National
Black Fraternity, Police Officer Face Million-Dollar Lawsuit
by Khari Arnold
Special to NNPA from Howard University News Service
WASHINGTON – Kappa Alpha Psi, one of the nation’s largest and most prestigious black fraternities, is facing multi-million dollar lawsuits for hazing, the latest by a 45-year-old Washington man who claims he was paddled and beaten with a cane by members, including a Prince George’s County police officer.
Harry Draughn Jr., filed a $2 million lawsuit Tuesday (March 31) against Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and its member, police officer Jesse Stewart Jr., after allegedly being hazed during as a spring 2015 pledge of the Hyattsville/Landover Alumni Chapter of the fraternity, according to court documents.
Kappa Alpha Psi is already facing a $4 million lawsuit filed against it, its Baltimore alumni chapter and several members in January for allegedly hazing another man.
As a result of the new lawsuit, Stewart, 49, who served as the dean of the intake process for the Hyattsville/Landover alumni chapter, has been charged with a misdemeanor and suspended pending an investigation, Prince George’s County Police Chief Mark Magaw said.
“When one of our officers is accused of wrongdoing, we take those allegations seriously,” Magaw said in a statement. “The Prince George’s County Police Department holds our officers to high standards, whether they are on or off duty.”
Stewart, a 21-year member of the police department, faces up to five years in prison on misdemeanor reckless endangerment charges.
Court documents state the hazing began in February when Draughn and his line brothers were brought to Stewart’s garage to be smacked, hit, caned and paddled.
Pledges were also brought inside Stewart’s home, where they rubbed lotion on the off-duty officer as he sat in a kitchen chair, according to the complaint. Draughn also claims he was required to do tasks around Stewart’s home in his underwear.
Draughn’s suit claims he suffered emotional anguish and humiliation.
“I think it’s just degrading,” Draughn said in an interview. “When we signed up for Kappa Alpha Psi, we signed documents saying there wouldn’t be any hazing.”
Draughn also said Stewart asked him inappropriate sexual questions.
In September of 2014, the fraternity placed a national moratorium on membership intake for its undergraduate and alumni chapters amid hazing issues. The moratorium was lifted in January for graduate chapters.
“When they lifted it, they did not change any policies or procedures,” said Draughn’s attorney, Jimmy Bell. “That is mind-boggling. You admit that you have a problem and you don’t correct it, and then the very next month my client’s getting hazed.”
Stewart, the Kappa Alpha Psi headquarters in Philadelphia, the Kappa Alpha Psi Grand Polemarch (National President) William “Randy” Bates Jr. did not return phones calls seeking comment.
Draughn alleges that Stewart first hazed him in February, but it was a March 23 incident that caused him to file suit.
“Since the beating on March 23, 2015, plaintiff has had to sit on a pillow while driving and is suffering from lower back pain, has not been able to sleep and has felt depressed,” the lawsuit claims.
After he’d had enough, Draughn said that he complained to the fraternity and asked that the $3,000 he paid to join the organization be refunded, but his request was denied.
“We never thought that we were paying $3,000 to join a gang,” he said. “That’s not what we signed up for.”
Bell said he has been a member of Kappa Alpha Psi for 30 years. He said he never endured hazing when he joined. Hazing among fraternities, black and white, was common during that era. The situation is different today, Bell said.
“Here’s the difference between now and then: It is against the law,” he said. “I’m doing what’s right so hopefully they’ll still be around in the next 50 years. It’s better to take a (financial) hit and change your policies than to not exist anymore.”
Bell said he believes that until the better measures are put in place by leaders of fraternities and other organization, injuries, deaths, like the one at Florida A&M University, and subsequent lawsuits will continue to happen.
“It’s a social organization,” he said. “Nobody should get hurt pledging.”
###
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of March 28 – April 1, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 28 – April 1, 2025

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Activism
Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas Honors California Women in Construction with State Proclamation, Policy Ideas
“Women play an important role in building our communities, yet they remain vastly underrepresented in the construction industry,” Smallwood-Cuevas stated. “This resolution not only recognizes their incredible contributions but also the need to break barriers — like gender discrimination.

