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Phi Beta Sigma

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. (ΦΒΣ) is a historically African American fraternity. It was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C., on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students with nine other Howard students as charter members. The fraternity's founders, A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I. Brown, wanted to organize a Greek letter fraternity that would exemplify the ideals of Brotherhood, Scholarship and Service while taking an inclusive perspective to serve the community as opposed to having an exclusive purpose. The fraternity exceeded the prevailing models of Black Greek-Letter fraternal organizations by being the first to establish alumni chapters, youth mentoring clubs, a federal credit union, chapters in Africa, and a collegiate chapter outside of the United States. It is the only fraternity to hold a constitutional bond with a historically African-American sorority, Zeta Phi Beta (ΖΦΒ), which was founded on January 16, 1920, at Howard University in Washington, D.C., through the efforts of members of Phi Beta Sigma.

The fraternity expanded over a broad geographical area in a short amount of time when its second, third, and fourth chapters were chartered at Wiley College in Texas and Morgan State College in Maryland in 1916, and Kansas State University in 1917. Today, the fraternity serves through a membership of more than 200,000 men in over 700 chapters in the United States, Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. Although Phi Beta Sigma is considered a predominantly African-American fraternity, its membership includes college-educated men of African, Caucasian, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian descent. According to its Constitution, academically eligible male students of any race, religion, or national origin may join while enrolled at a college or university through collegiate chapters, or professional men may join through an alumni chapter if a college degree has been attained, along with a certain minimum number of earned credit hours.

Phi Beta Sigma is a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) and a former member of the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC). The current International President is Chris V. Rey, J. D., and the fraternity's headquarters are located at 145 Kennedy Street, NW, Washington, D.C.

Founding (1910–1916)
In the summer of 1910, after a conversation with a recent Howard University graduate in Memphis, Tennessee, A. Langston Taylor thought to establish a fraternity. Soon after, he started as a student at Howard University in Washington, D.C. In October 1913, Taylor and Leonard F. Morse had their initial conversation about starting a fraternity. They included Charles I. Brown as the third member of the founding group. By November 1913, they established a committee to develop what was to become Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. Soon after the first committee meeting, Taylor, Morse, and Brown chose nine associates to join in creating the fraternity. Those men were the first charter members of the organization.

On January 9, 1914, the permanent organization of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity was established in the Bowen Room of the 12th Street Y.M.C.A Building in Washington, D.C. On April 15, 1914, the Board of Deans at Howard University officially recognized Phi Beta Sigma and the following week The University Reporter, Howard University's student newspaper, publicized it.

During the first two years, the fraternity organized and maintained a Sunday school program, led by A.H. Brown; and opened a public library and art gallery, which became the foundations of the Benjamin Banneker Research Society and the Washington Art Club, respectively. Abraham M. Walker, a fraternity member, was elected associate editor of the Howard University Journal. The following year, Walker and founder A. Langston Taylor, were elected Editor-in-Chief and circulation manager, respectively. Other fraternity members also advanced to leadership positions at Howard: W.F. Vincent, William H. Foster, John Berry, Earl Lawson, among others, were presidents of the Debating Society, the college YMCA, the Political Science Club, and the Athletic Association, respectively. On the athletic field, captain John Camper and J. House Franklin were standout football players for Howard University.

In the spring of 1915, the fraternity worked to emphasize its intellectual reach. It inducted such African-American scholars as Dr. Edward P. Davis, Dr. Thomas W. Turner, T.M. Gregory, and Dr. Alain Leroy Locke. On March 5, 1915, Herbert L. Stevens was initiated, as the first Graduate member of Phi Beta Sigma.

A year after the establishment of Phi Beta Sigma, it began expansion to other campuses. On November 13, 1915, Beta chapter was chartered at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas by graduate member Herbert Stevens. Beta chapter became the first chapter of any African-American Greek-lettered organization to be chartered south of Richmond, Virginia. As Phi Beta Sigma continued its expansion in the Eastern and Southern United States, other national fraternities were beginning to take notice.

On December 28, 1916, Phi Beta Sigma hosted the fraternity's first conclave in Washington, D.C. Some 200 members attended, representing three collegiate chapters, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma (established at Morgan State College in Baltimore). The 1916 conclave authorized production of an official fraternity publication, and member W.F. Vincent was elected as the National Editor.

World War I and the Sigma call to arms (1917–1919)
Phi Beta Sigma responded to a "call to arms" in 1917 as the United States entered the First World War. Alpha chapter had about seventy members in uniform. During the war, many members entered the service or war work. Many fraternity chapters were depleted, and the National Office ceased to function. As a result of deaths and other dislocations resulting from the war, the General Board was forced to re-organize. Fraternity President I. L. Scruggs asked founder and National Treasurer A. Langston Taylor to contact members as soon as they re-appeared in civilian clothes. Taylor helped revive the fraternity by appealing to members in the US, as numerous Sigma men were serving on the European battle front.

Incorporation and the founding of Zeta Phi Beta (1920–1933)
By February 1920, Phi Beta Sigma had expanded to ten active chapters. During the December 1919 Conclave, Phi Beta Sigma's first conclave after the war, A. Langston Taylor was given approval from the General Board to assist in the organization of what was to become Phi Beta Sigma's sister sorority.

Creation of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated
In the spring of 1919, Sigma member Charles Robert Samuel Taylor, a student at Howard University, discussed with fellow student Arizona Cleaver his idea for a sister organization to be established. Cleaver presented this idea to fourteen other Howard women. With the help of Charles Taylor and A. Langston Taylor, they began work to found the new sorority.

With administration permission, Zeta Phi Beta sorority held its first official meeting on January 16, 1920. The founders and charter members of the Sorority were Arizona Cleaver (Stemons), Viola Tyler (Goings), Myrtle Tyler (Faithful), Pearl Anna Neal, and Fannie Pettie (Watts). The five founders chose the name Zeta Phi Beta. The similar names of both Sigma and Zeta are intentional in nature, as the women adopted the Greek letters 'Phi' and 'Beta' to "seal and signify the relationship between the two organizations".

The newly established Zeta Phi Beta sorority, Inc. was given a formal introduction at the Whitelaw Hotel by their Sigma counterparts, Charles R. and A. Langston Taylor. As National Executive Secretary of Phi Beta Sigma, Charles Taylor wrote to all Sigma chapters requesting they establish Zeta chapters at their respective institutions. With the efforts of Taylor, Zeta added several chapters in areas as far west as Kansas City State College; as far south as Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia; and as far north as New York City.

Phi Beta Sigma's contributions to the Harlem Renaissance
The 1920s also witnessed the birth of the Harlem Renaissance - a flowering of African-American cultural and intellectual life that began to be absorbed into mainstream American culture. Phi Beta Sigma fraternity brother Alain LeRoy Locke is unofficially credited as the "Father of the Harlem Renaissance." His philosophy served as a strong motivating force in keeping the energy and passion of the Movement at the forefront. In addition to Locke, Sigma brothers James Weldon Johnson and A. Philip Randolph were participants in this creative emergence, led primarily by the African-American community based in the neighborhood of Harlem in New York City.

On January 31, 1920, Phi Beta Sigma was incorporated in the district of Washington, D.C., and became known as Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated.

In November 1921, the first volume of the Phi Beta Sigma Journal was published. The journal was the official organ of the fraternity; Eugene T. Alexander was named its first editor. The following month, the fraternity held its 1921 Conclave at Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia. This conference saw the first-ever inter-fraternity conference between Phi Beta Sigma and Omega Psi Phi. This would lead to the first inter-fraternity council meeting between the two organizations the following spring in Washington, D.C.

In 1922, Founder Taylor called for the assembly of the Black Greek-lettered organizations of Howard University to discuss the formation of a governing council. Although the efforts of Taylor failed on that particular day, they would sow the seeds for what was to become the National Pan-Hellenic Council eight years later.

In March 1924, the name of the fraternity's official publication, The Phi Beta Sigma Journal, was changed to The Crescent Magazine. The magazine's name change was suggested by members of the Mu chapter at Lincoln University to reference the symbolic meaning of the crescent to the fraternity. At the 1924 conclave, a special exhibit introduced the concept of the "Bigger and Better Negro Business". This would lead to the establishment of Bigger and Better Business as a national program at the 1925 conclave. At the 1928 Conclave, held in Louisville, Kentucky, the tradition of branding the skin with a hot iron, as a part of the initiation process was officially sanctioned by the fraternity.

Sigma and the Great Depression
At the 1929 Conclave held in New York City, Dr. Carter G. Woodson was invited as a guest speaker and saw the creation of the Distinguished Service chapter. The fall of 1929 saw the crash of the nation's stock markets. Like many other organizations during this period, Phi Beta Sigma faced financial difficulties. With brothers faced with financial worries, some members were forced to leave their respective institutions due to lack of funds to continue their educations; several chapters became inactive. The fraternity saw its income drastically shrink to the point of nearly disappearing completely. As a result of the bank closures, the remaining funds of the fraternity were frozen.

As the nation came to terms with the Great Depression, Phi Beta Sigma and its members continued to implement programs to support the black community. In February 1930, the General Board met in New York City and appointed then vice president of the Eastern Region, Dr. T. H. Wright, as head of the new Bigger and Better Business program. The first objective of Phi Beta Sigma's new program was to call upon colleges to provide business courses for its students. The fraternity went forward with its plans to implement the bigger and better business program and aid as many financially strapped chapters as possible through scholarships for brothers.

