October 28, 2024 • 39 mins
This week we sit down with our friend and Brother, Dr. Oscar Alleyne, who hails from the Grand Lodge of New York. Oscar shares fascinating insights, not only from his professional career in the national public health sector, but also on his extensive global Masonic travels and copious research.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Hi again, everyone.
(00:01):
Welcome back to another episodeof Minnesota Masonic histories
and mysteries.
My guest today has a ton ofexperience in the local and
national public health sector,skilled in epidemiology, equity,
health communication,biosurveillance.
Data modernization andenvironmental health and systems
integration.
He is a strong community andinnovative professional with a
(00:23):
doctor of public health focusedon health policy and management
from New York medical collegeand a master of public health
and environmental health andepidemiology.
He is also an active Freemasonwith the grand lodge of New
York, traveling extensively toshare the findings of his
extensive Masonic research.
And history.
(00:43):
Welcome brother.
Oscar Allen.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
It was quite a surprise today toreceive a text message from you
saying, guess where I am rightnow?
And I first thought, mom, where,where might you be in your
Masonic travels, England,Poland, somewhere, and here you
are in Minneapolis.
So it's great to see you numberone, and even more of a
privilege to be able to sit downand chat.
(01:05):
Hey, I'm in your hometown.
I'm better.
Make sure I check in.
So tell us where, where were youborn?
Where'd you grow up?
Everything for me is a story.
I was born on the CaribbeanIsland of Grenada.
And I grew up in the island ofBarbados after age 5 to 14 until
we emigrated and moved toBrooklyn, New York, so I'm a New
(01:25):
Yorker.
You are a New Yorker through andthrough.
And where'd you go to school?
I went to school in Queens, NewYork, Beach Channel High School,
the only school in New York Citythat had an oceanography program
because I had an interest inoceanography, marine biology.
Appreciate it.
And subsequently, um, from therewent to college in New Jersey,
(01:46):
then figured out marine biologywas probably not where it was
going to be for me.
So I ended up going to theUniversity of Buffalo in New
York for biology, uh, and thensubsequently, into graduate
school for public health andepidemiology.
How does someone end up inpublic health, epidemiology,
clearly the path before you was,you know, made itself known as
(02:06):
you went through school, butwhat was the pull that really
interested you in that?
Well, I always knew that Iwanted to be a doctor from a
very young age.
and, What was unique for themove into epidemiology came from
two fronts.
One, my grandmother haddeveloped multiple myeloma,
which is cancer of the bonemarrow.
And as most individuals, youhave a person who loved one, who
(02:29):
didn't drink, smoke, didn't doanything that should have led
them to have this illness, andyou want to find out why.
And, In order to find out why,and whether there's an
environmental reason, et cetera,that's how I chanced upon
environmental health science orenvironmental epidemiology.
Um, and secondly, my, So, um, myyoungest uncle, which is her
youngest son, uh, was also, he'ssix years older than me, and he
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was in medical school, and whenI would pick him up, um, as he
was coming back from hisresidency program, he
essentially said, you know,these doctors nowadays, they're,
they're doing this thing calledepidemiology, you should really
look into that, because you're apeople person, and I looked at
him and said, you know, I wantto be a doctor, and you're it.
about to be one or you're doingyour residency and you're not a
(03:15):
people person.
So pretty much, um, I went into,uh, went into epidemiology and
environmental health, foundthat.
The reasoning, uh, for many ofthese illnesses are not clearly
defined, so while I was hopingto find an answer, it wasn't the
answer I hoped for, but it didhelp me identify how issues
around equity, issues around,populations in health, safety,
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wellness, uh, just the totalconstruct is unique and
something I really got very,very involved in and became a
national leader in.
It's hard to imagine going intothat field in today's world and
not being a people person, but Iknow that's, it's not always the
way it's been.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You would think, you know,physicians, especially if you
deal with patients, you betterhave people skills.
(03:59):
So I always find that to be thebiggest point of irony that the
doctor is telling me you shouldgo into public health because
you're a people person.
Well, we earlier this year, wetalked with Dr.
Douglas Yee, who is the directorof the Masonic Cancer Center
here at the U of M.
And he mentioned years ago thattransformation of really taking
(04:19):
the health care, therelationship to the bedside.
And in the moment, I thought,well, of course, how else would
you do it?
But that wasn't the way that itused to be.
I've got to imagine that itreally goes a long way with
patients and families and thewhole.
group of people involved.
Yeah, the, I, the entire conceptof public health and population
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health is very unique because itgoes back to those foundation
stones.
So when someone's sick, youdon't just look at the cause of
their illness.
You look at everything aroundthem, how it's impacted, who
else?
It's not just the individuals.
What I used to always, when Iwas the epidemiologist for a
county, Rockland County, NewYork, I would have to explain to
physicians that, you know,You're just looking at your
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group of patients.
I have to look at the entirecommunity.
So, when you are testing someonefor, uh, a highly infectious
disease, you can't just say, oh,I'm gonna test for this and not
report it, because thatindividual may have been in
contact with this person.
They may have gone to church.
They may have been in thesupermarket.
Um, they may have children thatare in other, you know, there
(05:24):
are all these connected points.
And all of that comes togetherwhen you think about the whole
health, uh, construct, not justthe The humans, right?
The environment, the animals,all of those things are part of
the scenario that really comesinto play.
And if you think going back tohow medicine used to be
practiced, where you had thelocal physician, they didn't
just ask, What was yourtemperature?
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What's going on at work?
What's going on with yourfamily?
What, you know, how are thingswith this?
How's the, you know, how's yourbusiness?
How's, you know, farm, whateverit may be in that holistic or
whole of systems approach, Ithink is really where we see the
most benefit of trying to reallymake a change.
You have an extensive amount ofexperience in areas of
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expertise, but what would yousay?
that you find the most rewardingabout your career, generally
speaking?
The most rewarding at this stageof my life is the ability to
mentor the next generation ofpublic health leaders.
And that's what I've beenspending the last seven plus
years, and not only identifyinginnovation, But making sure if
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others can see their value andwhat they can bring to the table
because others mentored me andnow I'm in a position where my
leadership is not want to say,Oh, I'm in the room, but what
else is there and how can wehelp drive things forward to
make a change to make an impact?
And it's not to just say, Oh,impact and check a box, but
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impact that you were able toexecute something that either
helped.
The next generation ofprofessionals move the needle
even further, and be able toreally ensure that communities,
individuals, families, all ofthe above, institutions have a
better concept of what it meansto be, uh, living a healthy life
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in the absence of disease, butalso wellness, mental,
behavioral, all of those aspectsare really important.
So that's what I cherish themost and look most forward to.
know you're in town for aconference that's lasting
several days.
I'm glad that you're, you'regetting a nice feel of autumn
weather in Minnesota.
I know you're grateful to not behere in January, but what, what
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three words would a colleagueuse to describe you, uh, to
describe me, uh, energetic, um,passionate, and, someone said,
I'm usually.
I would concur on the Masonicfront, because our, our paths
have crossed throughFreemasonry.
(07:55):
while on that note, how did you,in this busy schedule, in the,
the professional life you lead,how did you end up at the
Westgate and pursuingFreemasonry?
Everything's a story with Oscar.
I wonder if you ever, um, youknow, chance upon having
conversation.
The answer to that question goesback to college.
I was in college at Buffalo, andI was joined in my local college
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university, college fraternity,and I was the founder of that
chapter.
Which house?
Um, it was Malik FraternityIncorporated, an African
centered fraternity.
And, they, required you to knowmore than a typical chapter
member.
And part of the requirement wasto do a history of fraternalism
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in the U S and everything I keptresearching, kept popping back
to Freemasonry.
Everything.
And I'm a very good researcher,you know, not patting myself on
the back, but I just kept seeingand hearing and downloading and
identifying things aboutFreemasonry.
So I go home for a school, um,you know, school break and I'm
(09:02):
telling my mom about all thestuff that I'm learning and, and
I'm bringing up Freemasonry andshe says, you know, the older
guy that lives on the fifthfloor, uh, his name is Jimmy.
He loves the fact that you're incollege.
