Gamma Pi Talent Hunt Strikes A Chord With the Local Community

Every year, Gamma Pi’s Omega Talent Hunt comes around at about the same time, like a birthday. And just like a birthday, the Super Chapter and its patrons look forward to some type of surprise which they got again this year on Saturday, March 8 during the 2025 program featuring high school students from Prince George’s County performing music, dance and visual arts.

From the melodious tickling of the piano keys to the whine of violin strings rubbing against the bows; to brilliant dance moves to stunning artworks, all produced by young people not yet 20 years old, Gamma Pi’s Talent Hunt had it all.

Overall winner Nikole Chavis

About 100 parents and family members of participating students witnessed the surprising new talent at this year’s Gamma Pi Talent Hunt program from the comfortable confines of the auditorium at Charles Flowers High School in Springdale, Md. A total of 19 student contestants were on the program. The competition categories were dance, vocal music, instrumental music, piano and art.

The overall winner was Nikole Chavis of Crossland High School who performed a dance routine to the selection, “I’m in Here,” by Sia, a songwriter and recording artist. She will travel to Buffalo in April to represent Gamma Pi at the Omega Psi Phi Second District Conference Talent Hunt competition. The ultimate competition will be held at the national level when all of Omega Psi Phi meets this summer at its Leadership Conference in Detroit.

Nikole was overcome with emotion when she found out not only that she won the dance category but she was declared the overall winner. It was a happy moment for her and her family.

Schools represented were Charles Flowers and Crossland high schools along with St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School, Georgetown Day School and Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

Bro. Richard Allison, Gamma Pi’s Immediate Past Basileus, served as emcee for the occasion.

A distinguished panel of judges with music and arts backgrounds scored the performances to determine the winners. While on one hand the Talent Hunt is a competition, it is also an opportunity for talented students to showcase their talents, learn how to pursue a dream and persevere until they achieve it, and stretch their mental capacity by identifying and mastering a particular skill or talent. Honing a special talent improves academic skills and encourages growth. Studies have associated participation in music and arts with academic success. Great job by Talent Hut co-chairs Bros. Marcus Davis and Don Myles!

More photos in Dropbox

 

Overall winner Nikole Chavis shows off her creative dance moves below

 

Inspiring art work

These sketches are awesome

Quinton Sothern sings a solo

Gamma Pi Collaborates with Prince George's County TV and the Divine 9 to Produce a County Executive Candidates Forum

A full house watches and listens to the candidates

With just a few days to go before the primary election for the office of Prince George's County Executive, county residents are able to watch and listen to the candidates explain their positions, plans and priorities for the county during a Candidates Forum held and taped on Monday, February 17 and is now available for on-demand viewing on PGCTV.

The forum was taped in front of a live audience -- a full house -- at the Higher Calling Ministries church in in Upper Marlboro. All nine candidates representing both the Democratic and Republican parties participated. Students from two local high schools were also on hand to ask questions of the candidates. 

The Candidates Forum is now airing on the PGCTV Government Channel (Comcast Ch. 70 / Verizon Ch. 42). The remaining air times for this week are 8:30 p.m. through Friday. Future air dates and times are forthcoming and will be updated here. The event will also be posted in Gamma Pi Chapter's YouTube page until the special election on June 3.

Bro. Jason Crump

The Brothers of Gamma Pi had a big hand in this community event from the planning to the execution to the media coverage.

It started with Gamma Pi's Bro. Jason Crump, Esq., who founded the local Divine 9 (D-9) organization, spearheaded the idea to organize the debate through the D-9 group. Jack and Jill of America. Inc. was also involved in sponsoring the program. 

While Bro. Crump led from the stage as the host and as a co-moderator with Tamara Davis Brown, esq., of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., three Gamma Pi Brothers manned all three PGCTV cameras recording the broadcast -- William Lloyd, Jeffrey Edwards and Anthony Boyd.

"The success of the candidates forum just goes to show the amazing synergy that is created when our Black Greek Letter organizations work collaboratively," said Crump. "The whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts."