Later that year, at the 1930 Conclave held in Tuskegee, Alabama, northern region vice president C. L. Roberts suggested that instead of a yearly meeting, the annual conclaves should be held once every two years. It was also at this conclave that brother George Washington Carver delivered an impassioned and emotional speech to the brothers in attendance.

Social action and international expansion (1934–1949)
Fraternity brother A. Philip Randolph, who organized the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, played a role in the amendments to the Railway Labor Act in 1934. As a result, railway porters were granted rights under federal law. This victory and the continuing work of Randolph and the BSCP led to the Pullman Company contract with the union, which included over $2 million in pay increases for employees, a shorter workweek, and overtime pay. 1934 also marked the birth of Social Action as a national program and the return of founder A. Langston Taylor to the forefront of Sigma. Brother Emmett May was elected as the first director of the social action initiative.

The 1935 Atlanta Conclave saw yet another meeting between Sigma and Omega Psi Phi fraternities. Omega founders Edgar Amos Love and Oscar James Cooper brought greetings to the brothers in attendance of the conference on behalf of the members of Omega Psi Phi. The following year, the general board approved the fraternity's affiliation with the already established National Pan-Hellenic Council. in continuation of Sigma's Social Action initiative, brothers of Sigma were actively involved the Chicago meeting of the National Negro Congress.

As Phi Beta Sigma prepared for the Silver (25th) Anniversary, a special search was made for lost founder Charles I. Brown. The search would yield no results as to the fate or location of Founder Brown. The 1939 conclave marking the 25th anniversary of the fraternity was held on the campus of Howard University.

At the 1941 Conclave in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the fraternity became a permanent member of the National Negro Business League. At the same conclave Brother A. Philip Randolph announced a proposed march on Washington, D.C., to protest racial discrimination in defense work and the armed forces. This proposed march would lead then president of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt to create the Committee on Fair Employment Practice and issue Executive Order 8802 which barred discrimination in governmental and defense industry hiring.

Due to the outbreak of the Second World War no Conclaves were held, although some brothers in various regions were able to assemble independently of the General Board. At the fraternity's first spring conclave in 1944, the fraternity voted to support the United Negro College Fund. 1949 would mark the reunion of two of the founders of Sigma: A. Langston Taylor and Leonard F. Morse.

The 1940s and 1950s would show the continued expansion of Phi Beta Sigma. In 1949, the fraternity became an international organization with the chartering of the Beta Upsilon Sigma graduate chapter and the Gamma Nu Sigma graduate chapter in Monrovia, Liberia. The fraternity would extend its international chapters into Geneva, Switzerland, with the chartering of the Gamma Nu Sigma graduate chapter in 1955.

Sigma and the Civil Rights Movement (1950–1969)
As the struggle for the civil rights of African Americans renewed in the 1950s, Sigma men held positions of leadership among various civil rights groups, organized protests, and proposed the March on Washington of 1963. In Atlanta, A. Philip Randolph helped with the establishment of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957. Randolph and fraternity brother John Lewis would later be involved with the 1963 March on Washington, Randolph as a key organizer and Lewis as a speaker representing the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

In 1961, Phi Beta Sigma brother James Forman joined and became the executive secretary of the then newly formed Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. From 1961 to 1965 Forman, a decade older and more experienced than most of the other members of SNCC, became responsible for providing organizational support to the young, loosely affiliated activists by paying bills, radically expanding the institutional staff, and planning the logistics for programs. Under the leadership of Forman and others, SNCC became an important political player at the height of the Civil Rights Movement.

During the Selma to Montgomery marches, Brothers Hosea Williams and John Lewis led a 54-mile protest march from Selma to the capital of Alabama: Montgomery. Lewis became known nationally for his prominent role in the marches and became a Congressman as a Democrat from Georgia. During police attacks on the peaceful demonstration Lewis was beaten mercilessly, leaving head wounds that are still visible today.

Phi Beta Sigma brothers Huey P. Newton & Bobby Seale established the revolutionary left-wing Black Panther Party. Originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, their goal was the protection of African-American neighborhoods from police brutality in the interest of African-American justice. As one of the many advocates of The Black Power Movement, the Black Panthers were considered part of one of the most significant social, political, and cultural movements in U.S. history. "The Movement['s] provocative rhetoric, militant posture, and cultural and political flourishes permanently altered the contours of American Identity."

History (1970–2000)
In 1970, brother Melvin Evans was elected the first governor of the United States Virgin Islands. In 1979, Phi Beta Sigma celebrated its 65th anniversary Conclave in Washington, D.C. In 1983, Sigma brother Harold Washington became the first African-American mayor of the city of Chicago, Illinois. In 1986, the Fraternity opened the Phi Beta Sigma Federal Credit Union which is open to members of the Fraternity, members of the sister sorority, Zeta Phi Beta, their families, and their respective Regions and chapters. With the establishment of the credit union, Phi Beta Sigma became the first NPHC organization to offer such an entity to its members.

In 1989, the Fraternity celebrated its Diamond Jubilee in Washington, D.C. Also in that year, brother Edison O. Jackson became the president of Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, New York. In 1990, two Sigma brothers made significant firsts in their respective fields as Brothers Charles E. Freeman and Morris Overstreet were elected the first district judge of the Illinois Supreme Court and first African-American elected by popular vote to a statewide office in the state of Texas respectively. In 1995, the fraternity was the only NPHC organization involved with the planning and support of the Million Man March as brother Benjamin Chavis Muhammad served as national coordinator of the March.

Twenty-first century
In 2001, Sigma brother Rod Paige became the first African-American Secretary of Education. At the 2003 conclave, in Memphis, Tennessee, the fraternity added Projects S.W.W.A.C & S.A.T.A.P as national programs in attempts to combat cancer and teenage pregnancy. In addition to those projects, the fraternity added Project Vote and the Phi Beta Sigma Capital Hill Summit under the social action umbrella. At the 2007 conclave in Charlotte, North Carolina the fraternity introduced the Sigma Wellness initiatives as the latest national programs. The 2009 Conclave in New Orleans saw former President William Jefferson Clinton accept honorary member invitation to Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity."

The Fraternity noticed abuse of its trademark by the clothing designer Ralph Lauren in early January 2020. That designer incorporated the Fraternity's name along with other symbolism on the fabric of pants offered for sale on its website. The Fraternity objected and explained in a cease-and-desist letter that such usage was in violation of trademark and was not developed as Fraternity-approved sportswear. Black Enterprise magazine profiled this controversy in a January 2020 article.

Purpose of the fraternity
The founders deeply wished to create an organization that viewed itself as "a part of" the general community rather than "apart from" the general community. They believed that each potential member should be judged by his own merits rather than his family background or affluence... without regard of skin tone or texture of hair. They wished and wanted their fraternity to exist as part of even a greater brotherhood which would be devoted to the "inclusive we" rather than the "exclusive we." The fraternity's defiance of stereotypes that have plagued other organizations indeed goes back to the founders themselves with their careful and deliberate building of the fraternity by promoting a membership with diverse backgrounds.

From its inception, the Founders also conceived Phi Beta Sigma as a mechanism to deliver services to the general community. Rather than gaining skills to be utilized exclusively for themselves and their immediate families, the founders of Phi Beta Sigma held a deep conviction that they should return their newly acquired skills to the communities from which they had come. This deep conviction was mirrored in the Fraternity's motto, "Culture For Service and Service For Humanity."

Today, Phi Beta Sigma has blossomed into an international organization of leaders. The fraternity has experienced unprecedented growth and continues to be a leader among issues of social justice as well as proponent of the interests of minority communities, the needy, the oppressed, and the youth. No longer a single entity, the Fraternity has now established the Phi Beta Sigma Educational Foundation, the Phi Beta Sigma Housing Foundation, the Phi Beta Sigma Federal Credit Union, a notable youth auxiliary program, "The Sigma Beta Club," and the Phi Beta Sigma Charitable Outreach Foundation.

Membership
Phi Beta Sigma's Constitution states that race, religion, and national origin are not criteria for membership. Membership is predominantly African-American in composition, with members in over 700 collegiate and alumni chapters in the United States, District of Columbia, Germany, Switzerland, The Bahamas, Virgin Islands, South Korea, Japan and countries in Africa. Since its founding in 1914, more than 200,000+ men have joined the membership of Phi Beta Sigma.

A chapter name ending in "Sigma" denotes a graduate chapter. No chapter of Phi Beta Sigma is designated Omega, the last letter of the Greek alphabet, and deceased brothers are referred to as having joined The Omega chapter.

Pledging and hazing culture
Through the years, members of Phi Beta Sigma have been involved in incidents related to hazing, although now denounced by the fraternity, incidents have been discovered of pledges being subjected to activities which in some case have resulted in serious injury and even death. Prior to 1990, the Crescent Club was the official pledge club of Phi Beta Sigma and potential candidates interested in becoming a member of the fraternity would join the pledge club before being fully initiated. In response to the increasing number of lawsuits stemming from allegations and incidents related to hazing, Phi Beta Sigma and other members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council jointly agreed to disband pledging as a form of admission. In an attempt to eliminate Hazing from these organizations, each revised its orientation procedures and developed the Membership Intake Process.

