TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa is decked out in purple and gold this weekend to welcome tens of thousands of fraternity brothers in town.
Omega Psi Phi is one of the largest historically African American fraternities in the country. They’re here for the 84th International Grand Conclave, a convention held every two years.
The Tampa Convention Center was packed for Conclave registration on Thursday as fraternity brothers from around the world checked in for the weekend.
This year’s conclave will bring close to 30,000 people to the area and will set a record for the highest registration number in its 113-year history.
“Tampa has been rolling out the purple carpet for us,” fraternity Grand Marshal, Brother Anthony Perkins, said.
Omega's past is full of notable members, from poet Langston Hughes to NBA GOAT Michael Jordan.
“We are the first black fraternity founded on an HBCU campus,” Omega Grand Basileus (Greek for “king”) Ricky Lewis said.
Its future is in the hands of teenagers like Darnell Calvin, in Tampa with a group from California as part of its new International Youth Symposium.
“I owe these guys a lot, really,” he says. “These men have presented to me what it's really like to be a man, to grow up and do things for the younger kids. I got a little brother at home and I want to build the bridge to his success as well.”
The effort is part of the fraternity's new mission to have a “Conclave with a Purpose.”
Brother Dennis Davis leads Pi Beta Beta, the graduate chapter in Sarasota and Bradenton, which sponsored a forum on political advocacy moderated by comedian and Omega brother D.L. Hughley.
“Because of all the political challenges that we're having in the state of Florida, there was talk about us not coming to Florida,” he says. “The last election we got a lot of people of color registered to vote, but we didn't get a lot of people out to vote, so one of the focuses here is voter mobilization.”
There are events happening all weekend, including a silent march tomorrow morning and concerts on Saturday and Sunday.
And at the convention center, with a paver tile unveiled today, Omega Psi Phi is leaving its mark on Tampa Bay.