He's so proud that you're incollege.
And every time I would go talkto him, he goes, he's a
Freemason.
I'm like, what?
I had no idea.
Jimmy's a Freemason.
(09:23):
So I run upstairs and I'mtalking to Jimmy.
He's so happy to see me, youknow, coming back from college,
asking what I'm learning and I'mtelling him about this stuff
with fraternalism andFreemasonry.
And by the time we were doneafter that hour, Jimmy looked at
me and he said, I alwaysremember this.
He said, you know more aboutthis than guys have been around
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for the past 50 years.
And he hands me a petition.
Wow.
That's how, that's how I wasable to get to that Westgate.
And even the Westgate wasn't asdirect as it was then, but it
was, uh, it was where myinterest really peaked.
That is quite the endorsement ofjust general research for your
college fraternity and to have,um, Mason say, you know what,
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you're pretty dialed in to saythe least.
Yeah, it was definitely amazing.
And to your question about eventhe connection between that, of
course, that was 21 years old,grad school, blah, blah, blah,
kept, kept with it.
But when I joined my lodge inthe Grand Lodge in New York at
the time and really become moreactive, Of course, you have to
show, say what your, what youroccupation is.
(10:30):
It took them two years to ask mewhat the heck was epidemiology.
This is before COVID where noweveryone knows, but they had no
clue and they were like, Oscar,what is that?
Is that about skin diseases?
And I explained, no, it'sdisease investigation, et
cetera, and I was like, Oh, andit was one time I did an
interview for local news that.
(10:52):
That broadcasted on like the sixo'clock and they saw Dr.
Oskar Allen, Markham CountyHealth Department.
They're like, you're a doctor?
As a matter of fact, I am.
You know, so that's alwayshilarious.
They never knew what anepidemiologist was and it took
them two years to ask me.
They didn't know how to say it.
Nobody wants to ask the, no onewants to be that guy.
(11:14):
So it was your lodge you joinedin Buffalo?
No, no, no.
I ended up joining the lodge.
that lodge that Jimmy was in, itwas Queens.
But I, when I, when I moved intoWalden, New York, which is in
Orange County, New York, Ijoined Walkill Lodge 627.
And then I, um, I moved intoWalkill, Wappinger's Lodge 671.
That's the lodge which I becamea two time master of.
Well, I wish we had, uh, Fourhours to chat about all of your
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involvement in travels andresearch, but keeping this more
of a general overview of yourMasonic journey as well.
Same question.
What do you find the mostrewarding?
You have, I guess, tell usplease more about your role with
Grand Lodge of New York.
You travel, you research, you'vebeen to some amazing places.
I don't know where to begin, andyou're a storyteller, so it's
(12:00):
all you.
So, within the Grand Lodge ofNew York, I was the Junior Grand
Warden elected from 2018 to2021, and not, for some people
it doesn't matter, but I was thefirst person of color ever
elected to the Grand Lodge ofNew York since its foundation in
1781.
but my desire to be in the GrandLodge was more so an opportunity
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to illustrate that.
Thank you.
Our generation, the youngergeneration, and those masons who
really want to embraceFreemasonry, do have a chance to
be part of its leadership.
Um, and it was very rewarding.
Of course, we had COVID.
Um, so I had that experience,uh, right after the first year
of our, um, first two years ofour term.
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but really, essentially, uh,really trying to, you know,
Truly embrace the spirit ofbrotherhood.
What has been very interestingto me is the ability to travel
all over the world forFreemasonry, whether it's
Minnesota or, you know, as yousaid, Poland, England, Bermuda.
I've been in Nigeria.
I've been so many differentplaces in Freemasonry and it's
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so unique to find brothers everyplace.
everywhere, to say, I knowsomeone there, or I can find you
someone there.
And just that sense ofcamaraderie, the sharing of that
coming out commonality, and thatthe message that we say that
oftentimes we find ourselvesamongst folks that, with the
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exception of Freemasonry, wewould not, we would not have
been exposed.
And truly embodying that senseof spirit and, and, and.
understanding has really been soremarkable.
Also, I've been able to doresearch in Paris and in, in,
Actually, Minnesota as well.
There's a paper that I wrotethat you guys had some very
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important information thathelped and really find it in
brothers who not only arethinking about history, but
thinking about even contemporaryissues as it pertains to what
can they do?
What are practical elements likeI'm in public health, some
practical and not just intheory.
How do we Put things intopractice and really applying
those same principles and how weembrace the work that we do with
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entry masonry.
And as I tell people, I'm infree masonry in the manner in
which I do, because if you hearwhat I do in my real world, I
want to escape that a couple oftimes.
Right.
I want to ground myself inthings that really, um, allow me
to.
express and allow me to really,truly embody what it is that I
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believe I'm here on Earth toaccomplish.
How have your travels, theconnections?
And I say connections, I mean,that friendship connection, of
brotherhood and meeting someone,you arrive in a different state,
a different country, and we sayfrequently in this organization,
there are no strangers inFreemasonry, only friends you
have yet to meet.
(14:55):
What has been the biggest, shallwe say, a light bulb moment of
feeling that energy, offriendship, of Because we often
say in this organization that weare like minded, but we're not
like minded.
We're very, very different, butwe do coalesce around certain
core values of friendship,kindness, dignity, courtesy, and
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respect.
Where was it in your Masonicjourney where that really came
to light?
Like that is what this is allabout.
Several.
there have been times where I'vebeen at Masonic gatherings of
Where we have an opportunity toshare ideas, whether they're
symposiums or conversations,Norway that happened, um,
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Iceland, France, uh, both inBordeaux and, uh, Toulouse and
Paris where you're in a room ofall these individuals and
they're just sharinginformation, not just, not just
history, not just philosophy,not just administration, but
just, this total.
euphoria of people comingtogether with a commonality,
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though, to your point,everyone's distinct, everyone
has their own story.
And I get the same experiencewhen I enter a lodge room in a
rural part of Vermont, forexample, or, you know, go in
upstate New York, there, thereare all these things that the
differences in where you aregeographically make are not, but
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it's the opportunity though.
You may not have.
the same viewpoint, uh,politically, religiously or
otherwise with the otherindividuals used to have that
commonality that you're able tospeak the same language.
And that's where I find it to bethe most rewarding.
Um, and the most of the Timeswhere I've been able to feel
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energized, just like I'm at thisconference for work.
There's an energizing feel ofthat community, um, being in,
whether it's conducting ritualor seeing an opening and closing
from a different jurisdiction,or even as we sit on the social
table, whether it's a table, alodge, or, or as we would say,
a, um, uh, harmony that,Brothers just coming together
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and sharing and asking and, and,and relating things that you can
see everyone has similar thoughtprocesses or similar areas of
focus.
And that really, I think, tellsyou made the right decision and
join this organization.
Perhaps we underestimate whatyou just described that it
doesn't matter if you are in ahighly cosmopolitan population.
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A place like London versus arural lodge in Vermont.
It's essentially the same vibe.
Totally same vibe.
And in fact, it's the welcomingthat one receives is, is it's
amazing.
I, I can't find the right wordsand I'm, I'm usually a verbose
person, but I can tell you thatI remember going to a lodge
meeting and brothers were like,Oh my God, uh, it's only like 12
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of us.
And this isn't New York city.
And I'm like, does it have to beNew York city?
What you have here is your prideand joy.
It's your jewel.
And I love the fact that I'm onan old stool that was the same
stool that someone had since theearly 70s or 60s or 1800s.
This is an enrichment that youprovide.
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So, don't compare yourself toYou can't, you know, you don't
have to have a table lodge with200 guys.
those are the things that I, Ialways tell folks, right?
You know, you compare, contrast,but it's, you own the experience
and it's the experience that youown, that you're able to provide
within the confines of being thebest lodge you can be in your
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jurisdiction.
That's what makes thedifference.
It's so true.
And that's the conversation thatwe've had along the way with,
Lodges that we're all guilt.
I know I'm guilty of it.
We're romanticize.
The historical photos and thinkabout a lodge hall filled with
200 members at at all times.
And yet those smaller intimateexperiences.
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Are where it's at.
That's what it's all about.