In 2012, then Phi Beta Sigma International President Jimmy Hammock, along with the National Action Network, led by Sigma member Al Sharpton, launched a coalition whose aim was to combat hazing culture not just within the black Greek Lettered Organizations, but also the broader community at large. The coalition, also pledged their support of federal anti-hazing legislation that was being spearheaded by United States House of Representatives member Frederica Wilson. As part of the campaign, the fraternity developed anti-hazing training materials, held a town hall meetings, facilitated workshops and encouraged local chapters to participate in the annual National Anti-Hazing Awareness Day. Phi Beta Sigma's efforts to eliminate hazing from the fraternity continue as local chapters are now mandated to participate in anti-hazing awareness workshops.

Embezzlement
In 2011, Terry Davis, the former elected national treasurer for the fraternity was convicted for embezzling at least $50,000 from the fraternity's bank accounts. He was sentenced to 31 months in prison and ordered to repay the fraternity $50,000 in restitution. Davis was initially charged with stealing over $200,000 but his attorney was able to lower the amount due to lack of evidence.

Hazing
In 1992, a pledge at Southern University (Baton Rouge) went blind after being intentionally hit on the head with a frying pan by a member of the fraternity.

In 1996, the fraternity was sued by a former pledge and football player at the University of Georgia for violating hazing laws. As a pledge, he was hospitalized with bruises to his buttock and torn blood vessels due to being paddled by fraternity members. Three members were arrested and pled guilty to hazing and battery charges.

In 1998, a pledge at Southern Illinois University was struck in the chest by several members of the fraternity which caused him to suffer from a severe asthma attack.

In 2006, seven Sigmas were arrested for beating pledges from the University of South Carolina. One known pledge was hospitalized due to the severe beatings and torment.

In 2009, Donnie Wade Jr., a student at Prairie View A&M University, died of extreme exhaustion due to illegal hazing activity while he was pledging the fraternity. His family filed a $97 million lawsuit against the fraternity and the chapter was temporarily expelled from campus for several years.

In 2012, seven members (six students and one staff member) of the fraternity were banned from the campus of Wiley College after reports surfaced of the brutal and dangerous hazing practices pledges had to go through.

In 2012, a former pledge at Virginia State University sued the fraternity for $1 million as a result of his problematic experience with the fraternity. He was hospitalized due to constant physical abuse and forced to drop out of college due to emotional trauma that distracted him from completing his studies.

In 2014, a former Francis Marion University student won a $1.6 million lawsuit against an individual member of the fraternity and his home owners policy after allegedly suffering acute kidney injury due to being severely beaten throughout his pledge process. Nine Phi Beta Sigma members were arrested.

In 2015, the fraternity was kicked off the campus of Salisbury University until Spring 2017. The university had received several anonymous complaints of pledges being beaten with paddles, forced to drink alcohol, and being harassed.

Notable members
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity's membership includes many notable members who are involved in the fields of arts and entertainment, business, civil rights, education, health, law, politics, science, and sports. The fraternity's membership roster includes heads of state Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe, Kwame Nkrumah, William Tolbert, and William V.S. Tubman, the past presidents of Nigeria, the Republic of Ghana, and Liberia respectively. Also the 42nd president of the United States, Bill Clinton is an honorary member. Other notable members include scientist George Washington Carver; the first black Rhodes Scholar, Alain LeRoy Locke; Black Panther Party founder Huey P. Newton; organizer of the Million Man March Benjamin Chavis Muhammad; civil rights activists John Lewis, Hosea Williams and the Rev. Al Sharpton; musicians The Original Temptations; actors Blair Underwood, Ben Vereen and Terrence Howard; television personality Al Roker; and professional athletes Jessie Small, Aaron Jones, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Hines Ward, Richard Sherman, and Ryan Howard.

International Presidents
Listed below are the thirty-six International Presidents since the 1914 institution of the office

 * #01 Abram Langston Taylor, 1914–1916
 * #02 Ivorite L. Scruggs, 1917–1919
 * #03 William S. Savage, 1920–1921
 * #04 Walter M. Clarke, 1921–1922
 * #05 John W. Woodhous, 1923–1925
 * #06 Arthur W. Mitchell, 1926–1934
 * #07 Jesse W. Lewis, 1935–1936
 * #08 James W. Johnson, 1937
 * #09 George W. Lawrence, 1938–1940
 * #10 Richard A. Billings, 1941–1944
 * #11 George A. Parker, 1944–1947
 * #12 Ras O. Johnson, 1948–1950
 * #13 Felix J. Brown, 1951–1953
 * #14 George L. Hightower, 1954–1955
 * #15 George D. Flemmings; 1955–1957
 * #16 Hutson L. Lovell, 1958–1959
 * #17 Roswell O. Sutton, 1960-1962
 * #18 Maurice A. Moore, 1963–1965

 * #19 Alvin J. McNeil, 1966–1970
 * #20 Parlette L. Moore, 1971–1973
 * #21 John E. Westberry, 1974–1976
 * #22 Richard M. Ballard Jr., 1977–1979
 * #23 Charles B. Wright, 1980–1981
 * #24 Demetrius Newton, 1981–1984
 * #25 James T. Floyd 1984–1987
 * #26 Moses C. McClendon, 1987–1989
 * #27 Carter D. Womack, 1989–1993
 * #28 William E. Stanley Jr., 1993–1995
 * #29 Carter D. Womack, 1995–1997
 * #30 Peter M. Adams, 1997-2001
 * #31 Arthur R. Thomas, 2001–2005
 * #32 Paul L. Griffin Jr., 2005–2009
 * #33 Jimmy Hammock, 2009–2013
 * #34 Jonathan A. Mason Sr., 2013–2017
 * #35 Michael E. Cristal, 2017–2021
 * #36 Chris V. Rey, 2021–Present

Conclave

The Conclave is the legislative power of Phi Beta Sigma. During a conclave year, delegates representing all of the active chapters from within the seven regions of the Fraternity meet in the chosen city. The Conclave-or fraternity convention- is currently held biannually and usually co-hosted by the alumni and collegiate chapters of the chosen city. During the convention, members of the General Board – the administrative body of the fraternity-are elected and appointed. The General Board may act in the interest of the Fraternity when the Conclave is not in session. In addition, seminars, social events, concerts, an international Miss Phi Beta Sigma Pageant, Stepshow, and oratorical contests are also held during the week-long conference. Throughout the years, notable individuals such as George Washington Carver, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, and NFL quarterback Charlie Batch were speakers at past Conclaves.

The Current General board is composed of The International President, First Vice-President, Second-Vice President, Treasurer, General Counsel, a Distinguished Service Chapter Representative, the regional directors, the immediate past-president, two collegiate members at large, and director of collegiate affairs. The offices of Second-Vice President and collegiate member at large are reserved positions on the general board for collegiate (undergraduate) members to hold. In addition, the Editor of The Crescent Magazine, Director of publicity, and the National Executive Director make up the members of the General Board. The latter-mentioned members are appointed to their positions and do not hold voting powers.

Distinguished Service Chapter members
Established at the 1929 Conclave, the Distinguished Service Chapter is the highest honor bestowed on a member of Phi Beta Sigma. Membership in the Distinguished Service Chapter must be recommended and approved by the awardees Chapter, Region, and by the General Board of the Fraternity prior to entry. One must meet the following criteria in order to be considered for this honor:

 * Active in the Fraternity for at least ten years
 * Has distinguished himself in the Fraternity and/or in his respective communities for extending exemplary service.

Brother Jesse W. Lewis was voted in as the DSC's first member (1929).

Chapters and regions
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity organizes its chapters according to their regions in the United States and abroad. The seven regions are each led by a regional director and a regional board. A comprehensive list of regions is shown below:

 * Eastern (Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, the United States Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, Africa, and Europe)
 * Great Lakes (Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Ontario (Canada))
 * Gulf Coast (Louisiana, New Mexico, and Texas)
 * Southeastern (North Carolina, South Carolina and all of Tennessee east of the 86th Longitude)
 * Southern (Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and the Bahamas,   )
 * Southwestern (Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and all of Tennessee west of the 86th Longitude)
 * Western (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, Japan, South Korea and Kuwait)

The national programs
Phi Beta Sigma aims their focuses on issues that greatly impact the African-American community and the youth of the nation. The Phi Beta Sigma national programs of Bigger and Better Business, Education and Social Action are realized through the Fraternity's overarching program, Sigma Wellness, adopted in 2007.

Bigger and Better Business
As told by Dr. I. L. Scruggs (excerpts from Our Cause Speeds On):

"'Philadelphia, 1924, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity 'arrived'. We had a mob of people at this Conclave. There were representatives from twenty-eight chapters -and all the trimmings. The introduction of the Bigger and Better Negro Business idea was made by way of an exhibit devoted to this topic.

The Bigger and Better Negro Business idea was first tested in 1924 with an imposing exhibition in Philadelphia. This was held in connection with the Conclave. Twenty-five leading Negro Businesses sent statements and over fifty sent exhibits. The whole show took place in the lobby of the YMCA. Several thousand visitors seemed to have been impressed. The response was so great that the 1925 Conclave in Richmond, Virginia voted unanimously to make Bigger and Better Negro Business the public program of the Fraternity, and it has been so ever since.'

Phi Beta Sigma believes that the improvement and economic conditions of minorities is a major factor in the improvement of the general welfare of society. It is upon this conviction that the Bigger and Better Business Program rests. Since 1926, the Bigger and Better Business Program has been sponsored on a national scale by Phi Beta Sigma as a way of supporting, fostering, and promoting minority owned businesses and services."

