Photos: Alpha Phi Alpha Black And Gold Ball
[Written by Ahmad Ahad] On Saturday [March 10], the Epsilon Theta Lambda Chapter [ETL] of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., held their 19th annual Black and Gold Ball at the Hamilton Princess Hotel.
This Gala event, a fixture on Bermuda’s social calendar, attracted Government officials, members of the Judiciary, members of the clergy and captains of industry in attendance.”
The Black and Gold Ball was the culmination of Alpha Week 2018, which saw the members of ETL host numerous events throughout the week. On Monday, members of ETL attended Clearwater Middle School to conduct “Project Alpha” Sessions with the M3 Male Students.
Project Alpha aims to critically evaluate the possibility for teenage pregnancies with these students through a sexual awareness program to educate young males about the associated risks and help them understand their role in responsible prevention.
The seventh annual Leadership Breakfast for high school male seniors was held at the St. Paul’s Centennial Hall on Friday. Fraternity members and industry leaders attended this two-hour breakfast session to encourage over 60 young men and to share their success stories and hard learned lessons.
To open the evening’s entertainment, a poignant spoken word poem was performed by Dellwood Middle School’s M3 drama students which spoke to the youths’ positive vision for Bermuda, imploring non-violence, love and peace. This was followed by the introduction and welcome delivered by Bro David Minors and the president’s welcome by ETL President, Dantae Williams.
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The keynote speaker was Bro. Mason West III, Executive Director Nation Builders Conference, Inc and the founder of ETL’s Math Attack Program.
His dynamic speech which underscored the Alpha Week theme, “A Positive Vision for Bermuda Through Service and Mentorship” imparted to every person in attendance the importance of their individual role in uniting the community to advance for the improvement of Bermuda.
Throughout the evening, the audience was treated to performances from Bodhi, Company with sophisticated choreography set to Nina Simone’s rendition of “Strange Fruit” and Maxwell’s rendition of “This Woman’s Work”.”
It is customary every year for the Chapter to acknowledge community servants with awards for their dedication to Bermuda. This year, Olympic Bronze Medalist Clarence Hill, Beyond Rugby and Sifu David Simons were recognized for their community service and mentorship.
The contestants for the upcoming 2018 Alpha Beautillion Program were introduced to the audience, namely: Antoine Jones – The Berkeley Institute; Matthew Daniel – Warwick Academy; Jermayne Dears – IMPACT Mentoring Academy; Gabriel Smith – Saltus Grammar School; Aaron Ratteray – Bermuda Institute; Rodrigo Lira – Mount Saint Agnes Academy and Tylar Jones – CedarBridge Academy.
ETL’s coveted Brother of the Year was awarded to Bro. Jecoa Burrows for his contributions to the Chapter.
The night cap entertainment had One Soulution dazzle and delight the audience with their selections, drawing everyone to the dance floor.
The men of ETL would like to thank our sponsors and supporters of the 19th Annual Black and Gold Ball: KPMG, The Pristine Group, J&B’s Wood Fired Pizza, The English Sports Shop, PinkSand Entertainment; Letitia Rabain – Flair, Hamilton Princess Hotel as well as the guests we had the honour of celebrating with on Saturday night.
Photos by Deanna Williams., click to enlarge:
