A tribute to Shannon Mohammed

Dear Shannon,

We stand before you as simple men and plead to whatever God we happen to pray to, in an attempt to understand the responsibility of this brotherhood we vowed in years past. We all beg to understand its meaning. The meaning of a word cannot describe the loss we feel. We not only want to hear your voice and see the warmth of your smile, we want your forgiveness for not always understanding this concept of brotherhood.

Unasked questions and untold answers are a part of life. There are so many questions that have gone unasked and so many answers that have gone untold. The room is filled with your brothers who are wondering why tragedies of this magnitude must take place in order for us to realize the true blessings that walk among us each day. All of us are wishing we had taken that extra minute to ask about your dreams or wished we had spared just one more moment to hear about your wishes. So we ask you Shannon, “What is brotherhood?”

The common definition is used to describe the union between two siblings, at times used to describe the union of a group, or just used to describe a feeling of unity. We have always struggled with the concept of brotherhood and questioned its validity. Does it exist? Is it a myth? Is brotherhood a Utopia that we have always strived to capture and after each attempt, it mysteriously finds a way of eluding us?

We will forever wonder and hope one day to understand what you now know; the meaning of brotherhood. Is it about the concept of family, unity, respect, dignity, love and trust? What does brotherhood mean to us? Do we understand it? The question we ask you Shannon is: “Have we upheld it?”

Brotherhood is our motivation in life. Failure is our only pressure, for our mere existence is only an entrance into this debate. However, our entrance is neither our voice nor our resolve. Lambda Theta Phi existence is neither our salvation nor has it been yours, rather our presence as brothers small as it may seem must be a positive one to ensure the purity of this brotherhood and mankind’s ultimate place to stand, we will stand as your brothers, for that is the only way we will survive. May we forever exist to be your brothers Shannon, and may we live to understand your brotherhood.

May you rest in peace, brother.

A letter from the Lambda Theta Phi Alpha Psi chapter at USF.