The Bigger and Better Business serves as an umbrella for other national initiatives involving business. The program's goals include supporting minority businesses, increasing communication with sigma brothers involved with business, and instilling sound business principals and practices to members of the community. Project S.E.E.D. (Sigma Economic Empowerment Development) is the foremost Bigger and Better Business Program. The program was developed to help the membership focus on two important areas: Financial Management and Home ownership.

Education
The founders of Phi Beta Sigma were all educators in their own right. The genesis of the Education Program lies in the traditional emphasis that the fraternity places on Education. During the 1945 conclave in St. Louis, Missouri, the fraternity underwent a constitution restructuring which led to the birth of the Education as a National Program.

The National Program of Education focuses on programming and services to graduate and undergraduates in the fraternity. Programs such as scholarships, lectures, college fairs, mentoring, and tutoring enhance this program on local, regional and national levels.

Project S.E.T. (Sigma Education Time) is focused on increasing grade point averages and graduation rates of collegiates throughout the nation. The program aims to help with job readiness, choosing a career path {3–5 year outlook}, interviewing techniques, negotiating and entrepreneurship.

The Sigma Beta Club provides mentoring, guidance, educational tutorial assistance and advise to young men between ages 6 to 18. Created in 1950, it was the first youth auxiliary group of any of the National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations.

Social action
Phi Beta Sigma has from its very beginning concerned itself with improving the general well-being of minority groups. In 1934, a well-defined program of Social Action was formulated and put into action. Elmo M. Anderson, then president of Epsilon Sigma chapter (New York) formulated this program calling for the reconstruction of social order. It was a tremendous success. It fit in with the social thinking of the American public in those New Deal years.

In the winter of 1934, Sigma brothers Elmo Anderson, James W. Johnson, Emmett May and Bob Jiggets presented the Social Action proposition to the Conclave in Washington, D.C. The idea was adopted as a national program at the same conclave. Anderson is credited as "The Father of Social Action".

The fraternity's five main social action programs are Project Vote, Sigma Wellness, Sigma Presence on Capitol Hill, and projects S.W.W.A.C. and S.A.T.A.P.P.

Project S.W.W.A.C. (Sigmas Waging War Against Cancer) is a concentrated and coordinated effort to reduce the incidence of cancer in the African-American community. Through a partnership with the American Cancer Society, the goal of Project S.W.W.A.C. is to increase awareness, with a strong emphasis on early detection and prevention of prostate and colorectal cancer. Project S.A.T.A.P.P. is a collaborative venture with the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation to address the alarming rise in teenage pregnancy. The Sigma Wellness Project is focused on living healthier lifestyles through education. The goal of Project Vote is to register and educate citizens and encourage members of the community to participate in the democratic process. The Sigma Presence on Capitol Hill Program is focused on presenting Sigma members the opportunity to discuss many of the critical issues facing our communities with members of the U.S. Congress.

The Sigma Beta Club
In the early 1950s, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity developed a youth auxiliary group. Under the direction of Dr. Parlett L. Moore the Sigma Beta Club was founded. On April 23, 1954, the first club chapter was organized in Montgomery, AL. The Sigma Beta Clubs' principles of focus emphasize Culture, Athletics, Social and Educational needs.

The Phi Beta Sigma History Museum
The Sigma History Museum was a traveling exhibition created in 2001 by Sigma brothers Mark Pacich, Louis W. Lubin Jr. and Ahab El’Askeni. The museum's initial goal was to dispel the discrepancies of the Fraternity's history, by collecting as many newspaper articles, Crescent Magazines, Conclave Journals, autographs, pictures, etc., as possible. With the help of many Sigma members, in addition to families and friends of Sigmas brothers, some impressive artifacts of the history of the Fraternity were discovered. Among those artifacts, pictures of Sigma Founder A. Langston Taylor; historical pictures from the 1914, 1915, and 1916 yearbooks at Howard University; original letters; Conclave banners; and interviews with Sigma Brother Decatur Morse, son of Sigma Founder Leonard F. Morse, Samuel Proctor Massie II, son of an Alpha chapter charter member, Samuel P. Massie, Robert L. Pollard II, son of Sigma brother Col. Robert L. Pollard who joined Sigma in 1919, and Dr. Gregory Tignor, son of Sigma brother Madison Tignor who also joined Sigma in 1919. The exhibit has been displayed in many cities including; Orlando, Philadelphia, Detroit, Memphis, and Las Vegas.

On July 16, 2014, as part of the fraternity's centennial celebration, a permanent museum was opened at the Phi Beta Sigma International Headquarters in Washington D.C. As a result, Phi Beta Sigma became the first Historically Black Greek Lettered fraternity to open its own museum.

The assets of the museum have grown since the initial display in 2000. The most coveted possession yet to be acquired are the first 2 issues of the Phi Beta Sigma Journal. The museum is only 14 issues away from having every Crescent magazine ever printed.

title: Phi Beta Sigma


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Genetic marker

A genetic marker is a gene or DNA sequence with a known location on a chromosome that can be used to identify individuals or species. It can be described as a variation (which may arise due to mutation or alteration in the genomic loci) that can be observed. A genetic marker may be a short DNA sequence, such as a sequence surrounding a single base-pair change (single nucleotide polymorphism, SNP), or a long one, like minisatellites.

Background
For many years, gene mapping was limited to identifying organisms by traditional phenotypes markers. This included genes that encoded easily observable characteristics such as blood types or seed shapes. The insufficient number of these types of characteristics in several organisms limited the mapping efforts that could be done. This prompted the development of gene markers which could identify genetic characteristics that are not readily observable in organisms (such as protein variation).

Types

Some commonly used types of genetic markers are:
 * RFLP (or Restriction fragment length polymorphism)
 * SSLP (or Simple sequence length polymorphism)
 * AFLP (or Amplified fragment length polymorphism)
 * RAPD (or Random amplification of polymorphic DNA)
 * VNTR (or Variable number tandem repeat)
 * SSCP (or Single-strand conformation polymorphism)
 * Microsatellite polymorphism, (or Simple sequence repeat)
 * SNP (or Single nucleotide polymorphism)
 * STR (or Short tandem repeat)
 * SFP (or Single feature polymorphism)
 * DArT (or Diversity Arrays Technology)
 * RAD markers (or Restriction site associated DNA markers)
 * (using Sequence-tagged sites)

Molecular genetic markers can be divided into two classes: a) biochemical markers which detect variation at the gene product level such as changes in proteins and amino acids and b) molecular markers which detect variation at the DNA level such as nucleotide changes: deletion, duplication, inversion and/or insertion. Markers can exhibit two modes of inheritance, i.e. dominant/recessive or co-dominant. If the genetic pattern of homo-zygotes can be distinguished from that of hetero-zygotes, then a marker is said to be co-dominant. Generally co-dominant markers are more informative than the dominant markers.

Uses
Genetic markers can be used to study the relationship between an inherited disease and its genetic cause (for example, a particular mutation of a gene that results in a defective protein). It is known that pieces of DNA that lie near each other on a chromosome tend to be inherited together. This property enables the use of a marker, which can then be used to determine the precise inheritance pattern of the gene that has not yet been exactly localized.

Genetic markers are employed in genealogical DNA testing for genetic genealogy to determine genetic distance between individuals or populations. Uniparental markers (on mitochondrial or Y chromosomal DNA) are studied for assessing maternal or paternal lineages. Autosomal markers are used for all ancestry.

Genetic markers have to be easily identifiable, associated with a specific locus, and highly polymorphic, because homozygotes do not provide any information. Detection of the marker can be direct by RNA sequencing, or indirect using allozymes.

Some of the methods used to study the genome or phylogenetics are RFLP, AFLP, RAPD, SSR. They can be used to create genetic maps of whatever organism is being studied.

There was a debate over what the transmissible agent of CTVT (canine transmissible venereal tumor) was. Many researchers hypothesized that virus like particles were responsible for transforming the cell, while others thought that the cell itself was able to infect other canines as an allograft. With the aid of genetic markers, researchers were able to provide conclusive evidence that the cancerous tumor cell evolved into a transmissible parasite. Furthermore, molecular genetic markers were used to resolve the issue of natural transmission, the breed of origin (phylogenetics), and the age of the canine tumor.

Genetic markers have also been used to measure the genomic response to selection in livestock. Natural and artificial selection leads to a change in the genetic makeup of the cell. The presence of different alleles due to a distorted segregation at the genetic markers is indicative of the difference between selected and non-selected livestock.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Genetic marker


text:
Bestial sign

In astrology, bestial signs are those astrological signs that represent animals. They are sometimes referred to as quadrupedian, or four-footed signs because they represent animals that walk on all four legs.

The bestial signs in the zodiac are generally considered to be Aries, Taurus, Leo and Capricorn. Sagittarius, Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces are also sometimes included.

According to astrological belief, these animals are inarticulate, which means they have voices, but their power of speech is not developed. Bestial signs are thought to be unable to express themselves in the manner that they would like, and to often become frustrated at their inability to fully communicate.

