Dr. Antonio L. Ellis
I write this letter with a heavy heart, knowing that your life was cut tragically short due to the senseless and inexcusable act of hazing. Your death is not just a loss to your family, your friends, and your community, it is a devastating indictment of a culture that has long plagued Black Greek-letter organizations (BGLOs) and continues to stain the very institutions that were meant to uplift Black men.
As a higher education professor and an active member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, I am deeply grieved and outraged. I have dedicated my career to mentoring students, advocating for safe spaces in higher education, and preserving the integrity of Black fraternal organizations. Yet, once again, we find ourselves mourning a life lost to an archaic, violent tradition that has no place in our brotherhoods.
Caleb, you should have been welcomed into the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated Beta Sigma Chapter at Southern University with open arms, guided by the principles of manhood, scholarship, perseverance, and uplift. Instead, you endured suffering that no one should ever experience, all in the name of proving your worth. The truth is you were already worthy. The moment you aspired to be part of something greater; to contribute to a legacy of Black excellence, you embodied the very essence of what these organizations claim to stand for.
The question now is not just how we grieve your loss but how we ensure that your death is the last of its kind. How do we finally put an end to this dangerous cycle of violence masquerading as tradition? How do we reclaim Black Greek life as a space of empowerment rather than one of fear and harm?
First, we must acknowledge that hazing is not a rite of passage, it is a betrayal of our values. Those who engage in hazing do so not out of love or tradition but out of a perverse need to dominate, to validate their own suffering by inflicting it upon others. This cycle of trauma must end. Every fraternity and sorority must take a stand, not just in words but in action, to eradicate hazing at every level, undergraduate and alumni alike.
Second, real accountability must be enforced. Too often, perpetrators of hazing are shielded by secrecy, institutional apathy, and weak enforcement of anti-hazing policies. Universities, fraternity headquarters, and alumni must adopt a zero-tolerance stance. That means meaningful consequences for individuals and chapters that violate the fundamental principles of our organizations. It means more than just suspensions; it means legal action when necessary. No one should be allowed to harm another person in the name of brotherhood and walk away unscathed.
