James Tyroff is a Georgia Mason who was one of the members of the Grand Lodge of Georgia who preferred charges against Gate City Lodge No. 2 in 2009 for admitting a Black African-American Mason to their Lodge. The same Black African American, Victor Marshall, who was just blackballed twice by the Atlanta Scottish Rite.
Well James Tyroff has just been rewarded by The Scottish Rite with the honor of a red cap. This honor was conferred on him after Marshall & Waters had been blackballed for the second time by the Scottish Rite. Verification can be obtained here.
The red cap, emblazoned with the red and gold cross of a Knight Commander, designates that the wearer is a 32nd Degree Mason who has been invested with the “rank and decoration” of Knight Commander of the Court of Honor, usually abbreviated K.C.C.H.
If Georgia has healed Gate City Lodge No. 2 and the Grand Master has reformed Georgia’s former racist ways with his edicts why reward those who tried to keep Black African-Americans out of Lodges in Georgia? WHY IS THIS MAN BEING HONORED? It’s a slap in the face to those working for a color blind Freemasonry. It looks as if Georgia Masons are thumbing their nose at Gate City Lodge No. 2 and all those Masons in Georgia who would like to see reconciliation between Black and White Freemasonry.
Tyroff openly flouts his anti Black African-American feelings signing all his correspondence with, “Just say no to 21st century universal Masonry.” These are code words used in the South similar to other disguises of attitude like “states rights.”
Tyroff authored all the 2009 documents against Gate City Lodge No. 2 below.
No other words to say to this than WOW. I wonder how they are going to contain all this from the Grand Masters visit that’s supposed to happen next year in Atlanta?
This man and any like him who suggest they are Freemason’s are an absolute disgrace to our fraternity and should be brought up on Masonic trial for what they have done. How can anyone in Georgia Freemasonry condone or even allow this man and those like him to remain in our fraternity?
QUOTE:
I wonder how they are going to contain all this from the Grand Masters visit that’s supposed to happen next year in Atlanta?
UNQUOTE
Like everything else, it will be swept under the carpet with the “Broom of Harmony”!
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Seriously? We are disguising racist attitudes when we believe the traditional powers of the sovereign, those governing the health, welfare, policing and morality of the people, are best administered by the states versus the federal government?
Thanks for that.
S&F
John
I guess you wern’t around when Governor Faubus blocked the school house door and Martin Luther King marched and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was written. Every redneck said, ” I’m not against colored people, I’m just for states rights.” Sorry you missed that.
Beehive, I recognize that racists will use every legitimate-sounding political or legal ideology in the book to cover their abomination.
But their use of it doesn’t itself negate the legitimacy of that political or legal ideology. “States rights” is a legitimate political ideology. Please refer to Federalist No. 45. Sorry you missed that.
Continuing to make excuses for your ill-informed choice of words says as much about you as the words you chose.
S&F,
John
If you look closely at the charges against Gate City Worshipful Master Michael J. Bjelajac you will see that he was indicted for RAISING A NON-WHITE, IN VIOLATION OF THE GEORGIA CODE.
States Rights is a valid concept when you talk about the breakdown of who is responsible for what as outlined in the Fedreralist Papers and the Constitution. However, to invoke “states rights” on every civil rights situation is less then genuine.
One needs to be street smart and catch the application of concepts in the real world and not rely just on classical definitions.
While you are at it, Brother Cox, why don’t you attack the message instead of the messenger?
@ Georgethe3rd
You’re absolutely right, they will attempt to sweep it under the rug and its about time for the other Grand Lodges to make a stand against other states that enable this sort of behavior. The harmony has already been disturbed when people like this decide that gaining a title in Scottish Rite or any other body entitles them to more rights than anyone else. I’m ashamed to even have the same initials as that man. I’m not saying Brother because in my eyes he isn’t. Tyroff; along with the rest of the crew, are men who have not grasped the concepts of Freemasonry.
Question
What has eyes but cannot see, ears but cannot hear, legs but cannot stand and no tongue but talks all day?
Answer
Mainstream Georgia Masons
Time to take this to the mass media.
This promotion to KCCH means that he should get his white hat and become a 33rd at the next SR Supreme Council session!
I guess he’ll put that white hat on top of his white hood. The White hood and robe are standard issue in Georgia for Black Caps. This is too weird.
I believe that you brethren are mistaken. Yes, there are some unenlightened brethren in Georgia, as there are in every juristiction. However, you are mistaken on a few points. Point number one: the filing of charges does in no way guaratee exceptance.
Point two: as of today, both breathren are invited to paticipate in the reunion on Friday. At which, they will be elevated to 32nd. The breathren on this blog show little faith in the rules of order of the scottish rite, or in their Georia breathern. You seem to judge us all through the lens of self ritous bigotry. The ” I’m better than you, because you are all racist rednecks” attitude, does not represent the trowel well. One of your main working tools. I hate to say this, but you no nothing of Geogia Masons. I hope you wait to judge the next brother until after the deal is done.
