Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, “The Mighty” Southern Region is hosting its 94th Southern Regional Leadership Conference and 55th Southern Regional Amicae Leadership Workshop from June 8 – June 10, 2023. The conference site is the Marriott Rivercenter, located on the River Walk at 101 Bowie Street, San Antonio, Texas 78205.

The theme,“Celebrating 75 Years of Providing Worldwide Service as Zetas and Friends,” is aligned to Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated’s efforts to address and bring awareness to health disparities and social determinants in Texas and Louisiana.  The Southern Regional Leadership Conference is hosting two events that are open for the public to attend: a Health Justice Townhall and a Public Program that includes a Night of Performing Arts.

The Southern Regional Health Justice Townhall is June 8, 2023, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., and will be moderated by Dr. Stacie NC Grant, International President and CEO of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated. The town hall will provide a platform for open and honest dialogue on health justice, healthcare, health disparities, and social determinants.  The panel will consist of experts in the fields of health, civic and social advocates and leaders who serve as Champions for health justice and equity. 

“The Mighty” Southern Regional Public Program is June 9, 2023, from 7:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.  It will consist of recognition of San Antonio community leaders who are Embracing the Extraordinary with Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, and a Night of Performing Arts featuring Billy Ray Shepard.   

I know what you’re thinking. Grown men, Queens, and Mermaids, what the heck is Caleb talking about now? Well, I’ll give you three guesses, and the first two don’t count. No, I’m not talking about a wild night at The Bonham. No, I’m not talking about a party at our local city councilman’s house either. What I am talking about is a bunch of grown men still upset that Disney chose a young Black woman to portray a fictitious character. Folks, mermaids are not real.

This controversy has resurfaced due to Jada “Get ‘em Will” Pinkett Smith deciding to portray Cleopatra VII as a mulatto woman in her Netflix series “African Queens.” Cleopatra is the second installment of the series, which already produced a segment chronicling the life of the beautiful bold, heroic Black Queen, Nzinga Mbande. And Cleopatra’s portrayal as being mulatto has all the armchair historians, pseudo-Egyptologist, and new-minted anthropologists that constitute the highly educated MAGA crowd up in arms. The comment section became so outrageous that Netflix had to suspend the comment section. And part of the outrage comes from the people who currently occupy Egypt.

A couple of things. First thing first, let’s get this quick fact out of the way. The people who currently live in Egypt are NOT the ancient Egyptians. They are Arabs, plain and simple. They are the progeny and product of the Arab conquest of Egypt in 640 AD. An Arab army under the command of Arabian general Amr ibn al As marched into a weak and tired Egypt, and the rest is history. The Arabs swarmed into the newly conquered land, took it over, and claimed all of it, including its rich history, as their own. They are the first, worst, and most notorious cultural appropriators in all of history.

The second thing is the MAGA crowd. I hate to admit it, and it deeply pains my soul to begrudgingly admit this, but on this one thing, their crying and whining are correct. Cleopatra VII was indeed Macedonian. So, yeah, they are right. Like my grandma used to say, “Even a trash can gets lucky every once in a while and gets a steak.” Of course, most of the MAGA crowd didn’t even know there were eight Cleopatras, and they couldn’t even begin to tell you where Macedonia was, even if you placed their finger on a map right on top of present-day Greece. But I digress. Folks, she was Macedonian, and please, let them have her. Please, I beg you.

The reason we don’t want to claim this woman or her people is because they were a historically insignificant incestuous bunch. She was part of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, a dynasty founded by one of Alexander, the Great’s generals after the death of the Macedonian ruler. The Ptolemaic dynasty lasted less than 300 years; America has been around longer than that dynasty lasted. And the ONLY reason it’s even talked about in a historical context is because of Cleopatra’s affairs with Roman Emperors Julius Cesar and Mark Anthony. That’s it. She played a role in Roman history. As far as Egyptian history, they were not even a blip on the radar.

The Ptolemies set up their capital not in Memphis, the traditional capital of Egypt, but in the Greek city of Alexandria. They rarely left the palace and never traveled outside of Alexandria. None of them, with the exception of Cleopatra VII, even spoke Egyptian. Not a single Ptolemy ever went to Gebal Barkal to be crowned, and none of them ever ventured to Karnak to pay homage to the Gods of Egypt. They did nothing to show that they were ordained by the Gods to rule over the Egyptian people, and religion in Egypt was everything. The truth about the Ptolemies is that they ruled Alexandria, period. Thebes and the regions in the south that were under Thebian control broke away from them. In fact, two of the Ptolemaic rulers were killed by the Egyptian people! The last three Ptolemaic rulers had to get the Roman Empire to help them stay on the throne. They were so weak that they gave Egypt to Rome in exchange for being able to rule in Rome’s name. At the time of Cleopatra’s birth, the Romans ruled Egypt, not the Ptolemy’s. She was nothing more than a glorified Roman Provincial Governor. To call her the Queen of Egypt would be a stretch, to call her an African Queen would be an affront.

The other reason I say they can have her is that out of the first 15 rulers in the Ptolemaic dynasty, 13 of them were in brother-sister marriages, and the other two were uncles marrying their nieces. This was definitely not a dynasty of Black folks! And then you had sons marrying their aunts, who were also their father’s second wives, and you have a couple of first-cousin marriages. This family was more inbred than a MAGA rally in West Virginia. So please, let them have this entire dynasty. When someone says that Cleopatra was Macedonian, you should say, “Damn right she was!” We want no part of that. And for those who think that sibling marriage was commonplace, it occurred primarily in the later dynasties after Egypt’s conquest by several Western powers. I challenge anyone to show proof of sibling marriage in any Kushite Dynasty, Ethiopian Dynasty, or any sub-Saharan Black African dynasty.