It does not have to be aabsolute.
It doesn't have to be the GrandLodge of England with thousands
of members around where it canbe just as special with a small
nucleus.
It's, it's less about how manyare there and more about the
quality of the experience, theconnection of friendship and
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brotherhood.
as I say so often on thispodcast, really peeling back and
getting into the meaning behindthe words.
Yeah.
And it's, it's not about theshow.
Cause I know sometimes it's,it's the, the, the pomp and
circumstance.
But it's in the individuals thatcome together as a unit.
We talk about that cement,right?
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That spreading that cement ofbrotherly love.
Literally, if you put that intoaction, the Spirit of Corps that
comes out of it is just sofantastic to witness, no matter
where you are.
If you are in Europe, if you'rein Africa, if you're in the
Caribbean, if you're in Midwest,Southeast, it all connects to
that particular element.
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Well, and that leads to a topicoften discussed on the
membership front.
personally, I really believethat there is a lot of power,
positive energy in what we do asFreemasons.
We can take a group of.
Very different backgrounds ofour members, both socioeconomic,
(20:21):
education, political andreligious views, and put all of
that aside and meet, as we say,on the level, I think a lot of
people out in the world don'trealize that is derived out of
the Masonic Lodge experience.
To me it looks like we have therecipe for a harmonious society.
How do we get that message outthere, starting at the lodge
level?
(20:41):
Before we go out and set toperhaps change the world, how do
we get our own house in order onthe membership front and the
experience?
Intent and dedication.
Intent from the lens of makingthat purposeful approach to
intentionally make thatdifference.
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Now, you're not forcing it, butyou have to ensure that you're
dedicating resources, thought,and effort in order to
accomplish it.
So, a lodge, like one of mylodges, for example, they, every
holiday season, they would goout and give, if there's a
family who has beendisadvantaged or whatever, I'm
(21:23):
going through hard times.
They actually buy all theChristmas presents for that
entire family.
Like it was a fire thatbasically made an entire family,
you know, displaced just forthat evening.
They didn't know why or didn'tthey just were given all these
gifts and that connected thatlodge to the community by virtue
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of Let us help.
Let us provide that work ofcharity.
Now, others can say it is in theability to go, uh, at a food
pantry, or, um, or even, um,doing research, or I should say
supporting, you know, earlychildhood development.
There are all these things thatwe connect.
Back to that concept of charitynot charity in the sense of cut
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a check But what are you doingto make sure that you are
intrinsically a part of thecommunity which you reside?
Right.
So if you think about it fromquote unquote the older times
people knew who the Lodge peoplewere They knew that the
upstanding person in this civicgovernment or, or the physician,
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or whomever they were associatedwith lodge, there was a value,
there was a commitment to doinggood in society.
Lodges were not always viewed,or lodge membership was always
viewed as something beingnegative.
So the way to counteract is bybeing present.
is by, uh, recognizing it'sstill a personal journey, right?
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You're not out there to say, Oh,look at me.
But how are you applying thosesame lessons that we're taught
internally, externally, andthat's not hard to do.
Our Masonic lessons tell us todo so.
It tells you to go out into theworld and impact that change on
society and provide thoselessons to all.
And it's not hard, but I thinkat times we, we canonize it
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into, well, I'm just going to gohere, do my large stuff, and
then I go out and act likenothing happened.
That's where the discourse Ithink really needs to be applied
intentionally.
Well, and it's not a complicatedplaybook, and I see it all the
time, we feel as though maybethe, solution or the, the
pathway needs to be, or shouldbe so much more complex than it
(23:34):
really is.
But it's, getting out there anddoing what we have been, and
even in a small capacity.
And to your point, not in a lookat me or a look at us type of
way, but identifying where wecan provide relief as a friend,
a neighbor, as our, or as agroup in what you described in
the, the, the gifts at theholiday time.
I would say it's the number oneask of incoming.
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Perspective members that expressan interest in learning more
about Freemasonry.
The number one thing they wantis community engagement.
How do I give back to thegreater good?
Visiting lodges and sharing thatand saying and the first
question I get asked frequentlyor the other Grand Lodge staff
and Grand Lodge officers.
Well, are we growing?
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Are we growing?
How are the petitions?
And of course we want to grow.
We want to grow in a meaningfulway in order to do so It's about
getting our our own house inorder So to speak that are we
providing an opportunity to giveback in the community in a
meaningful way?
Are we giving our members theopportunity to learn something
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new whether that's Masoniceducation or Or non Masonic
education of somethingapplicable and relevant to our
lives outside of the Lodgesetting.
I have to believe that if wewere to focus on a handful of
these core, really distill thisdown and focus on community
engagement, the education piece,and truly getting to know one
(24:59):
another in that setting.
Phone's down.
Heads up, face to face, personto person, planting that seed of
meaningful friendship that willflourish for a lifetime if we
put the work in.
Maybe that's the big takeaway sooften is we can identify these
things, but Who's willing to putin the time commitment and doing
(25:21):
the difficult things to seethese things through?
Yeah, you're absolutely correct.
And whether it is in the, theexperience, right?
The experience is important.
People are coming todisorganization because they
perceive that it's supposed toprovide an answer to something
that they're seeking, whetherit's for their reason for being,
(25:43):
or their reason for doing.
How can I be more impactful inmy community?
How can I improve myself?
How, how can I be, how can Ihelp?
How can, how can my purpose befelt?
How can the impact be seen?
Now it doesn't mean that youhave to go out there and as you
mentioned, be on every parade,but it is literally in that
application of the knowledgethat we are seeking.
(26:04):
And in our social, as I callthis, the social construct, Our
social contract, let me say itbetter that way, it is in our
social contract.
Freemasonry has a socialcontract to society as a whole.
And each mason, not only in ourobligation and our, and our firm
(26:26):
beliefs with respect to thegreat architect of the universe,
our fellow brother, but also ourneighbors.
These are things that we say, weinculcate.
This contract that we haveemboldens us and enables us to
be successful if we do thatwork.
We have what I would like tocall the playbook for the most
(26:47):
satisfying, Harmonious personallife and as a community and as a
neighborhood and as that justcontinues to, to grow.
perhaps we all have been guiltyof taking that for granted at
times, or just we focus on thewords and we're not peeling it
back to get into the meaning ofthat.
And not underestimating thepower of a small act of
(27:12):
kindness, of relief, It doesn'thave to be grandiose.
We don't have to, we could do afundraiser or an activity at a
lodge level that may not be a10, 000 check.
It may be significantly smallerthan that, but it's also about
the sincerity, the genuinenessof it.
And knowing that a difference isbeing made.
(27:33):
not only maybe financially orwith the resources, but how much
peace of mind that recipient isgetting too.
It's, it's so powerful.
Yeah.
The gifts, gifts, as you know,gifts come in all size and
packages, but it's the intent.
And it is the, if you ever haveto make something, whether it's
a food item or a craft item orsomething, it is the joy of
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crafting that and delivering itand seeing.
The reaction and seeing thegratitude.
Similarly, as we say, the workthat we do in Freemasonry allows
others and allows ourselves tofeel enriched from that
experience.
And if we just take that efforta bit further and not just hope
that, oh, I do this and check abox, but it's that intent that
(28:18):
truly, I think, inspires,drives, attracts, and helps us,
uh, our own personal and ourorganizational growth.
I'm so excited and grateful tohave you here in studio today.
We're talking to Dr.
Oscar Allen.
He is a member of the GrandLodge of New York.
I know you're a member of someother appendant bodies.
You're a Scottish Rite Mason aswell, correct?
(28:40):
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
Where did you recently travel?
You were at a I was in thePrince Hall Southern
Jurisdiction Grand Session thatthey just held in Memphis,
Tennessee.
Um, and, What was cool aboutthat, you had the Sovereign, uh,
Grand Commander from theNorthern Jurisdiction and the
Southern Jurisdiction, WallWheeler, Jim Cole.
(29:00):
You also had the Prince HalledNorthern Jurisdiction, Melvin
Baysmore, and the SouthernJurisdiction Host, which was,
um, Cory Hawkins was the host.