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media
To honor Women in Construction Week, Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles), a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR) 30 in the State Legislature on March 6. This resolution pays tribute to women and highlights their contributions to the building industry.
The measure designates March 2, 2025, to March 8, 2025, as Women in Construction Week in California. It passed 34-0 on the Senate floor.
“Women play an important role in building our communities, yet they remain vastly underrepresented in the construction industry,” Smallwood-Cuevas stated. “This resolution not only recognizes their incredible contributions but also the need to break barriers — like gender discrimination.
Authored by Assemblymember Liz Ortega (D-San Leandro), another bill, Assembly Concurrent Resolution (ACR) 28, also recognized women in the construction industry.
The resolution advanced out of the Assembly Committee on Rules with a 10-0 vote.
The weeklong event coincides with the National Association of Women In Construction (NAWIC) celebration that started in 1998 and has grown and expanded every year since.
The same week in front of the State Capitol, Smallwood, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Assemblymember Josh Hoover (R-Folsom), and Assemblymember Maggie Krell (D-Sacramento), attended a brunch organized by a local chapter of NAWIC.
Two of the guest speakers were Dr. Giovanna Brasfield, CEO of Los Angeles-based Brasfield and Associates, and Jennifer Todd, President and Founder of LMS General Contractors.
Todd is the youngest Black woman to receive a California’s Contractors State License Board (A) General Engineering license. An advocate for women of different backgrounds, Todd she said she has been a woman in construction for the last 16 years despite going through some trying times.
A graduate of Arizona State University’s’ Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, in 2009 Todd created an apprenticeship training program, A Greener Tomorrow, designed toward the advancement of unemployed and underemployed people of color.
“I always say, ‘I love an industry that doesn’t love me back,’” Todd said. “Being young, female and minority, I am often in spaces where people don’t look like me, they don’t reflect my values, they don’t reflect my experiences, and I so persevere in spite of it all.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 11.2% of the construction workforce across the country are female. Overall, 87.3% of the female construction workers are White, 35.1% are Latinas, 2.1% are Asians, and 6.5% are Black women, the report reveals.
The National Association of Home Builders reported that as of 2022, the states with the largest number of women working in construction were Texas (137,000), California (135,000) and Florida (119,000). The three states alone represent 30% of all women employed in the industry.
Sen. Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) and the California Legislative Women’s Caucus supported Smallwood-Cuevas’ SCR 30 and requested that more energy be poured into bringing awareness to the severe gender gap in the construction field.
“The construction trade are a proven path to a solid career. and we have an ongoing shortage, and this is a time for us to do better breaking down the barriers to help the people get into this sector,” Rubio said.
Activism
Report Offers Policies, Ideas to Improve the Workplace Experiences of Black Women in California
The “Invisible Labor, Visible Struggles: The Intersection of Race, Gender, and Workplace Equity for Black Women in California” report by the California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute (CBWCEI), unveiled the findings of a December 2024 survey of 452 employed Black women across the Golden State. Three-fifths of the participants said they experienced racism or discrimination last year and 57% of the unfair treatment was related to incidents at work.

By McKenzie Jackson, California Black Media
Backed by data, a report released last month details the numerous hurdles Black women in the Golden State must overcome to effectively contribute and succeed in the workplace.
The “Invisible Labor, Visible Struggles: The Intersection of Race, Gender, and Workplace Equity for Black Women in California” report by the California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute (CBWCEI), unveiled the findings of a December 2024 survey of 452 employed Black women across the Golden State. Three-fifths of the participants said they experienced racism or discrimination last year and 57% of the unfair treatment was related to incidents at work.
CBWCEI President and CEO Kellie Todd Griffin said Black women have been the backbone of communities, industries, and movements but are still overlooked, underpaid, and undervalued at work.
