This month Sig Ep wants to acknowledge and celebrate both the struggles and triumphs in black history. This month we want to spotlight specific black achievements that came from our own brothers in Sigma Phi Epsilon.
Brother Ron Brown was the pioneer in Sigma Phi Epsilon Black Achievement. In 1959 Ron Brown became the first African American member of our fraternity. This was just the beginning for Brown. Brown went on to hold many prestigious roles in his tenure. He was appointed chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). He went on to serve as the United States Secretary of Commerce under the Clinton Presidency. Ron Brown was the first African American to hold both of these positions. Sadly, Ron Brown was killed along with 34 others in a 1996 plane crash, but his legacy and achievements live on to this day. In 2001, President Bill Clinton awarded Ron Brown the Presidential Citizens Medal, postmortem. There are many scholarships and awards across the United States honoring the legacy of this determinant leader. We are proud that Ron Brown is a Sig Ep.
Brother James McDaniel is a famous stage, film, and television actor. McDaniel has had many prominent roles during his career as an actor. He is best known for his role as Lt. Arthur Fancy on the television show NYPD Blue. James McDaniel also played Brother Earl in the film Malcolm X. During this film, he served as close advisor to director Spike Lee in creating the roles in Malcolm X. James McDaniel has won many prestigious awards for his acting. In 1995 McDaniel won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance for his role in NYPD Blue. In addition, McDaniel won the 2006 Daytime Emmy Award for his role in “Edge in America.” We are proud that James McDaniel is a Sig Ep.
Brother Jalen Ramsey is a recent alumnus of the Florida Epsilon chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon. Jalen Ramsey is a current football player for the Los Angeles Rams. Ramsey played football at Florida State in college where he started his impressive career. Ramsey won a national championship in 2013 and later was a consensus All-American in 2015. Ramsey went on to be drafted 5th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Since then, Ramsey has become a household name in the NFL. He has been named a 3x NFL first-team all-pro and a 5x Pro Bowl selection. This past Sunday, Jalen Ramsey won the Super Bowl versus the Cincinnati Bengals. Good luck to brother Jalen Ramsey. We are proud that Jalen Ramsey is a Sig Ep.