Astrologers believe that individuals strongly affected by these signs often have difficulty reading and writing as well as speaking, and therefore need extra tuition to help them to overcome those hurdles. They are also thought to often have a larger than usual amount of body hair.

title: Bestial sign


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Superoxidant

Superoxidants are a class of reducing chemicals with an oxidizing power of +1.1 V or greater. For example, hexabrominated phenylcarbazole is a recently developed chemical with an oxidizing power of 1.35 V.

title: Superoxidant


text:
Talk:National Alliance for Reconstruction

Split
The split which led to the formation of the UNC was not the same as the defection of Fox, Shand. The edit by an anon conflated these two events. Guettarda 14:47, 25 Apr 2005 (UTC)


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SOP

Sop, a piece of bread soaked in a liquid, or the verb associated with soaking bread in liquid.

SOP or sop may also refer to:

Places

 * Sop (West Papua), an island in Indonesian Papua
 * Moore County Airport (North Carolina) (IATA code: SOP)
 * Sop town, Radjasthan, India
 * Sop, Croatia, a village near Rugvica
 * State of Palestine, a country in West Asia

Arts, entertainment, and media

 * SOP (variety show) in the Philippines
 * Sons of the Patriots, a network in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
 * An informal term for soprano, a type of the classical female singing voice

Computing

 * Same-origin policy, a security measure
 * SCSI over PCI Express
 * Service-oriented programming
 * Service-oriented provisioning

Process and planning

 * Sales and operations planning, S&OP
 * Standard operating procedure

Science, medicine, technology

 * SOP (IRC), Super Operator
 * Sensory organ precursor, for example in the NUMB gene
 * Small outline package IC
 * State of polarization in physics, for example
 * Structure–organization–process
 * Sulphate of potash (potassium sulfate)
 * Sum of products

Other uses

 * Sop language, spoken in Papua New Guinea
 * Statement of purpose

title: SOP


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Rosendal, Norway

Rosendal is the administrative centre of the municipality of Kvinnherad in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the southern shore of the Hardangerfjorden, about 4 km north of the village of Dimmelsvik and about 10 km straight west of the vast Folgefonna glacier which sits inside the nearby Folgefonna National Park. The village is especially known for the Barony Rosendal, a historic estate located in the village. Kvinnherad Church is also located in this village.

The 1.13 km2 village has a population (2019) of 804 and a population density of 712 PD/km2. The economy of the village is centered on agriculture, ship building, and tourism. The shipbuilder Skaalurens Skibsbyggeri was established in Rosendal in 1855.

The newspaper Grenda is published in Rosendal.

title: Rosendal, Norway


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Entrance examination

In education, an entrance examination or admission examination is an examination that educational institutions conduct to select prospective students. It may be held at any stage of education, from primary to tertiary, even though it is typically held at tertiary stage.

France
In France, the Concours Général, taken in the last year of High School (Lycée), is considered to be particularly difficult with only 250 places in all subjects for 15,000 applicants. This is although not an examination because it is purely honorary and doesn't grant anything. There is also an entrance examination in order to enter medicine studies. Grandes écoles of engineering and grandes écoles of business are some other examinations, to prepare for which students are studying two years in Classe préparatoire aux grandes écoles.

India
In India, entrance examinations are chiefly confined to medicine, engineering, and management. These range from the BITSAT and the IIT-JEE -where less than one in a hundred can hope to get admission- to state entrance examinations, which are many and varied. The stiff competition has led to a situation where many students neglect their school studies and focus solely on 'entrance coaching' which is time-consuming and expensive. This has led many states to scrap the entrances and base admissions on the school leaving marks which, are none too reliable. Experts point out that in a country where many different boards are present common entrances are essential, but application skills rather than cramming should be stressed on. Frequent changes in the pattern of examination are essential since sticking to a 'standard text' or 'standard pattern' alone will favour the coaching industry and the rote-learners.

Entrance Examinations in India trace their roots to the University of Calcutta, which when established in 1857, introduced the practice to decide eligibility for admission. In that exam, one student qualified for every four candidates. In the absence of a standardized school graduation examination, the University's entrance examinations were used as a substitute, known later as Matriculation examinations. Post-independence, India has different systems of education whose syllabus and examination process are governed by both central and state-based statutory boards. Grades 10 and 12 which mark the culmination of secondary and higher secondary education, have standardized final examinations, referred to as the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination after grade 10 (class X) and the Higher Secondary Examination(HSC) after grade 12th.

United Kingdom
A few British universities have lost confidence in the grades that are awarded by secondary schools, and require a few applicants to sit for a competitive entrance examination or other aptitude test. According to the Schools Minister, "strong evidence has been emerging of grade inflation across subjects" in recent years.

COVID-19 impact
Due to the presence of COVID-19 in many countries which embraced school closures either on state or national scale, some entrance examinations for high schools were eventually cancelled to reduce the stress of students and the possibility of COVID-19 infection impact during the attendance.

title: Entrance examination


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Use-centered design

Use-centered design is a design philosophy in which the focus is on the goals and tasks associated with skill performance in specific work or problem domains, in contrast to a user-centered design approach, where the focus is on the needs, wants, and limitations of the end user of the designed artifact.

Bennett and Flach (2011) have drawn a contrast between dyadic and triadic approaches to the semiotics of display design. The classical 'user-centered' approach is based on a dyadic semiotic model where the focus is on the human-interface dyad. This approach frames 'meaning' as a process of interpreting the symbolic representation. That is, meaning is constructed from internal information processes. From this dyadic perspective, the design goal is to build interfaces that 'match' the users internal model (i.e., match user expectations).

In contrast, the 'use-centered' approach is based on a triadic semiotic model that includes the work domain (or ecology) as a third component of the semiotic system. In the triadic system, the work domain provides a ground for meaning outside of the human information processing system. In this, triadic semiotic system, the focus is on the match between the constraints in the work domain and the mental representations. From this 'use-centered' approach the goal is to design displays that 'shape' the internal mental representations so that they reflect validated models of the work domain. In other words, the goal is to shape user expectations to conform with the validated 'deep structure' of the work domain. In doing this, work analysis (e.g., Vicente 1999 ) and multi-level means ends representations of work domain constraints (i.e., Rasmussen's Abstraction Hierarchy ) are the typical methods used to specify the 'deep structure' of a work domain. By building configural display representations that conform to this deep structure -- it is possible to facilitate skilled interactions between the human and the work domain.

Thus, an emphasis on 'use' rather than 'user' suggests a more problem-centered focus for interface design. Note that it remains important to respect the real limitations of human information processing systems through the use of graphical displays that support efficient chunking of information. However, the main point is that the organization MUST be consistent with the demands of the work or problem domain, if the interactions that result are expected to be skillful. In the end, the representations must be 'grounded' in the use-domain!

Charles Sanders Peirce is the inspiration for the triadic model of semiotics. Peirce was interested in the fixation of belief relative to pragmatic demands of everyday experiences. Peirce also introduced the construct of 'abduction' as an alternative to classical logic (deduction and induction). The 'use-centered' approach assumes abduction as the appropriate model for problem solving. Thus, use-centered design focuses on supporting the closed-loop dynamic of learning from experience. That is, by acting on hypotheses and simultaneously testing those hypotheses in terms of the practical consequences of the actions that they guide. The convergence, stability, and robustness of abduction processes depend critically on the information coupling between perception and action. When the coupling is rich an abduction system will typically converge on 'beliefs' that lead to pragmatically successful (i.e., satisfying) interactions (i.e., skilled interactions). This is the ultimate goal of use-centered design - to support skilled interactions between a person and a work domain.

The term use-centered design was first coined by Flach and Dominguez.

title: Use-centered design


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Dipolar theism

In process theology, dipolar theism is the position that to conceive a perfect God, one must conceive him as embodying the "good" in sometimes-opposing characteristics; therefore, such a deity cannot be understood to embody only one set of characteristics.

Overview
For instance, here are some characteristics commonly associated with God:
 * One — Many
 * Transcendent — Immanent
 * Eternal — Temporal
 * Mutable — Immutable
 * Merciful — Just
 * Simple — Complex

Dipolar theism holds that in each pair, both of the characteristics contain some element of good. To embody all perfections, therefore, God must embody the good in both characteristics, and cannot be limited to one, because a God limited to one would suffer the limits of the one, and lack the good in the other.

For instance, there is a "good" in being just, and also a good in being merciful. In being just, God determines that the good are rewarded and the evil are punished. In being merciful, God forgives those who sin. It follows, therefore, that a God that was only just or only merciful would be less than perfect. Dipolar theism holds that a perfect God must embody the good in both of those characteristics. Thus, a perfect God has the "good" characteristics of justice and the good characteristics of mercy.

Alternatively, there is good in having absolute power, and good in leading by persuasion. For a God to be perfect, he cannot rule solely by predestination, because then he would lack the good possessed by a God who led by persuasion. God must therefore embody the "good" in both power and persuasion. From this conclusion, some reject the existence of an omnipotent God.

Critique of dipolar theism
Those rejecting dipolar theism argue that it fails to distinguish between what we think God is and what God actually is. Just because we think God should be a certain way to embody our idea of perfection does not mean God embodies those characteristics in reality.

This critique is analogous to the critique of Anselm's ontological argument by Gaunilo: "Just because I can imagine a perfect island does not mean that it actually exists. Things are what they are no matter what I think they should be."

title: Dipolar theism


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Jacob Axelsson Lindblom

Jacob Axelsson Lindblom (27 July 1746 – 15 February 1819) was a Swedish scholar and professor who became Archbishop of Uppsala, a position he held between 1805 and 1819.

