Bahamian members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity are pictured during their courtesy call on His Excellency Dr. Eugene Newry, Bahamas Ambassador to the United States. Pictured from left to right are: Mr. Esmond Johnson; Mr. William Dean; Mr. Kareem Wallace; Mr. Raymond Pearson; Mr. Gerrard Sawyer; Mr. Felipe Major, Administrative Assistant, Consular Annex; Mr. Kareem Hanna; Mr. Chet Neymour, Deputy Chief of Mission, Bahamas Embassy; Mr. Jean Joseph; Ambassador Newry; Mr. Jamarl Chea; Mr. Christopher Saunders; Mr. Derek Smith, Jr.; Mr. Nathaniel Beneby; Miss Krissy Hanna, Second Secretary/Vice Consul, Bahamas Embassy; Mr. Mikhail Bullard, Third Secretary/Vice Consul, Bahamas Embassy.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Bahamian members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity paid courtesy calls on His Excellency Dr. Eugene Newry, Bahamas Ambassador to the United States, and Mrs. Paulette Zonicle, Bahamas Consul General to Washington D.C., on Thursday, July 17.  

The 11-member Bahamian contingent is among the more than 4,000 fraternity brothers, representing at least five different countries, who are in Washington, D.C. for the organization’s Centennial celebrations being held July 16-20 at the Marriott Wardman Park.   

Members of the Bahamian contingent include Mr. Gerrard Sawyer, Mr. Christopher Saunders, Mr. Derek Smith Jr., Mr. Esmond Johnson, Mr. William Dean, Mr. Kareem Hanna, Mr. Jamarl Chea, Mr. Nathaniel Beneby, Mr. Ramon Pearson, Mr. Kareem Wallace, and Mr. Jean Joseph.  

Their first courtesy call was on Consul General Zonicle shortly after 11 a.m at the Embassy’s new Consular Annex, 1025 Vermont Avenue, N.W., in downtown D.C., where they were given a tour of the Consular Annex by Consul General Zonicle and introduced to Third Secretary/Vice Consul Faith Maycock, Financial Officer Stephanie Rahming and other members of her staff. Consul General Zonicle also outlined the duties and responsibilities of the Consular Annex.  

Shortly after 1 p.m., the Bahamian fraternity brothers visited the Embassy of The Bahamas at 2220 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., where they were welcomed by Ambassador Newry; Mr. Chet Neymour, Deputy Chief of Mission; Miss Krissy Hanna, Second Secretary/Vice Consul; and Mr. Mikhail Bullard, Third Secretary/Vice Consul.  

Following brief remarks by Ambassador Newry and Deputy Chief of Mission Neymour, they were treated to lunch in the Embassy’s conference room.  

While in D.C. for the Centennial Celebration, the Bahamian contingent also advanced talks with international leaders on the General Board meeting expected to be held in Nassau in November. The General Board is the executive leadership of the international fraternity.  

The Bahamian brothers have also been promoting The Bahamas by wearing Androsia bow-ties during the courtesy calls and at the celebration’s climax, the Orchid Ball. 

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, founded at Howard University on January 9, 1914, is celebrating its 100th Anniversary with a year-long slate of activities designed to highlight the organization’s contributions to American and International history over the past century.  

Bahamian members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity are pictured during their courtesy call on Mrs. Paulette Zonicle, Bahamas Consul General to Washington, DC. Pictured from left to right are: Mrs. Jan Rolle, Administrative Assistant, Consular Annex; Mrs. Debbie Harrison, Private Secretary, Consular Annex; Mr. Ramon Pearson; Mr. William Dean; Mr. Esmond Johnson; Mr. Derek Smith, Jr; Mr. Jamarl Chea; Miss Faith Maycock, Third Secretary/Vice Consul, Consular Annex; Mr. Kareem Hanna; Consul General Zonicle; Mr. Gerrard Sawyer; Mr. Nathaniel Beneby; Mr. Jean Joseph; Miss Stephanie Rahming, Accounts Officer, Consular Annex; Mr. Christopher Saunders; Mr. Kareem Wallace, Felipe Major, Administrative Assistant, Consular Annex; and Mr. Reynaldo Fabella, Consul General Zonicle’s chauffeur.

Phi Beta Sigma has a near century-long commitment to service that is centered in the fraternity’s three international programs: Bigger and Better Business, Education and Social Action. All three of these programs represent the core of Sigma’s programmatic initiatives and are carried out at the international, national, regional and local levels.  

For more than 60 years, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity has made manhood training for young boys a fraternity priority through its Sigma Beta Club founded in 1950. Its mission is to bring a responsibility mindset to instill a college-going culture among young black males. Collegiate, as well as graduate members, are their mentors. There are over 120 Sigma Beta Clubs throughout the USA and The Bahamas. In 2005, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity adopted Junior Achievement Bahamas as one of its primary volunteer initiatives.  

Today, Phi Beta Sigma Bahamas boasts of two firsts within the international fraternity - the first undergraduate chapter (Beta Beta Lambda at The College of The Bahamas 2004) of any fraternal organization outside of the USA and its territories and the first alumni chapter (Delta Epsilon Sigma 1978) of the fraternity in a Caribbean nation.  There are three chapters in The Bahamas two graduate member chapters (Delta Epsilon Sigma in Nassau and Omicron Pi Sigma in Freeport) and the undergraduate chapter (Beta Beta Lambda) at The College of The Bahamas.