“The data is clear,” she explained. “Systemic racism and sexism are not just historical injustices. They are active forces shaping the workplace experiences of Black women today. This report is a call to action. it demands intentional polices, corporate accountability, and systemic changes.”
The 16-page study, conducted by the public opinion research and strategic consulting firm EVITARUS, showcases the lived workplace experiences of Black women, many who say they are stuck in the crosshairs of discrimination based on gender and race which hinders their work opportunities, advancements, and aspirations, according to the report’s authors, Todd Griffin and CBWCEI researcher Dr. Sharon Uche.
“We wanted to look at how Black women are experiencing the workplace where there are systematic barriers,” Todd Griffin told the media during a press conference co-hosted by Ethnic Media Services and California Black Media. “This report is focused on the invisible labor struggles of Black women throughout California.”
The aspects of the workplace most important to Black women, according to those surveyed, are salary or wage, benefits, and job security.
However, only 21% of the survey’s respondents felt they had strong chances for career advancement into the executive or senior leadership ranks in California’s job market; 49% felt passed over, excluded from, or marginalized at work; and 48% felt their accomplishments at work were undervalued. Thirty-eight percent said they had been thought of as the stereotypical “angry Black woman” at work, and 42% said workplace racism or discrimination effected their physical or mental health.
“These sentiments play a factor in contributing to a workplace that is unsafe and not equitable for Black women in California,” the report reads.
Most Black women said providing for their families and personal fulfillment motivated them to show up to work daily, while 38% said they were dissatisfied in their current job with salary, supervisors, and work environment being the top sources of their discontent.
When asked if they agree or disagree with a statement about their workplace 58% of Black women said they feel supported at work, while 52% said their contributions are acknowledged. Forty-nine percent said they felt empowered.
Uche said Black women are paid $54,000 annually on average — including Black single mothers, who averaged $50,000 — while White men earn an average of $90,000 each year.
“More than half of Black families in California are led by single Black women,” said Uche, who added that the pay gap between Black women and White men isn’t forecasted to close until 2121.
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National
Black Fraternity, Police Officer Face Million-Dollar Lawsuit
by Khari Arnold
Special to NNPA from Howard University News Service
WASHINGTON – Kappa Alpha Psi, one of the nation’s largest and most prestigious black fraternities, is facing multi-million dollar lawsuits for hazing, the latest by a 45-year-old Washington man who claims he was paddled and beaten with a cane by members, including a Prince George’s County police officer.
Harry Draughn Jr., filed a $2 million lawsuit Tuesday (March 31) against Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and its member, police officer Jesse Stewart Jr., after allegedly being hazed during as a spring 2015 pledge of the Hyattsville/Landover Alumni Chapter of the fraternity, according to court documents.
Kappa Alpha Psi is already facing a $4 million lawsuit filed against it, its Baltimore alumni chapter and several members in January for allegedly hazing another man.
As a result of the new lawsuit, Stewart, 49, who served as the dean of the intake process for the Hyattsville/Landover alumni chapter, has been charged with a misdemeanor and suspended pending an investigation, Prince George’s County Police Chief Mark Magaw said.
“When one of our officers is accused of wrongdoing, we take those allegations seriously,” Magaw said in a statement. “The Prince George’s County Police Department holds our officers to high standards, whether they are on or off duty.”
Stewart, a 21-year member of the police department, faces up to five years in prison on misdemeanor reckless endangerment charges.
Court documents state the hazing began in February when Draughn and his line brothers were brought to Stewart’s garage to be smacked, hit, caned and paddled.
Pledges were also brought inside Stewart’s home, where they rubbed lotion on the off-duty officer as he sat in a kitchen chair, according to the complaint. Draughn also claims he was required to do tasks around Stewart’s home in his underwear.
Draughn’s suit claims he suffered emotional anguish and humiliation.
“I think it’s just degrading,” Draughn said in an interview. “When we signed up for Kappa Alpha Psi, we signed documents saying there wouldn’t be any hazing.”
Draughn also said Stewart asked him inappropriate sexual questions.
