The fraternity mentors students through the Kappa League, and they are hosting the Youth and the Law forum.
By Megan Reed
Members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity’s Long Beach/Inglewood/South Bay Alumni Chapter are taking time out of their busy schedules to ensure that young people can succeed at high levels. They also provide vital information to ensure that these children do not have negative experiences with law enforcement.
The Youth and the Law forum at the Ahmanson Recruit Training Center, on Manchester Avenue just west of the 405 Freeway, will discuss how teenagers should compose themselves when they encounter law enforcement, what they should say, and who they should call. These are just a few of the topics that will be discussed at the event which will take place on Saturday, February 25, from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The Kappas are partnering with the Southern California Chapter of National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), the nonprofit Crimson and Kreme Foundation, and the AIDS Health Care Foundation.
Boys and girls from the sixth through 12th grades can get the “real deal” from a diverse group of law enforcement personnel, including judges, deputy sheriffs, police officers, deputy district attorneys, defense attorneys, probation officers, correctional officers, and parole agents from the state department of juvenile justice, as well as officials from state prisons.
This event was created by Reggie Sears, who is a retired law enforcement agent.
“We’re trying to keep our kids out of the criminal justice system, and we want them to be able to talk to people who look like them,” he said. “So that we can try to keep them alive. There have been too many shootings around the country. We need to do everything that we can to let our kids know what they can do to try to avoid it. By having people who look like them, we think that we can do some good.”
Sears has worked inside prisons and youth correctional facilities.
“I believe in delinquency prevention,” he said. “It’s better to keep kids out of the system than it is to fix them once they are in.”
The forum topics will include how to interact with police officers or deputy sheriffs; avoiding being in the wrong place at the wrong time; how the criminal justice system works; what happens if you go to jail or prison; and taking responsibility for your actions to avoid the criminal justice system.
The event is a personal dialogue with young men and women to promote education and communication with law enforcement. Rights and responsibilities will be discussed, as well as the consequences of one’s actions.
Registration for this event is required. Visit www.lbisbnupes.com/youth-and-the-law-registration to complete the online registration form.
Members of the Kappa Leadership League will be on hand at this event. This mentoring program stresses academic achievement, community service, college & career preparation, and the total respect for young women. This mentoring group was recently at the Black College Expo.
“The impact of bringing them to the Black College Expo was to get them exposure to what the college life is all about,” Gregory Eubanks said. “One thing that we preach to all of our Kappa Leaguers, whether they are in middle school or high school, is that our goal is to get them admitted to college. Not only to college, but to also graduate from college.”
The mentors of the Kappa League prepared the students for the event by helping them create their resumes, obtain their transcripts, and prepped the students for the questions that the college officials would be asking.
“A lot of them haven’t had any exposure to the college life,” Eubanks said. “This opens up their mindset, and what the possibilities are if they do well in high school.”
To find out more about the Kappa League, visit www.lbisbnupes.com.