Gamma Pi's Public Relations Committee, of which Brothers Lloyd, Edwards and Boyd are members, also played a role in the televising of the forum. The committee used its longstanding relationship with PGCTV to arrange with the station for the on-site recording and rebroadcasting of the two-hour 21-minute program for on-demand access. PGCTV has taped and broadcasted Gamma Pi's Community UPLIFT public affairs show since 2016.

Candidates: Rushern Baker III, Aisha Braveboy, Marcellus Crews, Calvin S. Hawkins, Jr., Ron Hunt, George McDermott, Albert Slocum, Tonya Sweat, Alonzo T. Washington, The event was shared with the larger DMV community. The following local TV news channels and newspaper covered the forum:

WUSA Ch. 9

WJLA Ch. 7

Fox 5

The Washington Informer

Photos by Bro. George DuBose

Gamma Pi's William Lloyd mans a camera in a Fox 5 report

Candidates Aisha Braveboy and Rushern Baker onstage

Candidate Calvin Hawkins

A wide view of all the candidates onstage

Co-Moderator Davis Brown

Students got a chance to ask questions

 

 

For Black History Month, Project ENRICH Students Hear About Life "Down in the Depths" and Then Give Their Own Inspiring Talks

Bro. Capt. Corey Barksdale, U.S. Navy
Keynote Speaker

Gamma Pi’s Project ENRICH college preparatory program kicked off Black History Month with a powerful session highlighting Black historical achievement on Saturday,  February 1, at the National Wildlife Visitors Center in Laurel. This month's session was anchored by two very exciting activities:  a highly inspiring keynote address by naval submarine commander Bro. Capt. Corey Barksdale, and a series of energetic presentations by Project ENRICH students who took turns expounding on the lives and accomplishments of oft-forgotten African American heroes.

More than 100 students and family members attended the February session. On one hand, the purpose of the special program was to bring Black History Month to life with the presence of a real-life African American hero, in the person of Naval Academy alumnus Bro. Barksdale, who told his story about pivoting from the depths of “hanging out with the wrong crowd” in a small town in Virginia to leading young men and women from the depths of a nuclear submarine for the United States Navy. The other consideration for hosting the Black History Month session was to provide Project ENRICH students an opportunity to hone public speaking and presentation skills before a live audience.

Bro. Capt. Barksdale with his son, Bro. McCory King, and
Project ENRICH  director Bro. Dr. George Montgomery

Bro. Capt. Barksdale led off the session with a rousing 20-minute stemwinder weaving together his personal story, his exciting and challenging naval career and training as well as his acquired philosophy about success and failure in a life that has made the best of all the ups and downs to get him to where he is today. Bro. Capt. Barksdale is one of 17 Black Naval officers to command a U.S. Navy submarine. He commanded the nuclear submarine USS Columbia in 2021. 

"Many of the people I hung out with where I grew up are either not here right now, they are locked up in prison or they are not really doing too well in their lives," Bro. Barksdale told the students. "But fortunately I was able to make it out of that environment and turn my life around."

Bro. Capt. Barksdale told the students that one of the people who was very instrumental in encouraging him to redirect his life towards higher pursuits is Gamma Pi chapter's own Bro. McCory King. They grew up together in Matoaca, Virginia in Chesterfield County. Bro. King was in attendance to welcome his homeboy and Frat Brother to Project ENRICH. Bro. Capt. Barksdale now works for the Joint Chiefs at the Pentagon.

In closing, Bro. Capt. Barksdale left the students with this thought: "Each of you has the potential to go far beyond where you think you can go ... Success is not about what you accomplish. It's about how you handle the journey. You've got to have the right attitude. Your attitude is what's going to help you overcome challenges."

This student talks about legendary ABC newsman Max Robinson

During the Black History Month presentations, all of the Project ENRICH students participated. Using Power Point slides projected on large conference style screens, they took turns introducing the audience of parents and friends to lesser known Black History heroes.