Biography
Axelsson Lindblom was born at Skeda in Östergötland, the son of a clergyman. He received his secondary education at Linköping gymnasium and matriculated at Uppsala University in 1763. He became student of the philologist Johan Ihre and the Latinist  Petrus Ekerman (1696–1783) who was also inspector of the student society Östgöta nation (Uppsala).

He worked as a tutor for a noble family in Livonia from 1764 to 1766, came back to Uppsala where he completed his magister degree in 1770. After having worked as a docent and a librarian at the university library, he became an extraordinary professor in 1779 and was appointed to the Skyttean professorship of Eloquence and Political Science in 1781, after the death of his teacher Johan Ihre. Axelsson Lindblom published a History of Roman Literature (Illustriores linguæ Romanæ critici) and collaborated with Ihre on a Lexicon Latino-Svecanum, which he was eventually to complete in 1790. He published prolifically historical, literary and other topics, but is not regarded as particularly original in his scholarly production.

Axelsson Lindblom was a favorite of King Gustavus III, who made him Bishop of Linköping in December 1786, nor withstanding the fact he had never been ordained, a situation remedied a few days after the appointment. As bishop he succeeded Uno von Troil, who had been made Archbishop of Uppsala, and in 1805 he succeeded von Troil as archbishop of Uppsala as well, an appointment which also made him pro-chancellor of the university.

He was elected a member of the Swedish Academy in 1809, and was awarded a knighthood in the Order of Seraphim in 1818. His children were raised to the nobility with a change of surname to Lindersköld.

Other sources

 * Nordisk familjebok, vol. 16 (1912), col. 588f (in Swedish)

title: Jacob Axelsson Lindblom


text:
Talk:Jedwabne pogrom

Stachura in Glaukopis
The article currently includes:

Glaukopis is a problematic publication, whose web site moreover only hosts the letter, after History declined to publish it. Finding this statement to be undue, I suggest it be removed. -- K.e.coffman (talk) 20:09, 8 March 2023 (UTC)

 * Entirely agree. "Glaukopis, a journal which caters to, and is led by, the Polish extreme nationalistic right. Its long-time editor-in-chief, Wojciech Muszyński (an employee of the IPN), openly praises the ONR, one of the most militant, rabidly antisemitic organizations of prewar Poland." There's no place for use of publications associated with anti-semitism as secondary sources on Wikipedia, and this one would almost certainly fail a WP:RS review. Any editors who disagree, I invite them to take it up at WP:RSN for community discussion. In the meantime, I am WP:BOLD removing it as a matter of urgency. -Chumchum7 (talk) 06:59, 9 March 2023 (UTC)
 * Agreed. When I initially encountered this, I thought this was an article published in a reliable outlet. Forward a decade, I concur this has issues with BLP / RS and does not meet our modern standards. Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here 07:18, 9 March 2023 (UTC)
 * Hasten to add that the quote I used above is from the widely respected Polish chapter of the International Council of Christians and Jews, their website publication of Jan Grabowski's controversial essay, "Wikipedia’s Intentional Distortion of the History of the Holocaust". In that essay he makes wide-ranging allegations against Wikipedia that AFAIU Wikipedia has contested in part and responded to. Still, I treat his opinion about Glaukopis as a noteworthy mainstream-academic observation, one that crosses our threshold for source reliability and minority view concerns. -Chumchum7 (talk) 07:26, 9 March 2023 (UTC)
 * I agree with the removal, however I was wondering if Glaukopis should also be removed from other articles where it's used as a source and/or listed in the biography (here below in the collapse box). Obviously removing the quotation is not enough: the supported text should also be checked. Shall we have a discussion at WP:RSN on this?

Gitz (talk) (contribs) 10:01, 10 March 2023 (UTC)
 * 1) Propaganda in the Polish People's Republic
 * 2) Żydokomuna
 * 3) Gwardia Ludowa
 * 4) Henryk Rossman
 * 5) Roman Dmowski
 * 6) Roman Romkowski
 * 7) Bolesław Mołojec
 * 8) Holy Cross Mountains Brigade
 * 9) Zambrów massacre
 * 10) Sochy massacre
 * 11) Władysław Siemaszko
 * 12) Władysław Łukasiuk
 * 13) Franciszek Przysiężniak
 * 14) Dalej jest noc
 * 15) Wronki Prison
 * 16) Wacław Gluth-Nowowiejski
 * 17) Kurdybań Warkowicki

 * I answered myself. The discussion at RSN is here. Gitz (talk) (contribs) 12:22, 10 March 2023 (UTC)

 * Yes, I fully support total removal of the source across Wikipedia. -Chumchum7 (talk) 13:25, 10 March 2023 (UTC)

Recent edits to the lede
After I removed Glaukopis per above, having seen it is associated with anti-semitism, now I see more discussion is needed about the lede. This once-volatile article has just had it's longest period of stability for ages, lasting for many months of peace and WP:CONS. But looking at the lede after this recent round of good faith edits the tell-tale WP:HOWEVER looks like a return to impassioned editorializing. Edit summary shows this is possibly a result of an honest misperception of bad faith in our article: "The selective quotation of an extract from Gross fundamentally distorts the main point of his book - to draw attention to the co-responsibility of sectors of the Polish population in the Holocaust." That's going too far about the use of a verifiable quote. In fact, it's partly there because anti-semitic Polish nationalists falsely accuse Gross of having an unbalanced approach to Polish responsibility in the Jedwabne pogrom; contrary to what the anti-semites say, it's verifiable in Gross's text that he's very balanced in terms of the Polish and German joint roles, particularly with reference to the Polish murderers' pre-massacre conference with the German "Gestapo" and the 'order' to carry it out, and that in no way undermines the fact that the Polish murderers carried out the murders of their own free will. This article says the Polish murderers of Jews cooperated with the Germans; it does not say they were coerced, indeed I have removed that exact WP:OR in the past. Thoughts? Chumchum7 (talk) 15:22, 9 March 2023 (UTC)

 * I'm glad you acknowledge that Gross's text is balanced in terms of Polish/Germans responsabilities; along with WP:V, this is why we shouldn't unbalance the article by misrepresenting the source. restores a version of the article that misrepresents Gross by selectively quoting from his book. You mention the tell-tale WP:HOWEVER, but the "however" was already there in the source, and omitting it distorts Gross's findings. Gross says  Gross's point is quite clear: the Germans could have prevented the pogrom, and they didn't, they were the necessary condition and triggering factor of the pogrom; however, the pogrom was carried out by the Poles on their own initiative: the so-called local population involved in killings of Jews did so of its own free will (p. 133). We shouldn't misrepresent the main thesis of the book by including in the lead only that According to historian Jan T. Gross, "the undisputed bosses of life and death in Jedwabne were the Germans," who were "the only ones who could decide the fate of the Jews." This is also contrary to WP:MOS, since the body of the article reports that While Gross recognized that no "sustained organizing activity" could have taken place without the Germans' consent, he concluded that the massacre had been carried out entirely by Poles (section Jan T. Gross's Neighbors, 2000).
 * I agree that WP:BRD must be followed here and I won't restore, but per WP:V and WP:ONUS I'm now removing the contentious quotation/misrepresentation of Gross until a consensus is reached. Gitz (talk) (contribs) 09:34, 10 March 2023 (UTC)
 * Gitz, I'm sorry but this looks like original research on your part. The whole paragraph you quote is precisely about German culpability, and only the last sentence notes that their direct participation was limited. The "own initiative" are your words, not Gross' ("however, the pogrom was carried out by the Poles on their own initiative"). "Of own free will" is different than "on your own initiative". I am going to restore this text as I don't see much beyond creative and selective reading of the source here.  Volunteer Marek   03:50, 12 March 2023 (UTC)
 * Ok the pogrom was carried out by the Poles of their "own free will" rather than "own initiative". Re initiative, Gross says Where the initiative came from [whether from the Germans or Poles] is impossible to settle once and for all. But it is also an academic question, since both sides apparently quickly agreed on the matter, and on the method of its implementation. However, you are using "original research" in a way that has no basis in policy: WP:OR applies to the content of WP articles, not to the arguments exchanged by editors in talk page discussion, and both in the text I published and in the talk page discussion (here above) the quotations from Gross were accurate, namely: Germans' direct participation in the massacre was limited, pretty much, to their taking pictures and the so-called local population involved in killings of Jews did so of its own free will. Gitz (talk) (contribs) 13:52, 12 March 2023 (UTC)
 * In re: this edit, the remaining text leaves the impression that the Germans may have played a more active role than the current research suggests, with the clarifying material removed:

 * I recommend that the removed material be restored.