And it was just that sense ofcamaraderie because you had
representatives from every oneof the four, Prince Hall, of the
four Scottish Rite jurisdictionsin the U.
S.
And then Brazil's there and afew other folks.
(29:22):
So it was really neat tointeract with the brothers and
um, and see Freemasonry practiceand Scottish Rite Freemasonry
also, um, in that sense ofharmony.
I still think about thestatement of unity in, was it
September?
I think two years have gone byalready.
That was a powerful moment.
(29:42):
It was definitely powerfulbecause when people think of
Freemasonry, and especially nowin contemporary society, they
lack of the depth of knowledgeof how far we have gone and how
much further we can go.
And oftentimes, you know, I tellbrothers who are very focused on
(30:04):
history, like, yes, we couldtalk about something from 1785
till the cow comes home.
But it's what we're doing withthat knowledge to improve the
next generation and the next setof time.
So that statement of unity reemphasized that The Scottish
Rite Freemasonry.
Does look at unity does look atdiversity does look at
(30:26):
leadership and regularity withgreat respect and honor, and
they're going to take the nextstep further of cementing that
not just doing a ceremonial.
Let's sign this.
But let's have a commitment tomeet regularly, to interact with
each other, to learn and growtogether so that though we come
(30:48):
from different quote unquote,uh, though we have different
branches, we all come from thesame root, especially in a world
that is so focused on ourdifferences in it's a
contentious election season.
We hear political opponentsacross the board that are
spending less time talking aboutwhat they would do differently
and just othering and demonizingtheir opponents.
(31:09):
But yet, day to day in thisworld that wants us to focus on
our differences, we really dohave far more in common than the
world would have us think rightnow.
This is what the hamster wheelis doing to my brain at three in
the morning and how the craftand what we do, what we stand
(31:30):
for in that we're not justsaying the words in to the
credit of all of the grandcommanders of the Scottish
right.
It wasn't just a ceremony tosay, look at us.
We're not just going to put thison the wall, slap up the core
values in the corporate settingand say, yeah, we align with
that and then not do the work.
We're doing the work.
We're coming together.
It's harmony, it's friendship,it's just a beautiful thing.
(31:51):
It's beautiful, but it also is abeacon.
I don't want to say warninglight, but a beacon.
Because, to your same pointaround, um, a reflection of our
current state of affairs.
We're seeing that microcosm andthat macrocosm blend.
Where, to the same extent whenthere's social discord, that's
(32:13):
often times being presented fromthe Masonic lens.
Thanks.
And it's up to us to basicallyprovide that wise counsel to
pull ourselves back to don'tfall into the, uh, the trappings
of what's happening in the outerworld, because we still have our
core fundamental elements tohelp us navigate it.
(32:33):
And when I see brothers sayingvery mean things with the, you
know, squaring compasses, um, orwith this and that or a body,
and it's like, hey, You gottaremember that while we can get
into that, those worlds, that wehave a responsibility to at
least ensure that we can havepolite discourse, um, polite
(32:57):
conversation, even if wedisagree, that we still meet and
part by that core principle ofbeing on the level.
And I think if we're able to.
enact that a lot more and justre emphasize it.
It may change some of the tenorthat we're seeing because I
think it's so easy for folks tofall into the myths and
(33:19):
disinformation.
Um, I, I deal with it in, in thepublic health world, um, and we
see it in the Masonic world,right?
Uh, so it's, it's very helpfulfor us to really make that
effort to, um, to be better.
Sometimes silence andcircumspection can be far more
powerful than a flamethrower ofa social media post or a verbal
(33:42):
argument or what have you.
As we wrap up today, What wouldyou say is your favorite Masonic
memory so far in all of yourjourneys?
I love putting you on the spot.
Ladies and gentlemen is rare forDr.
Oscar Allen to be Wow myfavorite Masonic journey Or
(34:05):
memory of memory place youvisited that real it moment
Well, I will tell you that oneof them was actually here in
your great state when I came toyour annual communication and I
got a chance to meet for thefirst time, lay my eyes on and
(34:27):
have the blessed conversationwith most worshipful John Cook.
Now, everything that you guyshad done was fantastic.
It was, you know, tremendousreception and interaction.
But I saw that brother and I ranup to him and he wouldn't, he
didn't know what the heck wasgoing on.
I gave him a big hug and it'slike, Brother Cook, you know,
(34:50):
I've been looking on, I'mlooking for all this time to
meet you and to just let youknow how much of a legend you
are.
And he's like, what are youtalking about, young fella?
And that was right before I gavethat talk that I gave that you
all keep mentioning that folksand he came up after me.
(35:11):
He's like, wait.
You just told me that it was apleasure for you to meet me.
It's a pleasure for me to meetyou.
And I was like, no brother cook.
And we just had a greatconversation.
I learned so much about him, um,and still learn great things.
So I would say I left thatannual communication meeting one
(35:31):
of my Masonic heroes, and Ididn't even tell you, you all
that at all, but I was just sohappy that I was able to
actually shake, meet his, shakehis hand, meet him, talk to him,
see him in his element, seeinghow he interact with all the
brothers in your grandjurisdiction, and just develop
(35:55):
a, an instant friendship, outof, respect and admiration for
what he was able to accomplishand he's just a regular brother
like anyone else but he's nothe's not no he's not so humble
he does so much work for on theboard of minnesota masonic
charities and and beyond and insuch a renaissance man i keep
(36:16):
finding new finding out newthings about him hobbies skills
Life experience that and I hadnot heard that before.
I appreciate you sharing thattoday.
He shared he shared with me likeone of one of His regrets when
he was grandmaster, not beingable to affect, um, a change
that I think we all wanted tosee, which is better unification
(36:38):
with the Prince Alfred Masonry,at least in this home state
when, um, he was from Georgiaand of course they didn't
interact.
But when that finally changed,you know, he was, he was so, so
happy about it.
And I'm like, you know, all it,all it takes is that first
pebble.
So you, you know, Don't feeldiscouraged.
You know, things may not happenimmediately, but it's just one
(37:00):
of those things where you learnand you just sit at the feet of
greatness, even though thatperson may not feel that they're
anything other than a general,you know, regular individual,
but it's, it's, it's thatgenerational wealth.
Of experience that that's what Iwas talking about.
How do you mentor and how do youprepare others to take things
further?
(37:21):
And the slow, sustainableprogress.
Yeah, we, we all, we're, we'reso wired in this world to push
the button.
I get what I want.
Amazon deliver it tomorrow.
I find myself frustrated whenAmazon's going to take more than
a day, but on so many of thesethings, if we commit ourselves
to that, the infinite timeline,the long journey.
(37:42):
things can be done and theystart and in that case, many
things started with the smallefforts of, of John Cook and so
many others.
We could tell several stories ofthat, but yeah, we, we love John
and it's been just an absolutepleasure having you here today,
visiting our states and visitingour studio today.
Any final words, final commentsbefore we wrap up?
(38:04):
Yeah, thank you again for thisopportunity.
I know, uh, we had so manydifferent things to talk about.
One thing, if I, if I can, inclosing, we, uh, on the topic of
even membership, and as we werediscussing earlier, there's so
much being done, so many tools,and we know we have a recipe for
how to bring people into thefraternity.
It's how we keep them.
(38:25):
It's the retention.
It's the speaking to thatexperience, enriching, and
there's no one solution, but amultitude of efforts that can
really ensure that every manthat sets foot through our doors
has an opportunity to not onlyexpand his knowledge base, his,
(38:45):
his satisfaction, uh, and his,the rewards of the experience of
becoming a Freemason, and that.
That level of effort.
It's what's going to help uswhen we think about what are
tools.
What are the activities?
What can we do to really ensurethat we keep our membership?
Maybe we don't need to be ahundred gazillion masons but we
(39:07):
can retain the quality that weinvest in so that our
Organization and masonry cancontinue for the next generation
to come Well said, and thank youso much, Dr.
Oscar Allen, This has beenanother episode of Minnesota
Masonic Histories and Mysteries.
Hi again, everyone.
(00:01):
Welcome back to another episodeof Minnesota Masonic histories
and mysteries.
