Alexandria, VA – The Brothers of the Psi Nu Chapter, Third District, of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. hosted a virtual session on discussing the intersections of emotional intelligence and Black men and boys. The session held on August 18, 2021 at 7 pm, was Chapter IX (or the ninth interaction) of the Psi Nu’s Your Power Book monthly community discussion series. The event was attended by more than 80 members of the community and raised nearly $200 to support chapter programming.
The two panelists were Dr. Reston Bell, a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, and Brother Dr. Anthony M. Perdue (Beta Delta Delta ‘89), a leadership development coach and trainer. Additionally, he has a certification in Emotional Intelligence 2.0 (EQ-i 2.0).
Dr. Perdue shared emotional intelligence is integral for Black men and boys as they pursue what he calls ‘the three Ms.’ He explained, “Three of the most important decisions men have to make in their lives is concerning their Master (who and what they will serve), their Mission (identifying and pursuing purpose), and their Mate (the person with whom they will go through life). Dr. Perdue added, “A good understanding of emotional intelligence supports this process.”
Dr. Bell encouraged the attendees to immediately utilize the tools from the evening’s discussion in their everyday lives. Additionally, Dr. Bell stated, “In the quest for emotional awareness, I challenge you to take up the practice of stillness. So often, in our busyness and engagement with others, we cannot discern our own voices, which makes it hard to know ourselves.”
Brother Melvin Stallings (Psi Nu ‘10) facilitated the discussion and brought his years of experience working with youth in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) and life-skills curricula.
Brother Stallings said, “Emotional literacy undergirds all of the work I do with youth. When they are grounded the right way, they are then better equipped to understand the challenging concepts in STEAM education and not just learn but thrive and be at the top of their classes.”
Brothers James Goodman (Psi Nu ‘20), Garrett James (Tau Lambda Lambda ‘08), Donte’ Jiggetts (Beta Delta Delta ‘10), Dr. Wayne Moore (Psi Nu ‘06), and Anthony Sutton (Beta Delta Delta ‘17) were also influential in the execution of the August YPB session.
The Your Power Book (YPB) series is designed to engage and challenge the local community and beyond on contemporary issues such as popular culture, family life, health, finance, society, education, and politics, all through the lens of people of color. The Psi Nu Chapter invites the public to join future events and connect to identify ways to support Your Power Book.