The lineup of heroes and their presenters was long but informative. It included the likes of Disney creative engineer Lanny Smoot, inventor Frederick McKinley Jones, Marsha Williams, the first African American woman to earn a Ph D. in Computer Science and Amelia Boynton Robinson, the first African American woman to run for Congress, all under the watchful eye of Project ENRICH chairman Bro. Dr. George Montgomery.

For Gamma Pi, it was a memorable occasion and certainly a high water moment in the 40-plus years of Project ENRICH. To learn more about Project ENRICH, visit the web site.

Below are some other snapshots from the program:

Bro. Capt. Barksdale poses with Omega men

Happy Holidays from Gamma Pi -- The Super Chapter Goes to Work for Thanksgiving and Christmas

Gamma Pi Brothers Take a Break 

at the Holiday Extravaganza

You did not have to get all the way inside Panorama Elementary in Temple Hills, Md on Wednesday night, December 4, to know something big was happening. A huge red fire truck was parked out front with its emergency lights flashing and the engine running. A couple of county police cars were also parked not too far away with their blue and red lights flashing. It may have looked like there was trouble brewing, but not at all. Inside the school building it was all fun and excitement as more than 400 people enjoyed hot food, games, Christmas photos, toy giveaways and time with Santa. Welcome to Gamma Pi Chapter's 2024 Holiday Extravaganza.

Bro. John Morgan, Jr. surveys the huge crowd

Once again, the hardest working men in Omega Psi Phi were at it. The Brothers of Gamma Pi Chapter do not let anything or anybody stand in their way when it comes to delivering much-needed services and support to the community, especially when it comes to helping the youngest and oldest among us -- the seniors and the kids. In this case, Gamma Pi, the Super Chapter, was ringing in the holidays with tangible forms of cheer and good tidings.

The Christmas event, organized and executed by the chapter's Social Action committee, was planned for Panorama parents and students but it turned into a community affair. It did not really matter as there was more than enough food, toys and other gifts and Holiday Spirit to go around.

Bro. William "Santa" Lloyd

"I'm glad how it worked out. We had a great partnership with Panorama Elementary. It was a collaborative effort, said Bro. John Morgan, Jr., Social Action chairman for Gamma Pi. "The kids enjoyed it and that's all that counts."

If you stood inside the cafeteria-auditorium, where most all of the action took place, and looked around, there were lines everywhere. Lines for food. Lines for the raffles. Lines for holiday photos. Lines to sit and talk with Santa (Bro. William Lloyd). And lines for toys and Christmas trees. The toys were a wide variety -- motorized cars and trucks, dolls, action figures, games, puzzles and more. And more than a few students and parents could be seen wheeling new bicycles through the crowd. It looked like Christmas came early.

It was evident from the sheer number of people that this was Gamma Pi's largest-ever Christmas party.  The patrons attending the party would have not have fit into two airplanes.

Several local leaders stopped by, including Bro. County Councilman Calvin Hawkins, who said: "This is a prime opportunity for families to come together and celebrate the Christmas season in a safe and festive environment. Great job Gamma Pi!"

Bro. Tiresias McCall delivers

A few days before the Christmas event, the Brothers and Social Action committee helped seniors in the Forestville and Temple Hills communities enjoy Thanksgiving. On Saturday, November 23, a large contingent of Gamma Pi Brothers unloaded, repacked and delivered free Thanksgiving packages containing turkeys and trimmings to more than 100 seniors at Trinity Terrace in Temple Hills and Cheval Court in Forestville. Both dwellings are reserved for seniors.

"Our social action team does a real good job of identifying areas of need and planning activities for us to provide support in those areas," said Basileus Bro. Eric Fields. "We do an even better job of executing those plans when the time comes."

PHOTOS BY BRO. GEORGE DUBOSE

Bro. Basileus Eric Fields and Bro. Councilman Calvin Hawkins 

present turkey to one of the residents

Bro. Kerry Wilson (left) and Vice Basileus Bro. Terrance Hare

 present bicycle to young family at Christmas event

Bro. Morgan and Hare unload Thanksgiving food boxes

Brothers transfer Thanksgiving packages from the truck

Bro. Shake Alieu leads the way with Thanksgiving food boxes