My guest today has a ton ofexperience in the local and
national public health sector,skilled in epidemiology, equity,
health communication,biosurveillance.
Data modernization andenvironmental health and systems
integration.
He is a strong community andinnovative professional with a
(00:23):
doctor of public health focusedon health policy and management
from New York medical collegeand a master of public health
and environmental health andepidemiology.
He is also an active Freemasonwith the grand lodge of New
York, traveling extensively toshare the findings of his
extensive Masonic research.
And history.
(00:43):
Welcome brother.
Oscar Allen.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
It was quite a surprise today toreceive a text message from you
saying, guess where I am rightnow?
And I first thought, mom, where,where might you be in your
Masonic travels, England,Poland, somewhere, and here you
are in Minneapolis.
So it's great to see you numberone, and even more of a
privilege to be able to sit downand chat.
(01:05):
Hey, I'm in your hometown.
I'm better.
Make sure I check in.
So tell us where, where were youborn?
Where'd you grow up?
Everything for me is a story.
I was born on the CaribbeanIsland of Grenada.
And I grew up in the island ofBarbados after age 5 to 14 until
we emigrated and moved toBrooklyn, New York, so I'm a New
(01:25):
Yorker.
You are a New Yorker through andthrough.
And where'd you go to school?
I went to school in Queens, NewYork, Beach Channel High School,
the only school in New York Citythat had an oceanography program
because I had an interest inoceanography, marine biology.
Appreciate it.
And subsequently, um, from therewent to college in New Jersey,
(01:46):
then figured out marine biologywas probably not where it was
going to be for me.
So I ended up going to theUniversity of Buffalo in New
York for biology, uh, and thensubsequently, into graduate
school for public health andepidemiology.
How does someone end up inpublic health, epidemiology,
clearly the path before you was,you know, made itself known as
(02:06):
you went through school, butwhat was the pull that really
interested you in that?
Well, I always knew that Iwanted to be a doctor from a
very young age.
and, What was unique for themove into epidemiology came from
two fronts.
One, my grandmother haddeveloped multiple myeloma,
which is cancer of the bonemarrow.
And as most individuals, youhave a person who loved one, who
(02:29):
didn't drink, smoke, didn't doanything that should have led
them to have this illness, andyou want to find out why.
And, In order to find out why,and whether there's an
environmental reason, et cetera,that's how I chanced upon
environmental health science orenvironmental epidemiology.
Um, and secondly, my, So, um, myyoungest uncle, which is her
youngest son, uh, was also, he'ssix years older than me, and he
(02:53):
was in medical school, and whenI would pick him up, um, as he
was coming back from hisresidency program, he
essentially said, you know,these doctors nowadays, they're,
they're doing this thing calledepidemiology, you should really
look into that, because you're apeople person, and I looked at
him and said, you know, I wantto be a doctor, and you're it.
about to be one or you're doingyour residency and you're not a
(03:15):
people person.
So pretty much, um, I went into,uh, went into epidemiology and
environmental health, foundthat.
The reasoning, uh, for many ofthese illnesses are not clearly
defined, so while I was hopingto find an answer, it wasn't the
answer I hoped for, but it didhelp me identify how issues
around equity, issues around,populations in health, safety,
(03:38):
wellness, uh, just the totalconstruct is unique and
something I really got very,very involved in and became a
national leader in.
It's hard to imagine going intothat field in today's world and
not being a people person, but Iknow that's, it's not always the
way it's been.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You would think, you know,physicians, especially if you
deal with patients, you betterhave people skills.
(03:59):
So I always find that to be thebiggest point of irony that the
doctor is telling me you shouldgo into public health because
you're a people person.
Well, we earlier this year, wetalked with Dr.
Douglas Yee, who is the directorof the Masonic Cancer Center
here at the U of M.
And he mentioned years ago thattransformation of really taking
(04:19):
the health care, therelationship to the bedside.
And in the moment, I thought,well, of course, how else would
you do it?
But that wasn't the way that itused to be.
I've got to imagine that itreally goes a long way with
patients and families and thewhole.
group of people involved.
Yeah, the, I, the entire conceptof public health and population
(04:41):
health is very unique because itgoes back to those foundation
stones.
So when someone's sick, youdon't just look at the cause of
their illness.
You look at everything aroundthem, how it's impacted, who
else?
It's not just the individuals.
What I used to always, when Iwas the epidemiologist for a
county, Rockland County, NewYork, I would have to explain to
physicians that, you know,You're just looking at your
(05:03):
group of patients.
I have to look at the entirecommunity.
So, when you are testing someonefor, uh, a highly infectious
disease, you can't just say, oh,I'm gonna test for this and not
report it, because thatindividual may have been in
contact with this person.
They may have gone to church.
They may have been in thesupermarket.
Um, they may have children thatare in other, you know, there
(05:24):
are all these connected points.
And all of that comes togetherwhen you think about the whole
health, uh, construct, not justthe The humans, right?
The environment, the animals,all of those things are part of
the scenario that really comesinto play.
And if you think going back tohow medicine used to be
practiced, where you had thelocal physician, they didn't
just ask, What was yourtemperature?
(05:46):
What's going on at work?
What's going on with yourfamily?
What, you know, how are thingswith this?
How's the, you know, how's yourbusiness?
How's, you know, farm, whateverit may be in that holistic or
whole of systems approach, Ithink is really where we see the
most benefit of trying to reallymake a change.
You have an extensive amount ofexperience in areas of
(06:07):
expertise, but what would yousay?
that you find the most rewardingabout your career, generally
speaking?
The most rewarding at this stageof my life is the ability to
mentor the next generation ofpublic health leaders.
And that's what I've beenspending the last seven plus
years, and not only identifyinginnovation, But making sure if
(06:30):
others can see their value andwhat they can bring to the table
because others mentored me andnow I'm in a position where my
leadership is not want to say,Oh, I'm in the room, but what
else is there and how can wehelp drive things forward to
make a change to make an impact?
And it's not to just say, Oh,impact and check a box, but
(06:51):
impact that you were able toexecute something that either
helped.
The next generation ofprofessionals move the needle
even further, and be able toreally ensure that communities,
individuals, families, all ofthe above, institutions have a
better concept of what it meansto be, uh, living a healthy life
(07:12):
in the absence of disease, butalso wellness, mental,
behavioral, all of those aspectsare really important.
So that's what I cherish themost and look most forward to.
know you're in town for aconference that's lasting
several days.
I'm glad that you're, you'regetting a nice feel of autumn
weather in Minnesota.
I know you're grateful to not behere in January, but what, what
(07:35):
three words would a colleagueuse to describe you, uh, to
describe me, uh, energetic, um,passionate, and, someone said,
I'm usually.
I would concur on the Masonicfront, because our, our paths
have crossed throughFreemasonry.
(07:55):
while on that note, how did you,in this busy schedule, in the,
the professional life you lead,how did you end up at the
Westgate and pursuingFreemasonry?
Everything's a story with Oscar.
I wonder if you ever, um, youknow, chance upon having
conversation.
The answer to that question goesback to college.
I was in college at Buffalo, andI was joined in my local college
(08:20):
university, college fraternity,and I was the founder of that
chapter.
Which house?
Um, it was Malik FraternityIncorporated, an African
centered fraternity.
And, they, required you to knowmore than a typical chapter
member.
And part of the requirement wasto do a history of fraternalism
(08:40):
in the U S and everything I keptresearching, kept popping back
to Freemasonry.
Everything.
And I'm a very good researcher,you know, not patting myself on
the back, but I just kept seeingand hearing and downloading and
identifying things aboutFreemasonry.
So I go home for a school, um,you know, school break and I'm
(09:02):
telling my mom about all thestuff that I'm learning and, and
I'm bringing up Freemasonry andshe says, you know, the older
guy that lives on the fifthfloor, uh, his name is Jimmy.
He loves the fact that you're incollege.
He's so proud that you're incollege.
And every time I would go talkto him, he goes, he's a
Freemason.
I'm like, what?
I had no idea.
Jimmy's a Freemason.
(09:23):
So I run upstairs and I'mtalking to Jimmy.
