('''ΑΦΑ''') Fraternity (known as A-Phi-A, but also Alphas) is generally recognized as the
First intercollegiate
Greek Letter Fraternity established by
African American s. Founded on December 4, 1906 on the campus of Cornell University in
Ithaca ,
New York , the fraternity has initiated over 125,000 men into the organization. Since 1945, the fraternity has been open to men of all races. The fraternity archives are preserved at the
Moorland-Spingarn Research Center and Alpha has declared 2006 the beginning of its "Centennial Era" to celebrate its
100th Anniversary .
The founders are known as the '' for five
National Pan-Hellenic Council Members . Today there are over 700 chapters in the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. The Alphas have encountered problems similar to other fraternities, including a two-year suspension for a 2001
Hazing episode at
Ohio State University .
The national organization has established a number of community programs and combined its resources with other organizations on philanthropic projects. Some fraternity initiatives include the
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial . The memorial, which Congress authorized in 1996 with Public Law 104-333, has been beset by delays, a languid pace of donations, and a request from the King Family in 2001 for licensing fees to use King's name and likeness in marketing campaigns. The fraternity has stated the last thing it needs is to have to pay a onerous license fee to the King family. Other Alpha sponsored programs are the "Go To
High School , Go To
College " and "Voteless People Is a Hopeless People" programs. The fraternity jointly leads programming initiatives with
March Of Dimes ,
Head Start ,
Boy Scouts Of America and
Big Brothers Big Sisters Of America .
Members of Alpha Phi Alpha include who have adopted the fraternity’s motto--''manly deeds, scholarship, and love for all mankind''.
At the start of the
20th Century , black students at American universities were often excluded from the personal and close associations the predominately
White student population enjoyed in fraternal organizations. Wesley, Charles H. (1981). ''The History of Alpha Phi Alpha, A Development in College Life'' p. 15 During the 1905-06 school year at
Cornell University , Alpha Phi Alpha was organized with the stated desire of providing a mechanism to build those associations and provide mutual support among African American students. At the outset, there was disagreement about the group's purpose. Some desired to organize a social and literary club where all persons could participate. Others in the group supported a traditional fraternal organization. The overwhelming sentiment was dissatisfaction with lack of access to a literary society and members proposed to enlarge the functions of the group. The fraternal supporters were in the minority and the society thereafter organized with the intention of providing literary, study, social and support group for all minority students who encountered social and academic racial prejudice. Wesley, ''op. cit.'', pp. 15-16
At the first meetings during the school year 1906-07, members formed the nucleus of the organization's internal structure for the yet unnamed "society." On
October 23 , 1906, Callis and Jones, acquainted with the
Greek language, proposed that the organization be known by the Greek letters,
Alpha Phi Alpha, and Ogle proposed the colors to be old gold and black. The fraternity was still in process of formation and the divisive issue of whether the terms "club" or "fraternity" be used was debated within the group. Wesley, ''op. cit.'', pp. 19-27
By December 4, 1906, the member's views changed and the decison was made to become a fraternity. The prior designations of "club," "organization," and "society" were removed. Wesley, ''op. cit.'', 19-27 The founding members of the collegiate Greek letter organization for
Negro males were
Henry A. Callis ,
Charles H. Chapman ,
Eugene K. Jones ,
George B. Kelley ,
Nathaniel A. Murray ,
Robert H. Ogle and
Vertner W. Tandy .
The Founders of Alpha Phi Alpha (''Seven Jewels'') . ''alphaphialpha.net'' (accessed April 3, 2006).
The fraternity's constitution was adopted on
December 14 , 1907 and limited membership to "Negro male" students. The constitution also provided that the General Convention of the Fraternity would be created following the establishment of the fourth chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha. The Secretary of the State of New York accepted the incorporation of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. on
January 29 ,
1908 . The Fraternity was again incorporated on
April 3 ,
1914 within the District of Columbia. The purpose and object of the fraternity within these
Articles Of Incorporation was declared to be "educational and for the mutual uplift of its members."
ΑΦA Fraternity History ''Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Zeta Iota Chapter'' (accessed April 14, 2006).
Soon after the Cornell organization formed, members opened Alpha Phi Alpha chapters at other colleges and universities, many within
Historically Black Schools . In 1908, the fraternity became international when it chartered a chapter at the
University Of Toronto (although shortly thereafter the chapter became defunct). The first general convention assembled in 1908 at Howard University in
Washington, D.C , producing the first ritual and the election of the first General President of Alpha Phi Alpha, Moses A. Morrison.
ΑΦA First General Convention ''Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Alpha Gamma Chapter'' (accessed April 3, 2006).
