Our Golden History - A general Roots through 2014 history of The Golden Fold.
The Golden Fold is a Y.A.P. program
that serves under the mandate from Omega Psi Phi that each active
chapter has a Black Male Leadership Program. The program has it’s roots in both
the Pan Hellenic Greek-Lettered Fraternity traditions primarily found on
America’s Historical Black College and Universities and the African-Centered Rites of Passage
tradition which developed from the African-Centered and Pro-Black institutions
that developed in America in the early 1900s. Specifically the program is
rooted in two organizations, the Gamma Xi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi and the
UHURU African American Cultural Arts Collective.
(Photo of Askia Mentuhotep)
In the Spring of 1989 Askia Mentuhotep, also known as Anthony Sparrow,
an Omega Psi Phi initiate through the Pi Gamma chapter of Norfolk State
University, brought to the Gamma Xi graduate chapter an idea for a Rites of
Passage process named “Uplift through Back-lift”. Askia had become involved with numerous
African-centered groups while matriculating at Norfolk State University, and
believed that a return to the African and American-Indian traditions of youth
Rites of Passage would be the only solution to the so called yet misnamed
“Black-on-Black crime” and social decay which affected people of African
descent in America. The chapter showed little support for the idea and
basically ignored the submission and no movement was taken towards instituting
the idea. During that same spring Seko Benjamin-Eric Varner unsuccessfully attempted to enter
the fold of Omega through Gamma Epsilon on Hampton University’s campus. A year
earlier, while Seko was in midst of attempting to enter the Omega fold, Seko
met Askia at a Kwanzaa cultural program on Norfolk State University’s campus
and he advised Seko to focus on aiding the community and the gates of Omega
would open to him. In 1989 Askia, frustrated with the response of the members
of Gamma Xi, took his idea to an African-Centered community group named Uhuruu
African American Cultural Arts Group which was started by members of the
community and included Seko’s parents who were members of Omega Psi Phi and
Delta Sigma Theta.
Uhuruu embraced the idea, which was in line with numerous Rites of
Passage groups nationwide, and in 1990 the M.T.U. (Manhood Through Uplift)
Rites of Passage program opened it’s doors to provide mentorship to the
community. The program was named MTU
which meant “Strong Man” in an African language and secretly referenced three
of the four Cardinal principles of Omega Psi Phi. The secret reference to
Omegas Principles of Manhood, Scholarship, Perseverance, and Uplift remained
during MTU’s exsistence. The During it’s infancy the community based mentors of
MTU were unaware of the connection to Omega Psi Phi as Greek Lettered
Organizations were thought to be ineffective, cultural traitors, and were groups for puppet members of the
Black Bourgeois in the eyes of many in the African-Centered movement. In 1991
Seko was recruited by elders in the Uhuruu Cultural arts group to join the
program which was serving 70 young boys each Saturday. Seko entered the Omega
fold in 1994 and maintained activity in MTU until 2005 when Seko became the President of The
Imani Foundation, a group that splintered from Uhuruu and became the sponsoring
program for MTU. Askia remained active in MTU until 2001. While active, Seko
and Askia based many of the male development activities of MTU after the Omega
Process, traditional African Rites of Passage, and the membership process of
The Brotherhood of 1-5-1 Inc., a non-greek lettered band and choir fraternity
that Seko entered in 1989 at Hampton University which includes and was
co-founded by numerous Omega men. During the program years MTU met in numerous
locations including Norfolk State University. The members of the Pi Gamma
chapter of Omega Psi Phi initially sponsored MTU allowing access to campus.
After the members of Pi Gamma neglected on numerous occasions to complete
necessary paperwork to allow MTU to operate on campus MTU found sanctuary with
Malik Sigma Psi, an African Centered fraternity based upon the writings and
philosophy of Malcolm X (El Haji Malkik Shabazz). After the active members of
Malik Sigma Psi graduated from NSU the rites of Passage process found it’s home
at the Hunton Y.M.C.A. in Norfolk Virginia.
In 2007 Askia worked with Norfolk State University to direct a grant
named ‘TechnoScholars of Norfolk State University’ and he hired Seko as the
programs’ assistant director. The program was a technology based mentorship
program which operated until loosing it’s funding in 2009. During it’s activity
numerous members of the Pi Gamma chapter operated as volunteers and mentors.
Before the program ending Askia advised Seko to consider bring the fraternity
into community involvement through mentoring to meet the Black Male Leadership
mandate to continue the positive impact the men of Omega were having upon the
community and to continue the work of MTU which was dying off. (Photo of Seko B.E. Varner)
In 2009 MTU ended as a functioning program. In 2010 Seko brought the
concept of The Golden Fold to the Gamma Xi chapter of Omega Psi Phi. The idea at that time was
based upon involvement with the Tau Lambda chapter to allow cultural and uplift
programs to the campus of Old Dominion University. By allowing Tau Lambda to
handle the logistics the program would provide mentoring the undergraduate
members and prospects for membership as well as the community. This idea was
based upon support the Tau Lambda chapter provided the Imani Foundation who
brought numerous speakers and cultural acts to Old Dominion University during
the 1998 – 2006 years. Unfortunately the newer members of Tau Lambda did not
complete necessary paperwork on a three occasions to host the programming that
Seko had arranged causing the Golden Fold idea to halt.