He's so happy to see me, youknow, coming back from college,
asking what I'm learning and I'mtelling him about this stuff
with fraternalism andFreemasonry.
And by the time we were doneafter that hour, Jimmy looked at
me and he said, I alwaysremember this.
He said, you know more aboutthis than guys have been around
(09:43):
for the past 50 years.
And he hands me a petition.
Wow.
That's how, that's how I wasable to get to that Westgate.
And even the Westgate wasn't asdirect as it was then, but it
was, uh, it was where myinterest really peaked.
That is quite the endorsement ofjust general research for your
college fraternity and to have,um, Mason say, you know what,
(10:07):
you're pretty dialed in to saythe least.
Yeah, it was definitely amazing.
And to your question about eventhe connection between that, of
course, that was 21 years old,grad school, blah, blah, blah,
kept, kept with it.
But when I joined my lodge inthe Grand Lodge in New York at
the time and really become moreactive, Of course, you have to
show, say what your, what youroccupation is.
(10:30):
It took them two years to ask mewhat the heck was epidemiology.
This is before COVID where noweveryone knows, but they had no
clue and they were like, Oscar,what is that?
Is that about skin diseases?
And I explained, no, it'sdisease investigation, et
cetera, and I was like, Oh, andit was one time I did an
interview for local news that.
(10:52):
That broadcasted on like the sixo'clock and they saw Dr.
Oskar Allen, Markham CountyHealth Department.
They're like, you're a doctor?
As a matter of fact, I am.
You know, so that's alwayshilarious.
They never knew what anepidemiologist was and it took
them two years to ask me.
They didn't know how to say it.
Nobody wants to ask the, no onewants to be that guy.
(11:14):
So it was your lodge you joinedin Buffalo?
No, no, no.
I ended up joining the lodge.
that lodge that Jimmy was in, itwas Queens.
But I, when I, when I moved intoWalden, New York, which is in
Orange County, New York, Ijoined Walkill Lodge 627.
And then I, um, I moved intoWalkill, Wappinger's Lodge 671.
That's the lodge which I becamea two time master of.
Well, I wish we had, uh, Fourhours to chat about all of your
(11:38):
involvement in travels andresearch, but keeping this more
of a general overview of yourMasonic journey as well.
Same question.
What do you find the mostrewarding?
You have, I guess, tell usplease more about your role with
Grand Lodge of New York.
You travel, you research, you'vebeen to some amazing places.
I don't know where to begin, andyou're a storyteller, so it's
(12:00):
all you.
So, within the Grand Lodge ofNew York, I was the Junior Grand
Warden elected from 2018 to2021, and not, for some people
it doesn't matter, but I was thefirst person of color ever
elected to the Grand Lodge ofNew York since its foundation in
1781.
but my desire to be in the GrandLodge was more so an opportunity
(12:24):
to illustrate that.
Thank you.
Our generation, the youngergeneration, and those masons who
really want to embraceFreemasonry, do have a chance to
be part of its leadership.
Um, and it was very rewarding.
Of course, we had COVID.
Um, so I had that experience,uh, right after the first year
of our, um, first two years ofour term.
(12:45):
but really, essentially, uh,really trying to, you know,
Truly embrace the spirit ofbrotherhood.
What has been very interestingto me is the ability to travel
all over the world forFreemasonry, whether it's
Minnesota or, you know, as yousaid, Poland, England, Bermuda.
I've been in Nigeria.
I've been so many differentplaces in Freemasonry and it's
(13:08):
so unique to find brothers everyplace.
everywhere, to say, I knowsomeone there, or I can find you
someone there.
And just that sense ofcamaraderie, the sharing of that
coming out commonality, and thatthe message that we say that
oftentimes we find ourselvesamongst folks that, with the
(13:30):
exception of Freemasonry, wewould not, we would not have
been exposed.
And truly embodying that senseof spirit and, and, and.
understanding has really been soremarkable.
Also, I've been able to doresearch in Paris and in, in,
Actually, Minnesota as well.
There's a paper that I wrotethat you guys had some very
(13:51):
important information thathelped and really find it in
brothers who not only arethinking about history, but
thinking about even contemporaryissues as it pertains to what
can they do?
What are practical elements likeI'm in public health, some
practical and not just intheory.
How do we Put things intopractice and really applying
those same principles and how weembrace the work that we do with
(14:13):
entry masonry.
And as I tell people, I'm infree masonry in the manner in
which I do, because if you hearwhat I do in my real world, I
want to escape that a couple oftimes.
Right.
I want to ground myself inthings that really, um, allow me
to.
express and allow me to really,truly embody what it is that I
(14:34):
believe I'm here on Earth toaccomplish.
How have your travels, theconnections?
And I say connections, I mean,that friendship connection, of
brotherhood and meeting someone,you arrive in a different state,
a different country, and we sayfrequently in this organization,
there are no strangers inFreemasonry, only friends you
have yet to meet.
(14:55):
What has been the biggest, shallwe say, a light bulb moment of
feeling that energy, offriendship, of Because we often
say in this organization that weare like minded, but we're not
like minded.
We're very, very different, butwe do coalesce around certain
core values of friendship,kindness, dignity, courtesy, and
(15:17):
respect.
Where was it in your Masonicjourney where that really came
to light?
Like that is what this is allabout.
Several.
there have been times where I'vebeen at Masonic gatherings of
Where we have an opportunity toshare ideas, whether they're
symposiums or conversations,Norway that happened, um,
(15:37):
Iceland, France, uh, both inBordeaux and, uh, Toulouse and
Paris where you're in a room ofall these individuals and
they're just sharinginformation, not just, not just
history, not just philosophy,not just administration, but
just, this total.
euphoria of people comingtogether with a commonality,
(16:02):
though, to your point,everyone's distinct, everyone
has their own story.
And I get the same experiencewhen I enter a lodge room in a
rural part of Vermont, forexample, or, you know, go in
upstate New York, there, thereare all these things that the
differences in where you aregeographically make are not, but
(16:22):
it's the opportunity though.
You may not have.
the same viewpoint, uh,politically, religiously or
otherwise with the otherindividuals used to have that
commonality that you're able tospeak the same language.
And that's where I find it to bethe most rewarding.
Um, and the most of the Timeswhere I've been able to feel
(16:44):
energized, just like I'm at thisconference for work.
There's an energizing feel ofthat community, um, being in,
whether it's conducting ritualor seeing an opening and closing
from a different jurisdiction,or even as we sit on the social
table, whether it's a table, alodge, or, or as we would say,
a, um, uh, harmony that,Brothers just coming together
(17:08):
and sharing and asking and, and,and relating things that you can
see everyone has similar thoughtprocesses or similar areas of
focus.
And that really, I think, tellsyou made the right decision and
join this organization.
Perhaps we underestimate whatyou just described that it
doesn't matter if you are in ahighly cosmopolitan population.
(17:32):
A place like London versus arural lodge in Vermont.
It's essentially the same vibe.
Totally same vibe.
And in fact, it's the welcomingthat one receives is, is it's
amazing.
I, I can't find the right wordsand I'm, I'm usually a verbose
person, but I can tell you thatI remember going to a lodge
meeting and brothers were like,Oh my God, uh, it's only like 12
(17:54):
of us.
And this isn't New York city.
And I'm like, does it have to beNew York city?
What you have here is your prideand joy.
It's your jewel.
And I love the fact that I'm onan old stool that was the same
stool that someone had since theearly 70s or 60s or 1800s.
This is an enrichment that youprovide.
(18:15):
So, don't compare yourself toYou can't, you know, you don't
have to have a table lodge with200 guys.
those are the things that I, Ialways tell folks, right?
You know, you compare, contrast,but it's, you own the experience
and it's the experience that youown, that you're able to provide
within the confines of being thebest lodge you can be in your
(18:36):
jurisdiction.
That's what makes thedifference.
It's so true.
And that's the conversation thatwe've had along the way with,
Lodges that we're all guilt.
I know I'm guilty of it.
We're romanticize.
The historical photos and thinkabout a lodge hall filled with
200 members at at all times.
And yet those smaller intimateexperiences.
(18:58):
Are where it's at.
That's what it's all about.
