, wrote in an email to the News that the University has been working to address the gap in the history of Black Yalies.

Much of that work has focused on uncovering the history of Black people as faculty, students, and staff, Morand said.

Photographs of early members of Alpha Phi Alpha are now permanently housed at the Afro-American Cultural Center. According to Morand, ongoing archival work has already identified more than 300 Black Yale students and alumni from the 1830s through 1940, and researchers continue to add new names each year.

Morand said the project has drawn from student and alumni records, Yale Daily News archives, local and national newspapers, and books written by or about those early students.

Rojas’ goal, since becoming chapter president, is to uncover as much of the chapter’s history as possible, even venturing to archives at other schools, such as Cornell and Howard.

He believes that his existence as the sole member of a Black fraternity on campus is not unique, though. He said Brown and Harvard also only have one Alpha each.

“I don’t think a lot of students are aware of that nor do they have the same imperative to do so,” Rojas said. “I think our role is to encourage people to acknowledge our history in terms of denied history and in terms of Black history.”

Keith Pemberton ’27 shared Rojas’ desire to uplift his fraternity’s history. Pemberton is the only member of Omega Psi Phi on campus.

A chapter of the fraternity was founded at Yale in 1921 and became inactive during the Great Depression, according to Pemberton. Omega Psi Phi returned to campus in 1992 through the Epsilon Iota Iota chapter, which had been chartered in New Haven in 1990, Pemberton added. The chapter has had approximately nine other Yalies cross. But before Pemberton, the chapter had not initiated a Yale student in almost 14 years.

“What inspired me to do it is looking at the trailblazers: the first Black astronaut, the first Black governor, all of which are Omega men,” Pemberton said. “Being a history major, despite it not having a presence on campus, it was inevitable for me to be interested.”

He was also inspired by his father, who Pemberton said is a spring 1996 initiate of the fraternity.

In order to find a community, Pemberton said he frequently communicates with his brothers in New Haven to create visibility.

What stutters this visibility though, Pemberton believes, is how “discombobulated” the Divine Nine fraternities on campus can be, because a lack of continuity in their membership makes coordination difficult.

“It’s not as structured as we’d like,” Pemberton said. “It’s not just about maintaining members or constantly throwing parties, it’s about having people who believe in what each organization represents.”

Still, Pemberton hopes his legacy as the only Omega on campus is to open a window of achievement and scholarship for other Black men at Yale and throughout New Haven — a mission that aligns closely with Rojas’.

“We’re definitely not looking for people just to increase numbers,” Rojas said about both himself and Pemberton. “For us, it’s really important to have a certain quality of student who’s dedicated to honoring the history in the same ways that we seek to bring our own perspective to it.”

The Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity was first established at Cornell.

NOTE: Correction, Oct. 24: An earlier version of this article misstated when the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity’s presence at Yale began; it was 1909, not the 1970s. The previous version also inaccurately referred to the Eta Alpha Lambda chapter, a graduate chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha in New Haven that is separate from the Zeta chapter. Alejandro Rojas is president of the Zeta chapter, not the Alpha Phi Alpha chapter. The Zeta chapter is not the oldest continuous Black organization on campus, as the article previously reported, but the oldest continuous Black undergraduate organization on campus, according to Rojas. The article misstated the year when James Pennington was given an honorary degree for his studies at the Divinity School; it was 2023, not 1848. The article mischaracterized the history of Omega Psi Phi at Yale; according to Keith Pemberton, its first chapter was founded at the University in 1921, not 1922, and it was not at the time the Epsilon Iota Iota chapter, which was chartered in 1990 and arrived at Yale in 1992. The article misstated the number of years between Pemberton’s initiation and that of Omega Psi Phi’s last Yale member before him; it was almost 14 years, not 15 years. The article has also been updated to accurately reflect Pemberton’s comment about the “discombobulated” state of Divine Nine fraternities on campus. The News regrets these errors.

Alejandro Rojas ’26 and Keith Pemberton ’27 are both the singular members of their historically Black fraternities, groups they hope to keep alive at Yale’s campus.