In 1914, ''The Sphinx®'' began publication as the fraternity's official journal and was named after the 's ''
The Crisis '', started by fraternity member
W.E.B. DuBois in 1910 predates the Alpha publication.
While continuing to stress academic excellence among its members, Alpha's leaders recognized the need to correct the educational, economic, political, and social injustices faced by African-Americans.
Alpha Phi Alpha Men: A Century of Leadership . ''Maryland Public Television'' (accessed April 26, 2006).
The Fraternity's
National Programs date back to 1919 with the of the
"Go-to-High-School, Go-to-College" campaign to promote academic achievement within the African-American community being the first initiative. Alpha Phi Alpha would later participate in the
Voting Rights debate and coined the well-known phrase ''A Voteless People is a Hopeless People'' as part of its effort to register black voters. The slogan remains in Alpha Phi Alpha's continuing
Voter Registration campaign.
ΑΦA National-Programs . ''Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Upsilon Chapter'' (accessed April 4, 2006).
During the in the struggle by African Americans against
Discriminatory Hiring practices, and ''Don't Buy Where You Can't Work'' groups multiplied throughout the nation. The NNA estimated that by 1940, the group had secured 5,106 jobs for blacks because businesses could not afford to lose sales during the depression.
New Negro Alliance's Sanitary Grocery Protest Site . Cultural Tourism DC (accessed April 29, 2006).
in
Berlin, Germany .]]
The Committee on Public Policy was established at the 1933 general convention and took positions on issues many in the black community deemed important. The first investigation of the committee was of the national government's
New Deal agencies. The committee's agenda was to determine the status of the black population, both as to treatment of agencies' employees and in the quality of services rendered to American blacks. Wesley 1981, ''op. cit.'', pp. 204-205
At the and
Dave Albritton . Wesley 1981, ''op. cit.'', pp. 476 Alpha Phi Alpha was continuing to expand and once again became an international organization as in 1938 it extended its roster of chapters to
London ,
England . Wesley 1981, ''op. cit.'', pp. 239
After the
Attack On Pearl Harbor in 1941, Alpha men served in almost every branch of the
Armed Forces and civilian defense programs during World War II. The type of
Warfare encountered evidenced the nexus between education and war, with illiteracy decreasing a soldier's usefulness to the Army that could only be addressed with the inclusion of a large number of college educated men among the ranks of officers. The leadership of the fraternity encouraged Alpha men to buy
War Bonds , and the membership responded with their purchases. Wesley 1981, ''op. cit.'', p. 248 Williams, Regina L.,
An example of the Alpha Phi Alpha (ΑΦΑ) referred to as Alphas ''Stillman College'' (accessed April 3, 2006).
The 1940s were significant years for the fraternity as it sought to end racial discrimination in its own ranks and secure rights for its membership after the nation's entry into
World War II . The use of the word "Negro" in the membership clause of the constitution which referred to "any Negro male student" would be changed to read "any male student." This was the first official action by a black fraternity to allow the admission to men of all colors and races. Wesley 1981, ''op. cit.'', p. 244 The fraternity has been interracial since 1945.
ΑΦΑ Integrates the Organization . ''alphaphialpha.net'' (accessed April 26, 2006).
The speech at the 50th anniversary banquet, chronicled in the documentary, ''Alpha Phi Alpha Men: A Century of Leadership''. There were three living Jewels present for the occassion, Kelly, Callis and Murray. Wesley 1981, ''op. cit.'', pp. 381-386
,
Thurgood Marshall , and
James Nabrit , congratulating each other, following
U.S. Supreme Court decision declaring segregation unconstitutional]]
Alpha men were pioneers and at the forefront of the civil rights struggle. In
Montgomery , Dr. King led the people in the
Montgomery Bus Boycott as a minister, and later as head of the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).
Birmingham saw Arthur Shores organize for civil rights while Thurgood Marshall was engaging in the fight for
Desegregation and integration in the landmark case of the United States Supreme Court,
Brown V. Board Of Education . Marshall employed mentor and fratenity brother
Charles Hamilton Houston 's plan to use the ''de facto'' inequality of
"separate But Equal" Education In The United States to attack and defeat the
Jim Crow Laws . Wesley 1981, ''op. cit.'', pp. 366-369 In 1961
Whitney Young became the executive director of the
National Urban League (NUL) and in 1963, the NUL hosted the planning meetings of civil rights leaders for the
March On Washington For Jobs And Freedom .
