MONROVIA, LIBERIA-Liberians over the weekend were among other countries around the globe who commemorated International Peace Day.
In Liberia, a proclamation was issued by President Joseph Boakai declaring September 21 to be observed across the country as a working holiday.
President Boakai’s proclamation aligns with the 57th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, which declared the 21st day of September each year as International Peace Day.
This year’s observance of the Day was held under the global theme: “Cultivating the Culture of Peace”, with the national theme: “Workout for Peace.
For Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, a one-day event was organized by the entity to commemorate the Day at the Samuel K. Doe Sports Complex in Paynesville, which brought together over 75 Liberians from diverse backgrounds.
Speaking Saturday in observance of the Day, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Executive Director, T. Nelson Williams, vowed that the organization will continue its advocacy for the sustenance of peace in Liberia.
Mr. Williams said:” The institution’s advocacy role in maintaining peace in the Country is cross-cutting, involving community dwellers and relevant state actors, as well as regional, national, and international organization engagements including friendly countries of the world.”
“Over the years, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, a brotherhood worldwide organization, has been upholding the legacy of the late Martin Luther King, Jr., one of its members, whose advocacy was a non-violent approach, ensuring that people of the world co-exist in peace and harmony, which Liberia is no exception”, he pointed out.
Mr. Williams said besides peace, venturing into other areas, including gender-based violence against women and girls, scholarships for Liberians at various colleges and universities, mentorship programs for young people with a premium on its scholar’s initiative, and enrolling students will high-grade Points (GPA).
He disclosed that the Organization, over the years, has made significant contributions ranging from the Ebola outbreak, where it constructed an Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU) for survivors of the virus, to the outbreak of COVID-19, where medical supplies were brought in the country from the United States and Canada reaching 27 health institutions.
Mr. Williams indicated that within Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Liberia is leading the International District made up of the United Kingdom, South Africa, and United Arabic Emirates (UAE), and Ghana, among others.
Also speaking, the Chairperson of the World Policy Council, and organizer of the International Peace Day for organization, Ellas Shontyin, termed the widespread consumption of narcotic substances among young people in Liberia as a serious social problem.
According to Mr. Shontyin, there is an urgent need for a holistic approach to addressing the usage of narcotics by many young people, which is rendering them unproductive.
He said the Fraternity is buttressing ongoing efforts by the Government of Liberia and partners to curtail the increase in drug users by making interventions where there are gaps.
Mr. Shontyin narrated that Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity has reached out to many of the disadvantaged young people in their various areas, providing assistance and counseling to them.
He stated: “Now the Organization is not fully capacitated to run a rehabilitation center to cater to large numbers of the drug users, but it is developing plans to do more in addressing this menace”.
History of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity was the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African-American men on December 4, 1906, at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, by seven college men who recognized the need for a strong bond of brotherhood among African descendants.
Objectives
To stimulate the ambition of its members,
To prepare them for the greatest usefulness in the causes of humanity, freedom, and dignity of the individual,
Encourage the highest and nobles form of manhood, and
To aid downtrodden humanity in its efforts to achieve higher social, economic, and intellectual status.