In the spring of 2011 A group called the ‘Man-Up’ collective, begun by
Linda Goss, recruited Seko to manage an idea for a mentoring group under the
same name. Seko accepted the invitation as long as he could involve the members
of Gamma Xi in the activity. In the late spring of 2011 Seko represented the
Idea of the Golden Fold to Gamma Xi and was advised to bring a fully
functioning program back to the chapter before full consideration. The other
caveat was that Seko had to become the lead Omega to fulfill the Y.A.P. Black
Male Leadership position and program. During the development stage of the
program the members of Man-Up lost momentum leaving the program squarely in the
interest of Gamma Xi. In the fall of
2011 Seko presented and received the support of Gamma Xi to conduct the Y.A.P.
program under the formerly used name The Golden Fold. The program was designed
to be a ‘Brothers and Others’ program which would allow mentor involvement from
community men as well as Omega Men. The program would be open to all males in
the 6th – 12th grades in the Hampton Roads area. The
program would be designed to attract Boys of African descent, but would be open
for the admission of any boy that met the criteria of being a 6th –
12th grader. The Golden Fold then began meetings in the C.A.T.
(Creative Arts Theater) of Virginia Beach until the theater lost its lease. One of the more notable community mentors was Kinji Ridley. (Photo Kinji Ridley)
The
group met briefly in Brandon Middle School in Virginia Beach and included
accepting girls in the 6th -12 grades in the program under the
support of Brandon’s assistant Principal Omega Man Robert Ambrose. Ambrose
lobbied to have the Golden Fold become a formally involved program of Virginia
Beach City Public Schools, yet was unsuccessful due to the program’s infancy
and lack of resources. During the meetings at Brandon Middle School a sole
young lady became active with the program for approximately eight months. The
location moved numerous times during the 2011 – 2012 Golden year until Kinji
Ridley, an Omega prospect, connected the program to Tide Water Community
College’s Black male Brotherhood named S.A.A.B. (Student African American
Brotherhood) which was a campus group supported by members of Phi Beta Sigma. The program had served primarily Black boys and
a few Latino boys, but accepted it’s first Caucasian boy in October 2011. (Photo Robert Ambrose)
In 2012 Seko closed the organization known as the Imani Foundation due
to a lack of community involvement and with his new focus on developing The
Golden Fold. The program has continued to be a partnership involving SAAB and
GAMMA Xi and was adopted by the Gamma Xi Foundation in 2012 which began to
oversee the program. Kinji Ridley, who became a member of Omega Psi Phi and
became the director of The Golden Fold during the 2012-2013 Golden year while
Seko Varner became the program’s assistant director. During the 2013-2014
planning session a decision to disallow female members in the mentorship
program was reached as well as a decision for Seko Varner to return to
operating as the program’s director for the 2013-2014 Golden year. Seko added a
new Omega Man, Richard Green, as the program’s assistant director in the
2013-2014 and 2014 – 2015 program’s year. (Photo Richard Green)
During the 2013-2014 Golden Year the membership form S.A.A.B. ended it’s
activity with TGF during a regime change. S.A.A.B. decided to focus on
mentoring the Tidewater Community College Students rather that the youth in The
Golden Fold to address the rapid reduction in it’s membership following a
graduation of many of it’s member in June 2013. S.A.A.B. completed paperwork to
allow The Golden Fold to continue meeting on TCC’s campus, yet TGF faced
several dates when upon arrival the room designated for the TGF meetings was
found unavailable or locked. Seko and Richard successfully groomed the
organization for a move to a new location. During this year an Omega named Mike
Grimes became active in the program and quickly emerged as the Lead mentor for
the program, leading the program’s community based mentors Mr. James Morton and
Dr. Brandon Martin.
After a successful 2013-2014 Golden Year the program
welcomed Omega Frederick Foard to join the group’s mentoring program, and he
added an elder-wisdom which brightened the plans for the 2014-2015 years plans.
The program’s steering committee decided to move it’s activities to the Boys
& Girls club in Virginia Beach, Virginia. A decision to make all
participants of The Golden Fold to become members of the Boys & Girl’s club
at a cost of $20 per youth annually will provide the Boys & Girls club’s
meeting rooms and also use of their transportation without cost.
Omega Psi Phi fraternity, Inc. began a Fatherhood Initiative in 2010 as a mandatory program in all chapters.
- 1. Raise the Awareness
in our Community on the importance of responsible Fatherhood and Mentoring.
- 3. Give voice to
Fathers on the Municipal, state level, and judicial levels. To work
with elected official to support the Youth Promise Neighborhood Act and Jobs Act.
- 4. Celebrate Fathers
who are doing the right things by their children. Salute Dads
who are in their children’s lives. Encourage Men to meet the Father’s absence to serve a vital role in the
lives of our children as Mentors & Coaches
to nurture, guide, & counsel and communicate with our children to win the future.
In 2014 The
Golden Fold began a Fatherhood mentoring wing of the program and began
providing services to impact the noticeable lack of Father-involvement in the
lives of the boys served by The Golden Fold and the lowered number of involved
Fathers involved in the lives of youth in Hampton Roads. (Photo of guest Clever Speaks with Justin Hampton, owner of Y.A.P. Radio)
One of the most
prominent programs of the Fatherhood wing of The Golden Fold is an online-radio
interview show called Daddyman Radio which is staffed by Seko Varner and Justin
Hampton, an Omega who entered the fraternity through the Pi Gamma Chapter of Norfolk State University, who owns the Y.A.P. online radio station. During the live
episodes, which are also available on Youtube for public viewing (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdg9ffPVKoBw53x_RqUc0zO4V9gVGXaKl),
Varner and Hampton interview fathers on the pivotal and challenging moments of
their fatherhood experience to provide an online mentoring and role-modeling
platform for Fathers who are seeing examples of best practices in addressing
the challenges of parenthood.
Seko B.E. Varner, 2014
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Golden Fold Mentor Movement serves 6th - 12th grade youth by providing seminar based Big-Brother-type activities in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Contact: thegoldenfold @ yahoo (dot) com or call 757-932-0177. The Golden Fold is a "Brothers and Others" Community Improvement activity of the Gamma Xi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi and the Gamma Xi Uplift Foundation.