Just talked to one of the two wronged brothers. Apparently, their ballot was later also reversed, and they got the first half of their degrees last weekend. They are finishing this weekend. They reported that they were treated very well by the class and the Scottish Rite Masons they dealt with.
There is no cure more effective than sitting in lodge with brothers of all colors to cure ills of many years.
A little story, Lightman 1, as illustration.
Back up North a number of years ago in a neighboring town two families with domiciles beside each other got involved in a bitter feud. Who knows how it started? It just kept escalating into a constant battle between these two neighbors. Finally one of the quarrelers said I’ll fix this family and so he called Child Protective Services and said that his neighbor was beating and sexually molesting his three children just for spite but without truth. COPS came down and immediately removed the three children from the household, split them up and sent them to different foster homes. It took one month of investigation to ascertain that this was a false charge and that the parents of these three children had done nothing wrong to their children. The accuser was later prosecuted in court. But the family endured much distress because of a false accusation made just in order to deliberately hurt someone, to get back at them.
Now according to your way of thinking, my Brother, it all came out all right in the end so why would someone object to what was done and comment on the injustice until the final verdict came in?
Why? Because the charges never should have been made in the first place and Marshall and Waters never should have been blackballed in the first place and the obvious anti Black behavior hurt unjustifiably perfectly righteous Freemasons. The whole affair was orchestrated to hurt and humiliate others and no matter that it came out all right in the end, IT NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE!
My objection is not with whether the charges should or should not be filed, but with the callous attitude that ALL Georgia Masons are treated. The statements that begin Georgia Masons and not some Georgia masons is as offensive as saying Blacks instead of some blacks did X. It should be handled as ” some individuals in Georgia lodges have attempted to introduce very UN-masonic behavior” Sorry, but I feel slighted as a Georgia Mason. These stories only serve to perpetuate stereotypes about southern whites. This is exactly how racism begins.
Oh come now. You are what you permit yourselves to become or who you choose to lead you. Georgia Masons voted in their leadership some of which is bigoted. Georgia Scottish Rite Masons did likewise. Y’all had a chance to vote for anti discriminatory legislation at the 2009 Grand Session. Y’all chose to vote it down by close to a two thirds majority.You are portrayed as the majority of you choose to be portrayed. The majority rules and defines who you are as a body.
Are there many good Georgia Masons? Without question. Were there many good Germans in Nazi Germany? Without question. But what you let your leaders do defines you as a whole.
Stop crying about how you are treated and start working to change your fraternity into what you would like it to be.
In 2009 it was voted down, because it was not presented in proper order. And, stories like this only serve to frighten good black men away from F & AM. So, nothing can ever change. I believe that the stereotype is perpetuated so Prince Hall Masons can recruit the very best Black men for their lodges. BTW Bro Marshall is now a 32nd the whole class had great unity and showed a lot of Brotherly love to one another. Our Valley is absolutely the best, kindest, and most generous (you’ll see when the story of the class comes out). I am proud to be PM F&AM and 32nd Valley of Atlanta. Also remember, all votes MUST be unanimous (no dissension), so that goes to tell what true Masons can do.
Greetings! I’m here from the future to wonder if lightman still believes the Grand Lodge of Georgia is viewed unfairly now that the Grand Master’s edict to persecute all the gay Masons has been upheld by a majority vote at the last session.
Most liberals such as beehive like to toss around how things are done “in their neck of the woods”, and forgets that every Grand Lodge is sovereign and just because in Massachusetts one thing is done and in Georgia another is done are two different stories. There is not just ONE Masonic opinion, and you, sir are entitled to yours. For HUNDREDS of years The Grand Lodge of Georgia adhered to their own Masonic Code of the Grand Lodge of Georgia and they do not have to subscribe to YOURS. The password of a Master Mason may be the same (although, in other countries that I have had the pleasure to attend lodge in, there is ANOTHER password), but the catechisms are not the same across our great country. In 2016 the GM of Masons in Georgia set out an edict that it is the “STATEMENT ON THE SOVEREIGNTY AND SUPREMACY OF THE GRAND LODGE OF GEORGIA”. Feel free to visit their website and read it. The Grand Lodge of Georgia does not recognize the Phylaxis Society or the Degree of Memphis either. In short, if you do not like what the Grand Lodge of Georgia sets as their cornerstone, go elsewhere.
This story commented on is from 2011. It is now five years later. Let me say that the assessment that I am Liberal because I believe that African-Americans are American citizens with all the rights and privileges that Whites have is comical, or its KKK.
Sovereignty does not mean that a Grand Lodge is operating Masonically. And if it is practicing irregular or illegal or immoral Freemasonry, then it is open to criticism. In some cases it is deserving of non-Recognition. To say that a Grand Lodge can do anything it wants because it is sovereign, may be something that Grand Lodge can get away with but not without moral and perhaps legal sanction.
So you can crow about the fact that your Grand Lodge can do anything it wants but that doesn’t alleviate it from the responsibility of acting Masonically nor stop the condemnation from all good men when it acts immorally or illegally.