I remembered my wanting to be a member of a fraternity at Southern Illinois University. During rush week I hobbled my cerebral palsy legs through a lot of the frat houses. Even though it was 1968 I found myself just piping a dream of smoke, many of the fraternities were sympathetic to me wanting to be “Greek”, I had to settle on what I was meant to be, a up and coming photography major. I guess there was room in the world for one more Jimmy Olson on the ‘Daily Planet”.

As the week went by, a lot of my dormies were asking me if any of the Greekers asked me for a revisit. Nah I said I guest it was not to be, or maybe not. Walking to my photo class, and of course with always one or two Nikons around my neck, I suddenly heard my name shouted out, “Howie, Howie”, hey man where you really wanted to be a Kappa? I guess we got a couple whites bros in our fraternity, and you are from the south side of Chicago, and we can help your boat driving(1964 Pontiac Bonneville). We can use a photog in the house, you know we sure got some cuties to look at.

Was I ready to make Jewish history, one more adjective, to be added to my bein, Howard Michael Silvers, Jewish, only child, divorce parents, handicap, photographer, and now wanting to be a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, founded in Indiana University Bloomington on January 04, 1911. (Achievement In Every Field of HumanEndeavor), 721 chapters, over 150,000 plus members, notable members Elbert Frank Cox, First African American to earn a P.H.D. in mathematics, Bob Boozer, former NBA forward, 1960 Summer Olympics gold medalist, as with Bill and Cazzie Russell, Ivory Crockett, in 1974 broke the world record for the 100 yard dash and held the distinction of being the world’s fastest man at his distance, Los Angles mayor Tom Bradley, Bernard A Harris, first African American Astronault to walk in space, and many historic Americans.

I ponder this, and thought how could this going to happen and how would this change my life, and even yet, what can I contribute to so many African Americans. My new brothers told me that Doctor Martin Luther King had a dream, “that now is the time to make justice a reality,for all of God’s children, and has his speech goes on, we must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. again and again , we must rise to the majestic heights meeting physical force with soul force, we can not walk alone.  Doctor King’s dream will soon be my dream, I will show  the country the inequality, hatred, and misunderstanding that caucasians and negroes have been experiencing for over two hundred years, I knew now what Josh White(a folk singer  met when I was in the hospital for one of my many surgeries, “Every man is the same when he got his skin off”. I needed to know more about my new black brothers, and hopefully they will get to know me, heck we sure ain’t going to make the Klu Klux Klan membership list,

In the next two weeks I had to talk to each of my new to be brothers and they all wanted to know why I wanted to be a Kappa, I guest I to photographjust had one answer, I was tired of being an only child, I needed to feel that I had a purpose in life, I just wanted to take  pictures of people with their skin OFF. Well I did get an unexpected calling,  if this was group of brothers broke into my dorm room, tied me up, put tape over my eyes and kidnapped me. I did not know they wanted be to make just one photograph, a photograph that resulted in Southern Illinois University’s first Afro American coming queen, a most beautiful young lady, Miss. Hazel Scott of Carbondale, Illinois.

I was now getting hugs and kisses from my fraternity kisses after Miss Hazel made an entrance on her throne. I was ready for Hell Week, but I still had to be voted in. UNFORTUNATELY it was not meant to be, I was BLACKBALLED, SNUBBED, disappointed but I completely understood. I would of done the same thing to me. I cried, my brothers and sisters cried. The World was crying. for on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, another Kappa Alpha Psi brother was assassinated.

As I look back on this, I have learned that some films are meant to be shown and not to be snubbed. So Boyhood will win more Oscars than Selma, and Boyhood shows the twelve years of development, and it could the picture of the year as it’s African Brother, 12 years a Slave, it will never stand up to the greatness of the  film Selma.

Some things are meant to be snubbed, but for me I will always cherished my Boyhood, and never forget Dr. Martin Luther King’s ending words.

“And this will be the day – this will be the day when all God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning.

“My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty of thee I sing.  Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim’s pride. From every mountainside, let freedom!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that;

Let freedom ring from the Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, and when we let it ring from every village, and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children , black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hand sand sing in he words of the old Negro spiritual.

“Free at Last”

“Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”