Strengthening communities was the focal point of today’s 56th Annual Alpha Phi Alpha Founders’ Day & Scholarship Award Brunch.

Alpha Phi Alpha President JohnTaylor said that building a strong community is comparable to a three-legged stool.

“One leg is the child willing to learn. The second leg is a school willing and able to teach the child and the third is a home that supports both,”Taylor said. “Without the support we’ll continue to see things such as homelessness and incarceration.”

Keynote speaker Dr. Michael V. Drake, the first black chancellor of the University of California, exemplifies how these three legs can altogether help an individual become successful, Taylor said.

Drake gave a speech in front of more than 300 fraternity alumni, friends and family members. He shared his perspective as the first African-American to hold such position, and how much progress an individual can make with the support of the community.

Drake is the chancellor of UC Irvine.

“Fifty years before my father was born, black people were properties,” Drake said, comparing the differences in the world his father was born into and the world today.

Drake spoke of his family’s history and their migration from the unsafe streets of Harlem, N.Y. to California. He attended Sacramento public schools and became the student body president at McClatchy High School. With the support of his parents, who are still with him today, Drake earned a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and a medical degree from UC San Francisco.

Today’s event concluded with the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity awarding $10,000 in scholarships to 10 different Sacramento high school students.

Cahil Bhanji can be reached at [email protected].