By Archousa Vanzetta Penn McPherson of Phi Boule`

In the four decades since Thomas Kuhn introduced us to "paradigm shifts" in his seminal work, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, extrapolations on its textual focus have abounded. It is therefore no surprise that the concept has been frequently applied to the behavioral sciences. And because paradigm shifts are global phenomena, it is no surprise that their impact trickles down to cities, neighborhoods, families, and, yes, even to member Boulés.

Witness our evolving attitudes toward, and reactions to, over-the-counter contraception, electronic communication, and monthly meetings without tuxedoes. In all of these areas, new values have been embraced by groups or societies that have become dominant. As baby-boomers, our time honored notions of status and purpose are challenged every day. So too are our group identities.

So why do we persist in our institutional hierarchies? Why should principals supervise teachers and make more money as well? What’s so special about Deacons and Stewards? Who says that nurses should take orders from doctors? What’s the point in 2007 of Jack and Jill? And what is the current justification for Boulé?

Ready access to the halls of Congress, corporate boardrooms, and elite private clubs suggest that the original goals of Minton and his colleagues are mired in obsolescence. Moreover, the overwhelming need to put informed minds to work in the social reconstruction of our communities affirms the belief that the maintenance of the Grand and Member agenda of Sigma Pi Phi, as historically constituted, is a prodigal use of scarce resources. But is it? Two prominent and tangible realities indicate that the answer is "No".

The first reality is OWNERSHIP. Of the many salutary lessons of the crusade of integration in which the African Americans have been engaged for 50 years, one is clear: No matter how sincerely the welcome mat is laid at the portals of opportunity, visiting doesn't have the same benefits of inhabiting. Renting is not the same as ownership. That black males own and control Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity is itself evidence of empowerment and independence. The status of owner accommodates the deployment of strategies for progress that do not have to be explained for their intended beneficiaries to understand, or diluted for their sponsors to embrace.

Ownership is an aspect of BEING that is important. It assures credibility in the recitation of the means and ends of achievement, and it validates achievement from an appropriately cultural and historical perspective. If you own your identity, the decision to discard "colored" and assume "black" is in YOUR hands, and so is the timing of the decision. If you own your image, the selection of heroes and heroines is an INTERNAL process, not an external mandate. If you own your agenda, you determine and validate the behaviors that constitute forward, exemplary movement toward social emancipation.

The second reality is NEED. To be sure, there is considerably less need for reliance upon Boulé for access, for self-affirmation, for social fluency. But since merely BEING is never enough, a near-perfect organization cannot afford to squander the collective intelligence, talent, wisdom, energy, and, yes, access, in the face of a tide of degradation that characterizes too many black families in general and too many black males in particular.

During the last half-century, society has shifted its paradigm from authoritarian to egalitarian, a not entirely objectionable change and one for which we labored on the streets and in courthouses across the nation. In the meantime, however, and not necessarily because of our efforts, many of our families were substituting "perpetratin" for educating, and style for substance. They seemed to prefer momentary notoriety over enduring credentials. For many reasons, Boulé is a foremost agent for redirecting those trends.

Sigma Pi Phi is unique in the African American community. It stirs aspirations, sets examples, screens participation, values character, and rewards achievement. It stands almost alone as an organization in our midst that has never been besmirched with scandal or allegations of wrongdoing. That cannot be said of political parties, the ministry, business, or the entertainment and sports industries. Nor can it be said of other African American Greek-letter organizations.

There’s nothing wrong with being near-perfect. In fact, in this "everything is everything" paradigm that we currently occupy, a group that disdains compromise of its universally valued principles is a jewel in our crown of self-respect. Every community needs corporate stars on which to dream and aspirational models to emulate. To be sure, Boulé is not a social service agency, nor is it governmental in its thrust. It is, however, a vast human repository of ability and dignity.

There was a time when its members sought respite from dishonor and disrespect within the Boulé. After more than 100 years, it may be time to shift the fraternal paradigm by adopting programs aimed at spreading the fraternity's cumulative honor and respect among ALL the brethren.