 * As the next edit, this text was then removed: . Is this a separate issue, or related to the restoration above? Please help me understand. --K.e.coffman (talk) 03:22, 11 March 2023 (UTC)
 * Sure, what you're seeing is the bold, revert, discuss cycle in progress. Up until the recent edits to the lede, this article has reached unusual stability for a very long time time after what had previously been high volatility. This is one of our indications consensus had been reached. Along came this bold edit by Gitz which per WP:BRD I took to the Talk page by opening discussion about above and reverted  pending a new consensus being reached.
 * In discussion, Gitz has explained their objection to the use of the quote by Gross is that they see it as selective, and so their WP:BOLD addition of further quotes by Gross was aimed at adding balance. Given my WP:BRD removed Gitz's additional Gross quotes, they then additionally WP:BOLD removed the first Gross quote that had prompted Gitz's intervention in the first place:
 * This is in a sense Gitz's alternative BOLD-refine, which I can support pending another solution. It leaves no quotes at all instead of the use of multiple quotes with the aim of balancing quotes out; this second bold edit by Gitz is preferable to a thread mode of quotes in the lede.
 * As far as I can see, Gitz's second bold edit seems to have inadvertently also removed what were reference [6] reference [7] and note [a], from the end of the same paragraph in the lede, which can be seen here . It's easily done, and easily fixed. Happily reference [7] was a repetition of Persak anyway so it is right to remain deleted. Many thanks, -Chumchum7 (talk) 04:49, 11 March 2023 (UTC)
 * Apart from one minor detail, I agree entirely with Chumchum7 account of the editing process and discussion we've had so far. I think we should discuss whether we want a full presentation of Gross's book in the lead (this version of the lead, following my first bold edit) or rather we don't want to have any mention to Grass (the current version, following my second edit quoting WP:ONUS). However, I objected to maintaining the status quo version, which IMHO misrepresents Gross's book.
 * The "minor detail" I don't agree with is that I didn't remove reference [6] reference [7] and note [a] inadvertently. These references were supporting/strengthening the claim the undisputed bosses of life and death in Jedwabne were the Germans. If that sentence is removed, those references are no longer needed. At most, they should be placed somewhere in the article body rather than the lead.
 * Honestly, I think that that WP:OVERKILL, that clutter of references and verbatim quotations supporting the claim "It's the Germans' fault!", was there for a (questionable) reason. The historical consensus seems to be that both the German occupiers and the local population were responsible for the pogrom. The Germans were the triggering factor, the necessary condition: without them, there would have been no pogrom. The local population, however, was not directed by the Germans, but acted autonomously. Gitz (talk) (contribs) 12:49, 11 March 2023 (UTC)
 * Right, but then why is this exact information being removed?  Volunteer Marek   03:55, 12 March 2023 (UTC)
 * This is already explained in this thread, which I invite you to read. The text you have restored misrepresents Gross's book, as it contains a selective quotation from him that is likely to mislead readers who are not already familiar with his work. What about the text resulting from this edit of mine (reverted by Chumchum7): . The information you don't want to remove (the undisputed bosses of life and death in Jedwabne were the Germans) is still included, but is supplemented by other quotes from Gross so as not to distort his findings. Would you be OK with that drafting of the lead? Or do you want to have that the undisputed bosses were the Germans and stop - no mention of local popolation acting of their own free will? Gitz (talk) (contribs) 14:01, 12 March 2023 (UTC)
 * My gut is that the "of their own free will" language is duplicative of what is already there. We are already saying At least 40 ethnic Poles carried out the killing; their ringleaders decided on it beforehand with Germany's Gestapo, SS security police or SS intelligence and they then cooperated with German military police. The words "cooperated with" and "decided on it beforehand with" make it clear that the Poles were not compelled. Adoring nanny (talk) 04:24, 25 March 2023 (UTC)

Infobox: "in cooperation with German military police"
The same Gross quote under discussion above is supporting the infobox statement:

This quote from Gross was removed in this edit:, because (as I understand it) it was lacking the follow-up of "their [German's] direct participation in the massacre, however, was "limited, pretty much, to their taking pictures".... and the local population was not compelled to participate directly in the killings of Jews but "''did so of its own free will."

I find the statement to be lacking nuance, being in the infobox, and it perhaps leaves the impression that the Germans may have played a more active role ("cooperation") than the current research suggests. Suggest "... in cooperation with" be removed from the infobox. "German incitement" is mentioned under the Motive parameter in the infobox and this is sufficient. --K.e.coffman (talk) 21:10, 11 March 2023 (UTC)

@K.e.coffman: Thank you. Apart from the Polish nationalist minority of sources that we ignore, all mainstream sources including Gross concur that Poles carried out the massacre in cooperation with German personnel. That refers to the well-documented meeting between the Polish ringleaders and German personnel right before the massacre took place, as well as the control of the town by German personnel at the time of the massacre. It's unambiguously a case of direct Polish collaboration with the Nazis.

So that we're all on the same page, let's ensure we're all familiar with this current research, and which sources we are referring to beyond Gross 2001. Because it's important to note at over the past 22 years the academic consensus has corrected parts of his generally excellent first-mover work. Initially, that was followed by an official murder investigation by the prosecutor Ignatiew which concluded in 2002. This was praised by Gross, it entailed far more witness testimony and documentation than Gross had, as well as a forensic excavation of the the massacre site to test the Gross hypotheses.

After the investigation, literally hundreds of secondary sources on Jedwabne were informed by it, a good indication of which is our reference, Stola 2003, which directly revises specific details in Gross, including that hypothesis around the taking of photographs. Stola himself has been in trouble with Poland's current nationalist government, because during his excellent leadership of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews the institution pointed out anti-Semitism among the pro-government media. I invite familiarization with Stola 2003 as it's right there for download through our article. Many thanks, -Chumchum7 (talk) 04:39, 12 March 2023 (UTC)

Number of victims
We have now in the lead "At least 340 men, women and children were murdered, some 300 of whom were locked in a barn and burned alive". On this, we are relying on the findings of the IPN investigation (Ignatiew 2002, 2003). However, Stola 2003 says estimates vary from 300 to 1,600; he also says that estimates ranging from 400-800 seem much more plausible than those above 1,000. The Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos, vol. 2, part A, 2012, p. 900, reports the following: On the basis of these sources, I suggest adopting Stola's non-committal formulation about estimates ranging btw 300 and 1600 and possibly providing more information on the number of victims in the article body. Gitz (talk) (contribs) 10:01, 13 March 2023 (UTC)
 * I'm thinking that Stola's range of should be given more weight vs the "340" number (due to the incomplete exhumation) and the "1600+" numbers which I believe is widely considered too high today. Perhaps along the lines of: 400-800 victims, with a note in re: incomplete investigation confirming 300-400 bodies + estimates of up 1600 victims and higher having been put forth as well. Something like this.
 * Note: my comment refers to the infobox, which states, in this version of the article, "At least 340 Polish Jews[1]". --K.e.coffman (talk) 04:28, 17 March 2023 (UTC)
 * I agree with this. I wouldn't object to having the "400-800 victims" figure also in the lead, if this information is supported by the sources (Stola, Crago) and supplemented by the quotations now in footnote 5. Gitz (talk) (contribs) 00:24, 18 March 2023 (UTC)

"Those who retracted included . . ."
My gut is that the individual names of those who retracted their confessions is WP:UNDUE. However, I don't feel terribly strongly about it, and idk how to handle the related citation, so I'm not going to be WP:BOLD and delete it. One option might be to say that "at least nine people retracted . . ." as there are nine names on the list. Adoring nanny (talk) 03:58, 25 March 2023 (UTC)

 * Changed my mind as no one else has replied. Names are now deleted. Adoring nanny (talk) 02:50, 11 April 2023 (UTC)

"burnt alive"
I'm not 100% up on British English. I would have said "burned alive". But I'm not British. Adoring nanny (talk) 04:27, 25 March 2023 (UTC)

 * Burnt alive is fine. Very quick addendum, "it's fine" from a spelling sense. Also as the article repeatedly uses a quote using "burned alive", burned is probably best for consistency. Also now realising this is a really old comment. -- LCU ActivelyDisinterested ∆transmissions∆ °co-ords° 15:45, 30 August 2023 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 31 December 2023
Change: After the German occupation, Polish villagers participated in pogroms against Jews in 23 localities of the Łomża and Białystok areas of the Podlasie region, with varying degrees of German involvement.

To: After the German occupation, Polish villagers participated in pogroms against Jews in 23 localities of the Łomża and Białystok areas of the Podlaskie region, with varying degrees of German involvement.

Also: Podlaskie region should redirect to "Podlaskie voivodeship" not "podlachia". LEJ PO ŁYMPIE (talk) 02:25, 31 December 2023 (UTC)
 * Red information icon with gradient background.svg Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. Spintendo  23:05, 31 December 2023 (UTC)

Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 30 June 2024
change

After the German occupation, Polish villagers participated in pogroms against Jews in 23 localities of the Łomża and Białystok areas of the Podlasie region, with varying degrees of German involvement.

to

After the German occupation, Polish villagers participated in pogroms against Jews in 23 localities of the Łomża and Białystok areas of the Podlaskie region, with varying degrees of German involvement. LEJ PO ŁYMPIE (talk) 12:00, 30 June 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Jedwabne pogrom


text: User talk:209.80.255.74

title: User talk:209.80.255.74


text:
Talk:Bristol Channel

Flood date
It was stated in the article that the flood happened on 20 January 1607, or 20 January 1606 "because of calendar change". The change to the Gregorian calendar was only about 12 days, and otherwise I have no idea what the comment may have meant. Oliver Chettle 14:58, 25 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * The source for this is the BBC documentary about the flood, I'm not too sure what they meant either. -- Joolz 15:51, 25 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * As I understand, the correct New style date is 30 January 1607. The OS date used at the time would have been 20 January 1606. This is because of the 10 day lag in the Julian calendar plus the different convention for when the year number changes; under the Julian in England, it was on Lady Day, 25 March; under Gregorian on 1 January -- so that year didn't become 1607 to them until March. I have used the NS date in List of United Kingdom disasters by death toll. --mervyn 13:04, 28 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Width of channel
"It takes its name from the English city of Bristol and is over 5km across at its widest point." Is this correct? The channel looks a lot wider than that. --B.d.mills 10:39, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

