“Uh oh, those are Jackie’s kids.” My brother is Burtonly AWEsome! I have known you now for 30 years and in those years we have experienced so much. Throughout my life, I have had a number of things that have been that “pinch” to let me know that I am alive. Some of these experiences have been learning that knowing how to play basketball does not translate easily to soccer, going from a “straight A” student to a “flunky” at MBA, deciding to leave Nashville for college, splitting time between my Lawrence home and my Burton home throughout middle and high school. Though these were high pressure and very important, none of those compare to the pressure of having a younger brother that looks up to you.

There’s no handbook to being a big brother, and I admit, I have had my fair share of struggles. Though I don’t say it often, our days walking Cayce talking about buying a block of houses for all of the Burtons, early Saturday morning basketball training where I acted like I was a professional caliber coach, writing a book on how to be a man complete with poems, riding our scooters all around town, watching No Limit Soldiers videos and imitating Master P and Silkk Tha Shocker (honorable mention: Jermaine Dupri and Jay Z “Money Ain’t a Thang”), showed me what it was like to have someone legitimately look up to me and count on my example. Some of my hardest times, some of which are mentioned above, were harder knowing how they would impact our relationship. Though life has thrown its fair share of random happenings in our way, nothing has gotten in the way of the example you have been to me. Like many sibling relationships, we took our different paths, but underlying those for me is an understanding that your example has been one that has enabled me to confidently enter any situation knowing that I am worth it.

I hope that your standing next to me as I embark on one of the biggest journeys of my life will be just as it has always been, a reminder of our brotherly bond, and symbolic of a Return to brotherly Love.

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No one told me that deciding to attend an Alpha Informational, sitting in the back, and raising my hand with the question, “Do y’all do anything? I don’t need to join an organization or pay to have friends,” was a bad way to initiate a series of brotherly relationships. This was how Willie Payton and me began our friendship…. Fortunately, he was a better Sigma Gamma Chapter President than I because I would have immediately jumped “this aspirant” and ended any prospect of one day becoming brothers.

Soon after “crossing,” which also allowed me to see Willie as humane after having made me wait for so long to let me know my application had been approved to join the phrat, I got to know Willie “Stylz P Got Teamz” Payton. Like Leke, Alpha was our foundation, but the years since joining have been what has made our brotherly bond what it is. A number of memories come to mind – the damn ascot that stole the show at Black and Gold (who owns an ascot), trying my best to out-do his artwork as I did anything Alpha related, him getting the “Palm Pilot Treo” before me (yep, touch screen with the stylus) – to name a very small few. What I have come to realize, and hold dear to my heart (again, “no richard”) is realizing that I saw and always have seen Willie Payton as the cool, super smart, hardworking, cool, calm and collected man that I wanted to be one day when I grew up….I guess this is what it feels like to have a big brother.

From never sleeping, listening to a wide array of music, checking emails on his phone (crazy to think that he was so advanced being able to do this), running the chapter, to being the guy that everyone knows, Willie you have always been the big brother I never had. You have been the example that I have strived to attain. Knowing that I can count on you and your example gives me and has always given me confidence in my abilities (even when I was simply doing what I thought you would do in situations). There are two things that I am constantly reminded of as I enter different experiences in my life. “It’s okay to have b@#t7 moments, and that doesn’t make you a b@#t7.” Secondly, and in response to Leke and me asking why you always walked everywhere and never seemed in a hurry: walk around and enter rooms as if you are exactly where you want to be, supposed to be, and at the time you want to be there.” (I did some paraphrasing, but hopefully you get the gist – always remain cool, calm, and collected…it’s always fixable and nothing worth sweating over.)

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Last, but certainly not least, my brother-in-law Rick! Let’s start by talking about the fact that I was able to drive to Memphis, have an awkward conversation with “Ma and Da Richardson” during which I thought of every rendition of the cool, calm, loving mother sitting on the couch excited to have a conversation while the father stood quietly and intimidatingly over her shoulder with a loaded weapon, and be more nervous about a phone call with Rick! Every aspect of this conversation, asking my bride-to-be for his phone number, typing it into a text message, sending a text message asking “if he had a quick second,” the 12 hour phone conversation, had me a level of nervous I haven’t experienced since awaiting “my application being approved to join Alpha” again (thanks Willie Payton for making me wait so long). Though I was terrified, Rick showed me in this conversation of what my future has in store for me. (Shonnia, you can never get married. Sorry, I am not that “selfless.”)

Rick, every time that we have talked, I have learned how AWEsome of a brother-in-law I have gained. Musically talented (as you can see in his picture above), intelligent, diverse in literature (it wasn’t until one of our conversations that I realized how my high school and collegiate education lacked exposure to black authors), and willing to accept some dude into his family (much stronger than me, Shonnia will never get that from me). Thank you for not only accepting me into your family, but also showing me that I have to figure out sometime here soon how I am going to be as chill in speaking to a dude asking to marry my sister! I am so thankful that you accepted my ask to stand next to me as I marry the love of my life. I look forward to continuing to get to know you and have conversations about amazing artists like Lalah Hathaway and Snarky Puppy.

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