In September of 2014, the fraternity placed a national moratorium on membership intake for its undergraduate and alumni chapters amid hazing issues. The moratorium was lifted in January for graduate chapters.
“When they lifted it, they did not change any policies or procedures,” said Draughn’s attorney, Jimmy Bell. “That is mind-boggling. You admit that you have a problem and you don’t correct it, and then the very next month my client’s getting hazed.”
Stewart, the Kappa Alpha Psi headquarters in Philadelphia, the Kappa Alpha Psi Grand Polemarch (National President) William “Randy” Bates Jr. did not return phones calls seeking comment.
Draughn alleges that Stewart first hazed him in February, but it was a March 23 incident that caused him to file suit.
“Since the beating on March 23, 2015, plaintiff has had to sit on a pillow while driving and is suffering from lower back pain, has not been able to sleep and has felt depressed,” the lawsuit claims.
After he’d had enough, Draughn said that he complained to the fraternity and asked that the $3,000 he paid to join the organization be refunded, but his request was denied.
“We never thought that we were paying $3,000 to join a gang,” he said. “That’s not what we signed up for.”
Bell said he has been a member of Kappa Alpha Psi for 30 years. He said he never endured hazing when he joined. Hazing among fraternities, black and white, was common during that era. The situation is different today, Bell said.
“Here’s the difference between now and then: It is against the law,” he said. “I’m doing what’s right so hopefully they’ll still be around in the next 50 years. It’s better to take a (financial) hit and change your policies than to not exist anymore.”
Bell said he believes that until the better measures are put in place by leaders of fraternities and other organization, injuries, deaths, like the one at Florida A&M University, and subsequent lawsuits will continue to happen.
“It’s a social organization,” he said. “Nobody should get hurt pledging.”
###
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of March 28 – April 1, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 28 – April 1, 2025

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Activism
Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas Honors California Women in Construction with State Proclamation, Policy Ideas
“Women play an important role in building our communities, yet they remain vastly underrepresented in the construction industry,” Smallwood-Cuevas stated. “This resolution not only recognizes their incredible contributions but also the need to break barriers — like gender discrimination.

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media
To honor Women in Construction Week, Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles), a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution (SCR) 30 in the State Legislature on March 6. This resolution pays tribute to women and highlights their contributions to the building industry.
The measure designates March 2, 2025, to March 8, 2025, as Women in Construction Week in California. It passed 34-0 on the Senate floor.
“Women play an important role in building our communities, yet they remain vastly underrepresented in the construction industry,” Smallwood-Cuevas stated. “This resolution not only recognizes their incredible contributions but also the need to break barriers — like gender discrimination.
Authored by Assemblymember Liz Ortega (D-San Leandro), another bill, Assembly Concurrent Resolution (ACR) 28, also recognized women in the construction industry.
The resolution advanced out of the Assembly Committee on Rules with a 10-0 vote.
The weeklong event coincides with the National Association of Women In Construction (NAWIC) celebration that started in 1998 and has grown and expanded every year since.
The same week in front of the State Capitol, Smallwood, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Assemblymember Josh Hoover (R-Folsom), and Assemblymember Maggie Krell (D-Sacramento), attended a brunch organized by a local chapter of NAWIC.
Two of the guest speakers were Dr. Giovanna Brasfield, CEO of Los Angeles-based Brasfield and Associates, and Jennifer Todd, President and Founder of LMS General Contractors.
Todd is the youngest Black woman to receive a California’s Contractors State License Board (A) General Engineering license. An advocate for women of different backgrounds, Todd she said she has been a woman in construction for the last 16 years despite going through some trying times.
A graduate of Arizona State University’s’ Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, in 2009 Todd created an apprenticeship training program, A Greener Tomorrow, designed toward the advancement of unemployed and underemployed people of color.
