On November 21, 2020, from 2-4pm, the brothers of the Psi Alpha Alpha (PsiAA) chapter in conjunction with the Bernie L. Bates Foundation gathered to celebrate the individual and collective accomplishments from the 2019 to 2020 Omega Year.  Due to the COVID-19 pandemic this years’ celebration was conducted virtually, hosted on zoom and simulcasted on both Facebook and Instagram.  The virtual environment enabled in excess of four hundred brothers, family members, guests and friends to participate in and experience our 2020 Achievement Week program and celebration.  Brother Marvin Chisolm served as the Achievement Week Committee Chairman and deftly coordinated all Achievement Week events while simultaneously highlighting the chapters forty years of service to the Fairfax County community.  To appropriately celebrate forty years of service the committee established and accomplished the following ten goals:  1. Commemorate forty years of progressive community service in Fairfax County, 2. Honor the thirteen charter members and the spouses of this illustrious chapter, 3. Recognize and honor PsiAA chapter member widows, 4. Recognize all brothers who are celebrating 5-year anniversaries as acknowledged by IHQ, 5. Recognize the core group of Quettes for 87th 3rd District Meeting planning, 6. Recognize our 2020 National High School Essay Contest Winner, 7. Showcase and honor our 2020 Talent Hunt Winner, 8. Celebrate IHQ Retention & 3rd District Social Action and Large Chapter of the Year awards, 9. Recognize our Omega Year 19-20 AW Awardees - Omega Man of the Year, Superior Service, Founders, COL Charles Young Military Leadership and Citizen of the Year, 10. Conduct voter registration, education, and mobilization (VREM) activities to support voter awareness throughout Fairfax County.

              The Achievement Week Celebration started promptly at the scheduled time and superbly highlighted the excellence of the Fairfax county Ques.  The Immediate Past Basileus, Brother Eric W. Kelly Sr., hosted the celebration and thanked all members of the chapter and guests for the support throughout his entire tenure but more specifically during the most recent Omega Year.  Brother James W. Cherry II expertly served as the Master of Ceremonies and Brother Ricky L. Lewis, 1st Vice Grand Basileus treated the audience with inspiring words on the Achievement Week theme: “Omega Men Ushering in Social Change.”  As a special nod to forty years of service, the attendees were treated to greetings and reflections from the chapters very first Achievement Week Speaker from November 1981.  Former Virginia Governor and Brother L. Douglas Wilder, again addressed the chapter and reinforced the need for Omega Men to participate in the social justice movement, undergirding the social change needed across America.   Brother Willie J. Williams, Jr., current Basileus began his closing remarks by thanking the 3rd District Representative, Bro Conrado B. Morgan, for his attendance and continuous support of the chapter.  He then closed out the celebration with words of thanks and an empationed-plea for continued financial support of the Bernie L. Bates Foundation. 

                  The afternoon celebration gave all in attendance the opportunity to formally recognize and honor the following awardees:  Omega Man of the Year, Brother Chester B. Keller; the Superior Service Awardee, Brother Cornelius M. Beidleman; the Founders Lifetime Achievement Awardee (Posthumously) Brother Willard O. Jasper and the Citizen of the year, Fairfax County Department of Family Services Father Engagement Unit Lead facilitator, Mr. Bennie Herron.   Immediate Past Basileus, Brother Eric Kelly presented seven Basileus awards to Brothers Marion “Barney” Barnwell, Bradford M. Caldwell, Marvin Chisolm, Kenneth M. Younger, Tony A. Wells, Michael W. Frazier and Craig M. Spraggins.  Special recognition was also afforded to several brothers celebrating a fraternity service anniversary:

Sixty-Five Years                                       Sixty Years                                           Fifty-Five Years

Bro. Marion L. “Barney” Barnwell        Bro. Joseph Briggs                               Bro. Clarence D. Demory

Bro. Isaiah E. Barnwell                           Bro. Theodore Strange, Jr.                 Bro. Alcindor R. Rosier, Sr.

Bro. Charles E. Summers

Fifty Years                                                 Forty-Five Years                                   Forty Years

Bro. Oscar B. Dailey                                Bro. Phillip G. Benjamin II                   Bro. Timothy E. Lamb

Bro. Richard G. Morris                            Bro. JD Leverett                                     Bro. Keith Wilson

                                                                    Bro. Ronald E. Lofton, Sr.   

Thirty-Five Years                                     Thirty Years                                         Twenty-Five Years

Bro. Darryl E. Dennis                              Bro. Alex N. Beard                                 Bro. Ashley Elder

Bro. Gregory W. Packer, Sr.                  Bro. Marvin Chisolm

                                                                   Bro. Myron B. McDaniels

                                                                    Bro. Sheldon Schanck

                                                                    Bro. Eric M. Twiggs, Sr.