It does not have to be aabsolute.
It doesn't have to be the GrandLodge of England with thousands
of members around where it canbe just as special with a small
nucleus.
It's, it's less about how manyare there and more about the
quality of the experience, theconnection of friendship and
(19:18):
brotherhood.
as I say so often on thispodcast, really peeling back and
getting into the meaning behindthe words.
Yeah.
And it's, it's not about theshow.
Cause I know sometimes it's,it's the, the, the pomp and
circumstance.
But it's in the individuals thatcome together as a unit.
We talk about that cement,right?
(19:39):
That spreading that cement ofbrotherly love.
Literally, if you put that intoaction, the Spirit of Corps that
comes out of it is just sofantastic to witness, no matter
where you are.
If you are in Europe, if you'rein Africa, if you're in the
Caribbean, if you're in Midwest,Southeast, it all connects to
that particular element.
(20:01):
Well, and that leads to a topicoften discussed on the
membership front.
personally, I really believethat there is a lot of power,
positive energy in what we do asFreemasons.
We can take a group of.
Very different backgrounds ofour members, both socioeconomic,
(20:21):
education, political andreligious views, and put all of
that aside and meet, as we say,on the level, I think a lot of
people out in the world don'trealize that is derived out of
the Masonic Lodge experience.
To me it looks like we have therecipe for a harmonious society.
How do we get that message outthere, starting at the lodge
level?
(20:41):
Before we go out and set toperhaps change the world, how do
we get our own house in order onthe membership front and the
experience?
Intent and dedication.
Intent from the lens of makingthat purposeful approach to
intentionally make thatdifference.
(21:02):
Now, you're not forcing it, butyou have to ensure that you're
dedicating resources, thought,and effort in order to
accomplish it.
So, a lodge, like one of mylodges, for example, they, every
holiday season, they would goout and give, if there's a
family who has beendisadvantaged or whatever, I'm
(21:23):
going through hard times.
They actually buy all theChristmas presents for that
entire family.
Like it was a fire thatbasically made an entire family,
you know, displaced just forthat evening.
They didn't know why or didn'tthey just were given all these
gifts and that connected thatlodge to the community by virtue
(21:44):
of Let us help.
Let us provide that work ofcharity.
Now, others can say it is in theability to go, uh, at a food
pantry, or, um, or even, um,doing research, or I should say
supporting, you know, earlychildhood development.
There are all these things thatwe connect.
Back to that concept of charitynot charity in the sense of cut
(22:06):
a check But what are you doingto make sure that you are
intrinsically a part of thecommunity which you reside?
Right.
So if you think about it fromquote unquote the older times
people knew who the Lodge peoplewere They knew that the
upstanding person in this civicgovernment or, or the physician,
(22:27):
or whomever they were associatedwith lodge, there was a value,
there was a commitment to doinggood in society.
Lodges were not always viewed,or lodge membership was always
viewed as something beingnegative.
So the way to counteract is bybeing present.
is by, uh, recognizing it'sstill a personal journey, right?
(22:48):
You're not out there to say, Oh,look at me.
But how are you applying thosesame lessons that we're taught
internally, externally, andthat's not hard to do.
Our Masonic lessons tell us todo so.
It tells you to go out into theworld and impact that change on
society and provide thoselessons to all.
And it's not hard, but I thinkat times we, we canonize it
(23:12):
into, well, I'm just going to gohere, do my large stuff, and
then I go out and act likenothing happened.
That's where the discourse Ithink really needs to be applied
intentionally.
Well, and it's not a complicatedplaybook, and I see it all the
time, we feel as though maybethe, solution or the, the
pathway needs to be, or shouldbe so much more complex than it
(23:34):
really is.
But it's, getting out there anddoing what we have been, and
even in a small capacity.
And to your point, not in a lookat me or a look at us type of
way, but identifying where wecan provide relief as a friend,
a neighbor, as our, or as agroup in what you described in
the, the, the gifts at theholiday time.
I would say it's the number oneask of incoming.
(23:56):
Perspective members that expressan interest in learning more
about Freemasonry.
The number one thing they wantis community engagement.
How do I give back to thegreater good?
Visiting lodges and sharing thatand saying and the first
question I get asked frequentlyor the other Grand Lodge staff
and Grand Lodge officers.
Well, are we growing?
(24:17):
Are we growing?
How are the petitions?
And of course we want to grow.
We want to grow in a meaningfulway in order to do so It's about
getting our our own house inorder So to speak that are we
providing an opportunity to giveback in the community in a
meaningful way?
Are we giving our members theopportunity to learn something
(24:37):
new whether that's Masoniceducation or Or non Masonic
education of somethingapplicable and relevant to our
lives outside of the Lodgesetting.
I have to believe that if wewere to focus on a handful of
these core, really distill thisdown and focus on community
engagement, the education piece,and truly getting to know one
(24:59):
another in that setting.
Phone's down.
Heads up, face to face, personto person, planting that seed of
meaningful friendship that willflourish for a lifetime if we
put the work in.
Maybe that's the big takeaway sooften is we can identify these
things, but Who's willing to putin the time commitment and doing
(25:21):
the difficult things to seethese things through?
Yeah, you're absolutely correct.
And whether it is in the, theexperience, right?
The experience is important.
People are coming todisorganization because they
perceive that it's supposed toprovide an answer to something
that they're seeking, whetherit's for their reason for being,
(25:43):
or their reason for doing.
How can I be more impactful inmy community?
How can I improve myself?
How, how can I be, how can Ihelp?
How can, how can my purpose befelt?
How can the impact be seen?
Now it doesn't mean that youhave to go out there and as you
mentioned, be on every parade,but it is literally in that
application of the knowledgethat we are seeking.
(26:04):
And in our social, as I callthis, the social construct, Our
social contract, let me say itbetter that way, it is in our
social contract.
Freemasonry has a socialcontract to society as a whole.
And each mason, not only in ourobligation and our, and our firm
(26:26):
beliefs with respect to thegreat architect of the universe,
our fellow brother, but also ourneighbors.
These are things that we say, weinculcate.
This contract that we haveemboldens us and enables us to
be successful if we do thatwork.
We have what I would like tocall the playbook for the most
(26:47):
satisfying, Harmonious personallife and as a community and as a
neighborhood and as that justcontinues to, to grow.
perhaps we all have been guiltyof taking that for granted at
times, or just we focus on thewords and we're not peeling it
back to get into the meaning ofthat.
And not underestimating thepower of a small act of
(27:12):
kindness, of relief, It doesn'thave to be grandiose.
We don't have to, we could do afundraiser or an activity at a
lodge level that may not be a10, 000 check.
It may be significantly smallerthan that, but it's also about
the sincerity, the genuinenessof it.
And knowing that a difference isbeing made.
(27:33):
not only maybe financially orwith the resources, but how much
peace of mind that recipient isgetting too.
It's, it's so powerful.
Yeah.
The gifts, gifts, as you know,gifts come in all size and
packages, but it's the intent.
And it is the, if you ever haveto make something, whether it's
a food item or a craft item orsomething, it is the joy of
(27:54):
crafting that and delivering itand seeing.
The reaction and seeing thegratitude.
Similarly, as we say, the workthat we do in Freemasonry allows
others and allows ourselves tofeel enriched from that
experience.
And if we just take that efforta bit further and not just hope
that, oh, I do this and check abox, but it's that intent that
(28:18):
truly, I think, inspires,drives, attracts, and helps us,
uh, our own personal and ourorganizational growth.
I'm so excited and grateful tohave you here in studio today.
We're talking to Dr.
Oscar Allen.
He is a member of the GrandLodge of New York.
I know you're a member of someother appendant bodies.
You're a Scottish Rite Mason aswell, correct?
(28:40):
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
Where did you recently travel?
You were at a I was in thePrince Hall Southern
Jurisdiction Grand Session thatthey just held in Memphis,
Tennessee.
Um, and, What was cool aboutthat, you had the Sovereign, uh,
Grand Commander from theNorthern Jurisdiction and the
Southern Jurisdiction, WallWheeler, Jim Cole.
