When my future fraternity brothers John C. Merchant and Cleazell Petty approached me about joining Alpha Phi Alpha, I had no idea what they were talking about.
I had not been exposed to Alpha, but I admired these two friends and wanted to hear what they had to say. Alpha Phi Alpha did not exist on the campus of Morehead State University in rural eastern Kentucky in 1977.
I was there from Radford, Va. had just a few friends, was immersed in my curriculum and was yearning for more of a connection to African American men who pursued their dreams, just like me.
Alpha, I would learn, was filled with men of promise, men of purpose and men of leadership. I wanted that. I needed that. We were soon to make history as the first men to charter the Xi Alpha Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
It was a struggle to gain approval from the fraternity's national headquarters and from the MSU administration. We were told there were Kappas and Omegas and Sigmas, why couldn't we join them?
So, while educating ourselves about the organization, we had to also educate the university, explaining that we would be different, we would have clear goals for ourselves and for the service we could render the college. The other organizations were fine - but we wanted to do more and to be more.
It took so long to get approval, that I became an Alpha Man in May of 1978 on a Monday night, graduated on Friday, and went on TV with my first job on the following Monday. It was a great week for me and one I shall never forget.
I knew that Alpha was, in so many ways much bigger than our little chapter of eight members, but I had no idea just how big and influential we were.
I truly began to grow into Alpha during my days at WSB-TV in Atlanta. The brothers there embraced me, educated me on the fraternity's involvement in Atlanta, and guided me through so much more outside the organization.
I remember being seated at a table with then-Mayor Andrew Young at a dinner for a non-profit organization.
He rose from his chair, literally took my by the hand and introduced me to dignitaries in the room.
"This is Vic Carter, a new reporter for WSB-TV. He is my fraternity brother, I'd like for you to meet him," Brother Young said.
Wow! This is it, I thought. It was, however, just the beginning. The connections were countless and I came to realize the importance of being a member of such an organization that was filled with men who were truly doing something, yet were so humble and caring that they extended their relationship to this total stranger.
I became close friends with Maynard Jackson who attended the Friendship Baptist Church pastored by another Alpha man, the Rev. William V. Guy.
I sat in chapter meetings with Paul Hatchett, father of Judge Glenda Hatchett. I was surrounded by men who were well-educated, well-connected and each of them used their relative power for good.
I loved that.
These connections gave me confidence, a characteristic that is important in journalism. I grew into my profession nicely, all the while, performing community service and giving back in the tradition of the fraternity.
In Atlanta I worked with our Project Alpha - a teenage pregnancy prevention program designed to teach teenage males their responsibility in preventing pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.
We conducted voter registration, encouraged young people to stay in school and to go to college, and addressed contemporary issues at home and around the world.
Alpha Phi Alpha means so much to me. I grew up in a household with four sisters and always wanted a brother.
Today, I have hundreds of thousands of them. No matter where I go around the world, I seem to run into another one.
In this age of #BlackLivesMatter, I am reminded that this is not a new concept for Alpha Phi Alpha. We have been at the forefront as purveyors and protectors of life and human rights.
Before there was a Civil Rights Movement, there was Alpha Phi Alpha. Alpha men led the charge for the equal protection of rights.
Former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and Martin Luther King Jr. are the names we know and recognize, but so many others were equally important.
Ozell Sutton, a long-time resident of Atlanta and 26th General President of Alpha, is a great influence on my life. His work behind the scenes of the movement may never be fully told. I will forever treasure our private conversations and my work in writing his life story in 2008 in a book called, “From Yonder to Here.”
My greatest opportunity in the fraternity was the chance to serve as the public relations chair for the Washington, D.C. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Foundation.
For several years I worked on the committee that completed the legislation before Congress, secured the site for the memorial, and supervised the design selection. During that time, I came to realize more than ever, that each of us can do something to be a part of greatness. Working on this project was it for me. I would spend countless hours, seven days a week directing the public relations for the project.
I handled media, and crafted the consistent message of the foundation which was used by anyone who spoke on behalf of the project. I even wrote most of the speeches delivered by the committee's leaders and sponsors, including the late Coretta Scott King.
Alpha Phi Alpha has been good to me.
I can only hope that I have been half as good to it. It is my fraternity. It is my life. Each and every day I give thanks for the brothers I have, the places it has taken me, and the opportunities it has given me to be of service.
I truly live by our motto: "First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All."
Vic Carter is the primary anchor for CBS-WJZ-TV in Baltimore. He anchors the 4, 6 & 11 p.m. newscasts
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