“I always say, ‘I love an industry that doesn’t love me back,’” Todd said. “Being young, female and minority, I am often in spaces where people don’t look like me, they don’t reflect my values, they don’t reflect my experiences, and I so persevere in spite of it all.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 11.2% of the construction workforce across the country are female. Overall, 87.3% of the female construction workers are White, 35.1% are Latinas, 2.1% are Asians, and 6.5% are Black women, the report reveals.
The National Association of Home Builders reported that as of 2022, the states with the largest number of women working in construction were Texas (137,000), California (135,000) and Florida (119,000). The three states alone represent 30% of all women employed in the industry.
Sen. Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) and the California Legislative Women’s Caucus supported Smallwood-Cuevas’ SCR 30 and requested that more energy be poured into bringing awareness to the severe gender gap in the construction field.
“The construction trade are a proven path to a solid career. and we have an ongoing shortage, and this is a time for us to do better breaking down the barriers to help the people get into this sector,” Rubio said.
Activism
Report Offers Policies, Ideas to Improve the Workplace Experiences of Black Women in California
The “Invisible Labor, Visible Struggles: The Intersection of Race, Gender, and Workplace Equity for Black Women in California” report by the California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute (CBWCEI), unveiled the findings of a December 2024 survey of 452 employed Black women across the Golden State. Three-fifths of the participants said they experienced racism or discrimination last year and 57% of the unfair treatment was related to incidents at work.

By McKenzie Jackson, California Black Media
Backed by data, a report released last month details the numerous hurdles Black women in the Golden State must overcome to effectively contribute and succeed in the workplace.
The “Invisible Labor, Visible Struggles: The Intersection of Race, Gender, and Workplace Equity for Black Women in California” report by the California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute (CBWCEI), unveiled the findings of a December 2024 survey of 452 employed Black women across the Golden State. Three-fifths of the participants said they experienced racism or discrimination last year and 57% of the unfair treatment was related to incidents at work.
CBWCEI President and CEO Kellie Todd Griffin said Black women have been the backbone of communities, industries, and movements but are still overlooked, underpaid, and undervalued at work.
“The data is clear,” she explained. “Systemic racism and sexism are not just historical injustices. They are active forces shaping the workplace experiences of Black women today. This report is a call to action. it demands intentional polices, corporate accountability, and systemic changes.”
The 16-page study, conducted by the public opinion research and strategic consulting firm EVITARUS, showcases the lived workplace experiences of Black women, many who say they are stuck in the crosshairs of discrimination based on gender and race which hinders their work opportunities, advancements, and aspirations, according to the report’s authors, Todd Griffin and CBWCEI researcher Dr. Sharon Uche.
“We wanted to look at how Black women are experiencing the workplace where there are systematic barriers,” Todd Griffin told the media during a press conference co-hosted by Ethnic Media Services and California Black Media. “This report is focused on the invisible labor struggles of Black women throughout California.”
The aspects of the workplace most important to Black women, according to those surveyed, are salary or wage, benefits, and job security.
However, only 21% of the survey’s respondents felt they had strong chances for career advancement into the executive or senior leadership ranks in California’s job market; 49% felt passed over, excluded from, or marginalized at work; and 48% felt their accomplishments at work were undervalued. Thirty-eight percent said they had been thought of as the stereotypical “angry Black woman” at work, and 42% said workplace racism or discrimination effected their physical or mental health.
“These sentiments play a factor in contributing to a workplace that is unsafe and not equitable for Black women in California,” the report reads.
Most Black women said providing for their families and personal fulfillment motivated them to show up to work daily, while 38% said they were dissatisfied in their current job with salary, supervisors, and work environment being the top sources of their discontent.
When asked if they agree or disagree with a statement about their workplace 58% of Black women said they feel supported at work, while 52% said their contributions are acknowledged. Forty-nine percent said they felt empowered.
Uche said Black women are paid $54,000 annually on average — including Black single mothers, who averaged $50,000 — while White men earn an average of $90,000 each year.
“More than half of Black families in California are led by single Black women,” said Uche, who added that the pay gap between Black women and White men isn’t forecasted to close until 2121.
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