My final thought on the matter is why Jada Pinkett-Smith decided to showcase Cleopatra in this series. She is not a Black African Queen and really was not an African Queen or Egyptian Queen, but rather a Roman Governor. There were so many other truly magnificent African Queens that she could have chosen instead of an inbred Macedonian from an insignificant inbred dynasty whose only claim to fame was being a Roman bed wench. I wonder if Jada Pinkett-Smith’s team consists of anyone who truly knows African history. Let me help them out by throwing out some names: Nandi, Amina, Yaa Asantewaa, Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, Tiye, Sobekneferu, Nefertari, Makeda, and one of my all-time favorites, Amanirenas. And there are hundreds more to choose from.

Blues music, praise dances, a masquerade ball, rib cook-offs and some Big Easy fun are just some activities that will pack April 20 to April 30 in something we call “Black Fiesta.”

“Black Fiesta,” coined by the staff of Black Life Texas, are those official Fiesta events that bring out the Black community to party, mingle and enjoy food. Every year, San Antonio hosts Fiesta, which attracts over 2.5 million visitors and brings the city over $340 million in local sales. It’s estimated there are between 105 and 120 events between the 10 days of Fiesta.

Starting on April 21, the San Antonio Zulu Association will kick off “A Taste of New Orleans” at 5 pm through Sunday, April 23 from noon to 10 pm at the Sunken Garden grounds. The 36th annual event promises to mix a little N’awlins culture into South Texas. Enjoy authentic New Orleans-style food (gumbos, shrimp creole, etouffee, fresh crawfish, boudin, alligator, and beignets) and authentic New Orleans-style music (zydeco, cajun, jazz, brass bands, blues).

The featured headliner for “Taste” is Big Freedia – The Queen of New Orleans Bounce music. She will take the stage at 9 pm at the Sunken Garden Theater. Big Freedia is a nationally recognized hip-hop artist, TV personality, and cultural influencer. She made headline news for her feature on Beyoncé’s Grammy-nominated single, “Break My Soul,” released last summer. Tickets to the “Taste of New Orleans” are $17 each. Kids 10 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased online at (SAZA.org) or any HEB store.
The Alamo City Ques are back on April 22 with the 2023 Psi Alpha Foundation Masquerade Party from 8 pm to midnight at the Crown Ridge Banquet Hall, 6909 Camp Bullis Rd. Tickets are $50 at the door or visit (PSIAlphaChapter.com) to learn more. Proceeds from the event will benefit scholarships for students.

The St. Philip’s College CultureFest and Rib Cook-Off is an official Fiesta San Antonio event held on April 27 from 10 am to 4 pm on the St. Philip’s College MLK campus. The high-energy and kid-friendly festival features a rib cook-off, live music, a car show, food and non-food vendors, and several grill raffles – all in one location. Admission is free, and proceeds from CultureFest help fund student scholarships.

On April 28, the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum, or SAAACAM will feature its premiere fundraising event for Fiesta-goers at The Espee Pavilion at 1174 E. Commerce from 5 pm to 11 pm. SAAACAM’s Fiesta Family Blues Festival honors Ellis Griffin, a northeast San Antonio Black landowner who played his violin and sang the blues for his family and neighbors. This is the first year the event will be an “official” Fiesta event.

There were over 200 songs recorded by Black Blues artists in San Antonio before the arrival of Robert Johnson. This year’s festival sees the return of The Keeshea Pratt Band and San Antonio local Eddie and the Allniters. New to the stage is the Musician with a Message, SaulPaul, Step Rideau, and the Zydeco Outlaws, and a special appearance by Southern Soul artist Latimore. The event is pet friendly. For more information, visit (SAAACAM.org). Ticket prices are $45 for general admission and $150 for VIP.

On April 30, the Alpha Tau Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. celebrates its 20th anniversary of the “Praise Dance” event with the San Antonio community at the Carver Community Cultural Center at 226 N. Hackberry at 4 pm. The event is free and open to the public.

If you are still looking for more Fiesta fun, make sure to bring your money, colorful shirts and attire, and Fiesta medals to Fiesta’s iconic events, such as Night in Old San Antonio and the many parades: Battle of Flowers, Texas Cavaliers River Parade, and Fiesta Flambeau.

And just in case you are wondering why San Antonio parties every year in April, it’s because the Battle of San Jacinto was fought on April 21, 1836. Congressman James Luther Slayden’s wife, Mrs. James L. Slayden, was inspired by the flower parades of Spain and suggested that San Antonio stage its flower parade on April 21 in memory of the fallen “heroes” of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto.

The idea gained support, and the Battle of Flowers Association was born. The ladies first paraded their flower-covered carriages around the Shrine of Texas Liberty in April 1891. Thus began one of Fiesta’s most famous parades, the Battle of Flowers Parade, now the largest parade in the country to be managed entirely by women. The Battle of Flowers Parade started Fiesta San Antonio in 1891 and is the oldest event of Fiesta San Antonio, celebrating more than 130 years.

However, to rain on your parade, we can’t just regurgitate this history without revealing that both those battles were tied to racist ideas and slavery. But that’s for another story. To learn more about Fiesta events, visit (FiestaSanAntonio.org).