(29:00):
You also had the Prince HalledNorthern Jurisdiction, Melvin
Baysmore, and the SouthernJurisdiction Host, which was,
um, Cory Hawkins was the host.
And it was just that sense ofcamaraderie because you had
representatives from every oneof the four, Prince Hall, of the
four Scottish Rite jurisdictionsin the U.
S.
And then Brazil's there and afew other folks.
(29:22):
So it was really neat tointeract with the brothers and
um, and see Freemasonry practiceand Scottish Rite Freemasonry
also, um, in that sense ofharmony.
I still think about thestatement of unity in, was it
September?
I think two years have gone byalready.
That was a powerful moment.
(29:42):
It was definitely powerfulbecause when people think of
Freemasonry, and especially nowin contemporary society, they
lack of the depth of knowledgeof how far we have gone and how
much further we can go.
And oftentimes, you know, I tellbrothers who are very focused on
(30:04):
history, like, yes, we couldtalk about something from 1785
till the cow comes home.
But it's what we're doing withthat knowledge to improve the
next generation and the next setof time.
So that statement of unity reemphasized that The Scottish
Rite Freemasonry.
Does look at unity does look atdiversity does look at
(30:26):
leadership and regularity withgreat respect and honor, and
they're going to take the nextstep further of cementing that
not just doing a ceremonial.
Let's sign this.
But let's have a commitment tomeet regularly, to interact with
each other, to learn and growtogether so that though we come
(30:48):
from different quote unquote,uh, though we have different
branches, we all come from thesame root, especially in a world
that is so focused on ourdifferences in it's a
contentious election season.
We hear political opponentsacross the board that are
spending less time talking aboutwhat they would do differently
and just othering and demonizingtheir opponents.
(31:09):
But yet, day to day in thisworld that wants us to focus on
our differences, we really dohave far more in common than the
world would have us think rightnow.
This is what the hamster wheelis doing to my brain at three in
the morning and how the craftand what we do, what we stand
(31:30):
for in that we're not justsaying the words in to the
credit of all of the grandcommanders of the Scottish
right.
It wasn't just a ceremony tosay, look at us.
We're not just going to put thison the wall, slap up the core
values in the corporate settingand say, yeah, we align with
that and then not do the work.
We're doing the work.
We're coming together.
It's harmony, it's friendship,it's just a beautiful thing.
(31:51):
It's beautiful, but it also is abeacon.
I don't want to say warninglight, but a beacon.
Because, to your same pointaround, um, a reflection of our
current state of affairs.
We're seeing that microcosm andthat macrocosm blend.
Where, to the same extent whenthere's social discord, that's
(32:13):
often times being presented fromthe Masonic lens.
Thanks.
And it's up to us to basicallyprovide that wise counsel to
pull ourselves back to don'tfall into the, uh, the trappings
of what's happening in the outerworld, because we still have our
core fundamental elements tohelp us navigate it.
(32:33):
And when I see brothers sayingvery mean things with the, you
know, squaring compasses, um, orwith this and that or a body,
and it's like, hey, You gottaremember that while we can get
into that, those worlds, that wehave a responsibility to at
least ensure that we can havepolite discourse, um, polite
(32:57):
conversation, even if wedisagree, that we still meet and
part by that core principle ofbeing on the level.
And I think if we're able to.
enact that a lot more and justre emphasize it.
It may change some of the tenorthat we're seeing because I
think it's so easy for folks tofall into the myths and
(33:19):
disinformation.
Um, I, I deal with it in, in thepublic health world, um, and we
see it in the Masonic world,right?
Uh, so it's, it's very helpfulfor us to really make that
effort to, um, to be better.
Sometimes silence andcircumspection can be far more
powerful than a flamethrower ofa social media post or a verbal
(33:42):
argument or what have you.
As we wrap up today, What wouldyou say is your favorite Masonic
memory so far in all of yourjourneys?
I love putting you on the spot.
Ladies and gentlemen is rare forDr.
Oscar Allen to be Wow myfavorite Masonic journey Or
(34:05):
memory of memory place youvisited that real it moment
Well, I will tell you that oneof them was actually here in
your great state when I came toyour annual communication and I
got a chance to meet for thefirst time, lay my eyes on and
(34:27):
have the blessed conversationwith most worshipful John Cook.
Now, everything that you guyshad done was fantastic.
It was, you know, tremendousreception and interaction.
But I saw that brother and I ranup to him and he wouldn't, he
didn't know what the heck wasgoing on.
I gave him a big hug and it'slike, Brother Cook, you know,
(34:50):
I've been looking on, I'mlooking for all this time to
meet you and to just let youknow how much of a legend you
are.
And he's like, what are youtalking about, young fella?
And that was right before I gavethat talk that I gave that you
all keep mentioning that folksand he came up after me.
(35:11):
He's like, wait.
You just told me that it was apleasure for you to meet me.
It's a pleasure for me to meetyou.
And I was like, no brother cook.
And we just had a greatconversation.
I learned so much about him, um,and still learn great things.
So I would say I left thatannual communication meeting one
(35:31):
of my Masonic heroes, and Ididn't even tell you, you all
that at all, but I was just sohappy that I was able to
actually shake, meet his, shakehis hand, meet him, talk to him,
see him in his element, seeinghow he interact with all the
brothers in your grandjurisdiction, and just develop
(35:55):
a, an instant friendship, outof, respect and admiration for
what he was able to accomplishand he's just a regular brother
like anyone else but he's nothe's not no he's not so humble
he does so much work for on theboard of minnesota masonic
charities and and beyond and insuch a renaissance man i keep
(36:16):
finding new finding out newthings about him hobbies skills
Life experience that and I hadnot heard that before.
I appreciate you sharing thattoday.
He shared he shared with me likeone of one of His regrets when
he was grandmaster, not beingable to affect, um, a change
that I think we all wanted tosee, which is better unification
(36:38):
with the Prince Alfred Masonry,at least in this home state
when, um, he was from Georgiaand of course they didn't
interact.
But when that finally changed,you know, he was, he was so, so
happy about it.
And I'm like, you know, all it,all it takes is that first
pebble.
So you, you know, Don't feeldiscouraged.
You know, things may not happenimmediately, but it's just one
(37:00):
of those things where you learnand you just sit at the feet of
greatness, even though thatperson may not feel that they're
anything other than a general,you know, regular individual,
but it's, it's, it's thatgenerational wealth.
Of experience that that's what Iwas talking about.
How do you mentor and how do youprepare others to take things
further?
(37:21):
And the slow, sustainableprogress.
Yeah, we, we all, we're, we'reso wired in this world to push
the button.
I get what I want.
Amazon deliver it tomorrow.
I find myself frustrated whenAmazon's going to take more than
a day, but on so many of thesethings, if we commit ourselves
to that, the infinite timeline,the long journey.
(37:42):
things can be done and theystart and in that case, many
things started with the smallefforts of, of John Cook and so
many others.
We could tell several stories ofthat, but yeah, we, we love John
and it's been just an absolutepleasure having you here today,
visiting our states and visitingour studio today.
Any final words, final commentsbefore we wrap up?
(38:04):
Yeah, thank you again for thisopportunity.
I know, uh, we had so manydifferent things to talk about.
One thing, if I, if I can, inclosing, we, uh, on the topic of
even membership, and as we werediscussing earlier, there's so
much being done, so many tools,and we know we have a recipe for
how to bring people into thefraternity.
It's how we keep them.
(38:25):
It's the retention.
It's the speaking to thatexperience, enriching, and
there's no one solution, but amultitude of efforts that can
really ensure that every manthat sets foot through our doors
has an opportunity to not onlyexpand his knowledge base, his,
(38:45):
his satisfaction, uh, and his,the rewards of the experience of
becoming a Freemason, and that.
That level of effort.
It's what's going to help uswhen we think about what are
tools.
What are the activities?
What can we do to really ensurethat we keep our membership?
Maybe we don't need to be ahundred gazillion masons but we
(39:07):
can retain the quality that weinvest in so that our
Organization and masonry cancontinue for the next generation
to come Well said, and thank youso much, Dr.
Oscar Allen, This has beenanother episode of Minnesota
Masonic Histories and Mysteries.
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