Severn crossings
The Severn road bridges cross the "Mouth of the Severn", further upstream from where the Bristol Channel starts. Bristol and Cardiff are both technically on the Severn too if my understanding is correct as the Bristol Channel starts and the Severn ends at Flat Holm and Steep Holm. I've got the Philips Street Atlas for Cardiff, Swansea and the Valleys (2nd impression with revisions, 2006, mapping sourced from Ordnance Survey) in front of me and the route planning pages clearly label the channel as "ABER HAFREN, MOUTH OF THE SEVERN" right next to Cardiff (Caerdydd) just upstream of these 2 small islands. Aber is the Welsh word for River by the way. Didn't want to change the article myself to reflect this as such a dramatic edit could be controversial - JVG 19:16, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Coastal cities and towns
Slightly offtopic, however - Bristol is mentioned in this section, however is it actually considered a city on the English coast or not? Elynnia 22:52, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

Estuary vs Channel
This article confuses the Bristol Channel and the Severn Estuary. Both are different, although adjacent pieces of water. It would be much clearer if the estuary related content e.g. the Severn bridges, tunnel and bore were moved into the River Severn article and then the redirect changed. Given some time I may do this. --Cheesy Mike 22:36, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

Aber Henfelen
Hihi, just working on the Missing Articles Hotlist and came across "Aber Henfelen" and found this: Aber Henfelen. Name for the sea between Wales and Cornwall, i.e. the Bristol Channel, in Welsh narrative in: A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. James McKillop. Oxford University Press, 1998. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Also seems to be something similar at http://cy.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%B4r_Hafren, but I can't read it :) Here's a spot where its being used in context: http://www.celtnet.org.uk/gods_rh/rhiannon.html. I'll leave it to peoples smarter than I am to figure out if/where to put it. Legotech (talk) 19:08, 13 January 2008 (UTC)
 * According to this - http://www.answers.com/topic/aber-henfelen - Aber Henfelen is or was the Welsh name for the sea "between Wales and Cornwall". It's also mentioned here - http://www.mentercaerffili.org/saesneg/gwybodcaerffs.php?hanes=27.  Môr Hafren certainly means Severn Estuary, and Môr Celtaidd, I guess, means Celtic Sea (I don't speak Welsh, unfortunately) - so does that mean that Aber Henfelen should be used as the Welsh term for the Bristol Channel?  Ghmyrtle (talk) 23:33, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

Ecology
The claim in this article that Bristol Channel has second highest tides in the world is incorrect. Ungava Bay in Canada and the Bay of Fundy in Canada both have higher tides. Tiddy (talk) 02:14, 12 May 2010 (UTC)
 * That is not what the references say. --Simple Bob (talk) 02:16, 12 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Much of the current content of the ecology section refers to suitabaility for surfing and is inappropriate in this section. Moreover much of it reltaes to coastline beyond the article area. I may have a go at reassiging or deleting some of this. Geopersona (talk) 18:36, 15 September 2010 (UTC)

Restructuring of article
I have made a number of bold changes to the article due to its previously confused nature. I hope that other editors don't mind! though I think more changes could yet be made to make it more logical. In particular I have taken out a number of chunks of text entirely as they related to stretches of the coastline westward of the Bristol Channel or eastward of it ie the Severn Estuary and were simply not relevant to this article. Geopersona (talk) 19:50, 15 September 2010 (UTC)
 * I've tweaked some of your tweaks, and added some of my own. It's still a pretty poor article really, but I don't have the time or energy at the moment to attempt a full rewrite. I'm astonished that Bideford Bay doesn't have its own article (yet?)  Ghmyrtle (talk) 22:06, 15 September 2010 (UTC)
 * I was surprised too but it does now have a stub which I will do some further work on! Anyway thanks for all the extra tweaks on BC - like you I ran out of oomph on it. cheers Geopersona (talk) 06:08, 16 September 2010 (UTC)

Satellite view image
There is a problem with the appearance of this on the page causing some text to be obscured from the neighbouring section. I don't know how to fix it but I'm sure someone can. Geopersona (talk) 18:13, 23 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Works OK for me - it may be a problem with your browser. Try WP:VPT.  Ghmyrtle (talk) 20:10, 23 September 2010 (UTC)

Darren Jaundrill / Three Channels Challenge
I think it is best to remove all mention of this, as per this edit. I can find no evidence - outside Jaundrill's own claims - that the "Challenge" exists, let alone that he has completed it. His claims are here, but his other claims have been questioned, and his own site is down. Ghmyrtle (talk) 12:20, 16 March 2015 (UTC)

The West Country Challenge
Would you like to win up to £250 in Amazon vouchers for participating in The West Country Challenge?

The The West Country Challenge will take place from 8 to 28 August 2016. The idea is to create and improve articles about Bristol, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, Dorset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, like this one.

The format will be based on Wales's successful Awaken the Dragon which saw over 1000 article improvements and creations and 65 GAs/FAs. As with the Dragon contest, the focus is more on improving core articles and breathing new life into those older stale articles and stubs which might otherwise not get edited in years. All contributions, including new articles, are welcome though.

Work on any of the items at: or other articles relating to the area.
 * Core articles
 * Missing article hotlist
 * Missing photograph hotlist

There will be sub contests focusing on particular areas:
 * Bristol (Day 1-3)
 * Cornwall and Scilly (Day 4-6)
 * Devon (Day 7-9)
 * Dorset (Day 10-12)
 * Gloucestershire (Day 13-15)
 * Somerset (Day 16-18)
 * Wiltshire (Day 19-21)

To sign up or get more information visit the contest pages at WikiProject England/The West Country Challenge.— Rod talk 16:11, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
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Tidal range
The 'urban myth' that has it that the Channel and Severn estuary have the second highest tidal range in the world (behind the Bay of Fundy) lives on, bolstered - one suspects - by that statement having been presented here on Wikipedia. Ungava Bay has been shown to have a tidal range similar to that at Bay of Fundy. Now since the previous references state (incorrectly so far as is apparent to me) that this area has the second highest range I've retained them (since WP prefers verifiability over accuracy) and attempted to word it in such a way that further references verify Ungava Bay's claim to a higher tidal range than this place. Mention of Ungava Bay has been removed from this article previously, thereby helping perpetuate the myth. Further refs re Ungava Bay may be found at https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/6650/high-and-low-tides-in-bay-of-fundy. and also at https://casualnavigation.com/where-are-the-highest-tides-in-the-world/ which references mean tidal ranges and which specifically references this - https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/faq2.html#26. cheers Geopersona (talk) 05:20, 15 November 2020 (UTC)
 * As an observation, a recent BBC TV series, Tide also claimed Ungava Bay had the greatest tidal range. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0005sx4 Difficult to use it as a ref though. Murgatroyd49 (talk) 10:06, 15 November 2020 (UTC)

Welsh Channel?
I notice that Welsh Channel is a redirect to this article. The only Welsh Channel I know of is the one by the mouth of the River Dee near Talacre. , used for navigation. No Wikipedia page contains a link to Welsh Channel (until now), and none of the Wikipedia pages I checked refer to the term. The searches I've tried for the term just come up with a lot of references to S4C.

Is "Welsh Channel" a term which is connected with the Bristol Channel in some way? Thanks. Aoeuidhtns (talk) 14:04, 4 September 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:Bristol Channel


text:
Laisa Vulakoro

Laisa Vulakoro (born 13 August 1960 ) is a Fijian singer known as the Queen of Vude. She comes from the island of Yacata in Cakaudrove Province. Her music combines disco, rock and Fijian folk music. Vulakoro has performed since the 1980s and has released sixteen albums. During a period in Australia in the 1990s, Vulakoro performed with Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes. Now a resident of Suva, Fiji's capital, Vulakoro is seen regularly at major national events. Her style incorporates a unique blend of Fiji traditional music, R&B, jazz and rock. She has been described as Fiji's answer to Renée Geyer.

Political activities
Vulakoro condemned the military coup that deposed the elected government of Laisenia Qarase on 5 December 2006. After writing an unsympathetic letter to a local newspaper, Vulakoro found her Suva home raided and searched by members of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces on 26 December. She was subsequently taken to Suva's Queen Elizabeth Barracks for questioning at 1a.m. on 28 December. Before being released, she was warned to stop speaking out against the Military.

Fiji Television reported on 12 January 2007 that Vulakoro faced possible imprisonment on her return to Fiji, following the unexplained disappearance of international criminal Peter Foster, for whom she had put up F$5,000 in bail.

Vulakoro is reportedly the niece of war hero Sefania Sukanaivalu, the sole Fijian recipient of the Victoria Cross.

Media appearances
In 2010 Vulakoro became a judge on the 3rd season of Fiji talent contest Vodafone M.I.C She continued her run on the show in 2011, and was set to return for the 5th season in 2012 but was later replaced. However she appeared as a guest judge in three episodes.

She appeared in episode 2 of the Martin Clunes miniseries Islands of the Pacific, which aired on January 20, 2022 and has been repeated since then.

title: Laisa Vulakoro