The Fairfax County Ques standard for our Achievement Week Celebration is to take this opportunity to highlight the youth in our community.  The attendees were treated to a piano performance from our 2020 Talent Hunt winner Miss Kayla S. Anthony and the reading of the thought-provoking essay by our high school essay contest winner Mr. Ian C. McDaniels.

The Widows and the Charter Members’ Spouses were cordially invited to attend our virtual 40th Achievement Week Program honoring our “Road to 40” and they learned about the many great deeds that PsiAA had experienced throughout this Omega year.  The goal of the invitation was to provide the Widows and Charter Members’ Spouses the opportunity to reconnect to our Psi AA Chapter support group and see and talk to old friends.  The ladies heard and observed the countless hours the Chapter has remained committed to performing towards our causes.  They also heard and observed our ability to engage with the community in meaningful ways, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic.  The ladies were also informed how PsiAA has continued to provide uplift to people of color in Fairfax County and the surrounding area. Roses were presented in advance of the virtual 40^th Achievement Week Program to all the PsiAA Widows, Widowers, and Charter Members’ Spouses and this gesture of kindness was deeply appreciated.

Although constrained by the pandemic, on election day (Nov 3rd) the Fairfax County Ques were able to support the Fraternity’s voter registration, education and mobilization call to action at multiple polling sites across the county.   A majority of the chapter participated in the virtual IHQ rededication ceremony.  We concluded our Achievement Week activities with brothers worshiping together virtually at the weekly 3rd District Worship service hosted by the District Chaplain, Bro Courtenay Miller.  The 2020 PsiAA Chapter Achievement Week events and celebration were a resounding success due to the hard work and effort of the committee, but more important due to the participation from the Fairfax County Ques, their families, and friends. 

 Bro. MAJ Ahmad Andrews spoke to the Mount Vernon High School football team in Fairfax County on October 30, 2019.

The MANUP mentoring program featured Bro. MAJ Ahmad Andrews on October 30, 2019 at Mount Vernon High School (MVHS). Bro. Andrews addressed 100 high school students challenging them to make positive choices, work hard, and consistently pursue academic excellence. He quoted the famous Booker T. Washington stating, “associate yourself with people of good quality, for it is better to be alone than in bad company. The individual who can do something that the world wants done will, in the end, make his way regardless of his race.”

The MANUP mentoring program is for young males and is sponsored by the Psi Alpha Alpha chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated. The MANUP program partners with Mt. Vernon High School and Gum Springs in Fairfax Virginia and has over 60 students from 6th graders to graduating seniors. The MANUP program consists of mentoring students thru exposure to various careers and pre-college initiatives through lecture series and field trips throughout the scholastic calendar year.

 Bro. MAJ Ahmad Andrews | MANUP Program | MVHS | October 2019

Bro. Andrews spoke on his personal experiences in enlisting in the United States Navy, playing collegiate football, and becoming a commission officer in the U.S Army by way of the Tuskegee University ROTC Program at Tuskegee University in Alabama. The students were inspired by his story of perseverance and hard work. They were engaged and equated his successes after a notable high school football career with their own need to strategically plan multiple routes to achieve success.

The MVHS football team is currently undefeated in their conference play and will battle T.C. Williams on Friday November 1st to becoming Division Champions.

 MANUP Program | MVHS | October 2019

 Bro. Ken Younger, Bro. Kevin Williams, Bro. MAJ Ahmad Andrews, Monty Fritts, Head Coach; Bro. Eric Kelly, Basileus, Bro. LTC Chester Keller, Bro. Tony Wells, Bro. Michael Frazier

Northern Area II Men of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

On March 9, 2019, the men of Psi Alpha Alpha (PsiAA) Chapter, Third District, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. in collaboration with the members of The Mighty Third District, Northern Area II Chapters united for the 2019 Memorial Service at Heritage Fellowship Church 2501 Fox Mill Road, Reston, VA 20191. Omicron Kappa Kappa was the Host Chapter for this year’s event. All Chapter Chaplains assisted with the appropriate level of planning and coordinating this mandated program to honor and recall the memory of those members who have entered into Omega Chapter. One of those great brothers was our very own Brother John L. Peoples, Charter Member of Psi Alpha Alpha entered into Omega Chapter November 2018.

The event was a tremendous success again. We truly set the standard as to how joints memorial services should be conducted. Brother Emanuel Carter (PsiAA Chaplain) brought forth the first biblical reading (Psalm 30). The spiritual words empowerment was brought forth with fears enthusiasm by the great brother District Chaplin Rev. Courtney Miller. After the repast, brothers assembled at the Amphora Diner Deluxe in Herndon, VA to break bread in remembrance of our late comrades.  Sharing good times and laughs, the brothers dwelled together in unity and created great memories. Lastly, all participating chapters will receive credit for the completion of a mandated program.