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By USC Athletics Black History Month

February 7^th, 2017

by Aubrey Kragen

ACHIEVEMENT IN EVERY FIELD OF HUMAN ENDEAVOR.

That’s the motto of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated.

USC wide receiver Steven Mitchell Jr. can tell you that, along with just about any fact you’d like to know about the historically African-American fraternity. It was founded on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University, and incorporated by the state of Indiana on May 15, 1911. The fraternity was originally named Kappa Alpha Nu, but the last letter was changed to Psi in 1915.

Nowadays, Mitchell simply calls it Kappa.

Kappa is one of nine historically black fraternities and sororities that make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council, nicknamed the “Divine Nine:” Kappa Alpha Psi, Alpha Phi Alpha, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta Sigma, Iota Phi Theta, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Zeta Phi Beta and Sigma Gamma Rho.

Despite all the options, Mitchell always had his heart set on Kappa. His god brother joined Kappa while studying at Occidental, and Mitchell hoped to follow in his footsteps, preferably at a historically black college or university (HBCU).

“I always wanted to go to an HBCU, but then I figured out I was actually kind of good at football, so I was getting all these scholarships,” Mitchell said. “And I was really kind of sad, because I knew that it was either go to an HBCU or go to a D-I top school in USC. And I just had to follow my dream of playing college football.”

Pasadena-born Mitchell arrived at USC in the summer of 2013 and got right to work. But the four-star recruit tore his ACL in a voluntary workout after just two weeks on campus, forcing him to miss his entire freshman season.

“Not playing football my freshman year kind of threw me off,” he lamented. “I was doing so well my first two weeks — I was doing amazing. Then this happened, so I was like, ‘What am I going to do now?’ I hated sitting on the sidelines, just watching people.”Over time, Mitchell rehabilitated his knee and earned a starting spot during his redshirt sophomore and junior seasons.

When Mitchell tore the ACL in his other knee during USC’s game at Arizona this past season, he was left stunned but not shaken. This time, he was part of a brotherhood outside of the football team, which kept him occupied and inspired.

Mitchell, who joined Kappa in the spring of 2016, was able to don the Crimson and Cream at a number of his fraternity’s events since his injury kept him out of practice. He and his brothers fed the homeless, read to local children, organized clothing drives and walked in the MLK Day Parade, an event he called “amazing.”

A few years ago, Mitchell never could have foreseen that he’d be part of such a public spectacle, dancing and interacting with onlookers. He’s shy and soft-spoken, but has used football and his fraternity to slowly come out of his shell.

“Once I started playing football, I felt like I was more calm. I had this helmet on, so people couldn’t really see me,” Mitchell said. “But now, I really pride myself being on front of a camera or an audience without that helmet, without that safety net."

"Before being a Kappa, I was always shy. I was obviously good at football, but I was never a vocal leader. But something that came from the whole process of being a Kappa was that you can’t just be silent. You have to be a vocal leader and rely on your brothers to get you through the process.”

While Mitchell’s words carry weight, Kappa is about action as well.

Colin Kaepernick, who joined Kappa while in college at the University of Nevada, Reno, made headlines last year for kneeling during the National Anthem. In the ensuing months, he spoke out against police brutality, the disproportionate number of black men in prison and more. Kaepernick, who has a tattoo dedicated to the fraternity on his side, also began donating $100,000 a month to organizations across the country.

Mitchell and his brothers participated in a peaceful protest last year in support of Kaepernick’s cause.

While Kaepernick might be the most controversial, he’s by no means the first athlete from the Divine Nine to take a stand on a social issue. Just one month before Kaepernick knelt for the first time, six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan — an Omega Phi Psi — penned an essay expressing his intent to donate $2 million to organizations working to strengthen bonds between police and their communities.

Decades prior, tennis legend Arthur Ashe — a Kappa — blazed a trail for black athletes. The first and only African-American man to win Wimbledon and the U.S. Open dedicated the later part of his life to raising awareness for health issues such as cardiovascular disease and HIV.

Some of the most prominent figures in American history wore their Greek letters with pride, including Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall and the three women immortalized in the recent film Hidden Figures: Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson.

With plenty of role models to admire, Mitchell singled out just one that he looked up to the most.

“Our main founder, Elder Watson Diggs — he was a man of achievement,” Mitchell said. “Back in that time, things were hard for African Americans, but he and our other founders came together in a hard time and were able to overcome a lot of difficulties. I strive to be a man like that.”

Diggs founded a fraternity that now includes over 150,000 members from more than 400 universities spread across 10 countries. But Mitchell is the only student-athlete in USC’s chapter of the fraternity, and since he’s been at USC, no other football player has joined any black fraternity on campus. Mitchell hopes to change that, having seen firsthand what a positive change it can bring to someone’s life.

“Being on the football team, having the younger guys see me be a Kappa, they want to be Kappas,” he said. “So I’m just giving them some influence, telling them, ‘If this is what you want to do, then it’s going to better you as a man.’”

Both football teams and fraternities aim to help their members improve their work ethic and interpersonal skills, while initiating them into a lifelong brotherhood. At a recent Kappa meeting, Mitchell mingled with men in their 50s, 60s and 70s wearing old school Kappa letterman’s jackets who were “instilling knowledge” into the younger members of the fraternity.

Mitchell, who’s already accomplished nearly everything on which he’s set his sights, looks forward to doing the same one day.

“I was able to graduate as a junior, and I’m about to have my degree graduating in December with my Master’s,” he said.

“I’ll be leaving here a Rose Bowl champion, hopefully next year a national champion and a lifetime Kappa. And hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to play in the NFL, be a sports broadcaster and a fashion designer. That’s my ultimate dream.”

As a shining example of achievement in every field, there’s no doubt he’ll have plenty of advice to pass on in the future.

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