In 1968, after the
Assassination of fraternity brother Martin Luther King, Jr., Alpha Phi Alpha proposed erecting a permanent memorial to King in Washington D.C. The efforts of the fraternity gained momentum in 1986 after King's birthday became a
National Holiday and led to the creation of ''The Washington D. C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc'' to collect funds of $100 million for construction. Gray, Butler T. (2006)
ΑΦΑ Proposes Permanent Memorial . ''black-collegian.com'' (accessed April 3, 2006).
Beginning in the 1970s, new goals were being introduced to address current environment. The older social programs and policies were still supported, however; the fraternity turned its attention to new social needs. This included the campaign to eliminate the
Ghetto-goal with the completion of three urban housing developments through Alpha Phi Alpha leadership in
St. Louis, Missouri — the ''Alpha Gardens'', ''Alpha Towne'' and ''Alpha Village''. Wesley 1981, ''op. cit.'', pp. 472-476
In 1981, the fraternity celebrated its
Diamond Jubilee in
Dallas, Texas , featuring a presentation of the ''New Thrust Program'' consisting of the ''Million Dollar Fund Drive'' that contributed funds to the NAACP, the National Urban League, and the
United Negro College Fund (UNCF). Mason 1999, ''op. cit.'', p. 352
" speech, given in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the 1963 March on Washington.]]
In 1996, the and the second non-
President to be commemorated in such a way. The
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial is scheduled for completion in 2008 and will be located on a 4-acre site that borders the
Tidal Basin and within the sightline of the
Jefferson Memorial and
Lincoln Memorial . The
National Park Service will maintain the site.
Alpha Phi Alpha provides for charitable endeavors through the Fraternity's Education and Building Foundations, providing academic scholarships and shelter to underprivileged families. The Fraternity also has made commitments to train leaders with a national mentoring programs.
Alpha Phi Alpha asserts "the Fraternity has supplied voice and vision to the struggle of African Americans and people of color around the world",
Hartford Alumni Chapter . ''Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Beta Sigma Lambda Chapter'' (accessed April 4, 2006). and it has established an ''Alpha Phi Alpha Archives'' at Howard University in Washington, D.C. to preserve the history of the organization.
Preservation of Alpha Phi Alpha History . ''Education Online'' (accessed April 26, 2006).
]]
The first chapter established at Cornell University is named '''' its first graduate
Alumni chapter in 1911 in
Louisville, Kentucky .
The fraternity's international scope was established early. In 1908 it chartered undergraduate chapter ''
Delta '' at University of Toronto; shortly thereafter, the chapter became defunct. Its seat was transferred to what is now
Huston-Tillotson University in
Austin, Texas in 1939. In 1938 the fraternity chartered ''Beta
Psi '' college chapter in
London, England . The ''
Theta Theta Lambda'' alumni chapter was chartered 1963 at
Frankfurt, Germany . Other chapters have been chartered in
Monrovia, Liberia , the
Caribbean and
South Korea .
International Chapters . ''Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Epsilon Theta Chapter'' (accessed April 5, 2006).
''
Omega '' chapter was distinguished to contain the names of deceased fraternity members.
Frederick Douglass became an honorary member of the fraternity's Omega chapter in 1921, enjoying the distinction of being the only member initiated posthumously.
Frederick Douglass, first Honorary member of Alpha Phi Alpha . ''Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Rho Sigma Chapter'' (accessed April 3, 2006).
The pledge period is the time that a potential new member of the fraternity engages in before being duly initiated as a brother. This period is the time the
Pledge learns of the organization's history, principles, tenancity of brotherhood.
In the selection of candidates for membership, certain chapters had not escaped challenges of racial stereotyping and allegations of could not make Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity today; they would
Blackball Him because He was not ''hot enough''". Mason 1999, ''op. cit.'', p. 295
There are periods in the history of the fraternity where
Hazing was involved in certain pledge lines. The fraternity has never officially condoned hazing, but has been aware of problems with "rushing" and "initiations" dated as far back as the 1934 General Convention when the fraternity founders communicated their concern with physical violence in initiation ceremonies. Wesley 1981, ''op. cit.'', p. 214 At the 1940 General Convention, a pledge manual was discussed that would contain a brief general history, the list of chapters and locations, the achievements of Alpha men, outstanding Alpha men, and pledge procedures. Wesley 1981, ''op. cit.'', p. 242.
In 2001, the chapter at Ohio State University was suspended for two years by both the university and the national Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity for hazing and other violations. The incident involved two prospective members injured seriously enough to require medical care.
University, national group sanction Alpha Phi Alpha . ''Ohio State University'' (accessed April 26, 2006).
Many hazing incidents have resulted in
Civil Action s; that and the objections of parents and students prompted Alpha Phi Alpha to implement its current policy abolishing pledging as a means of obtaining membership. The fraternity's official policy is that hazing is against the purposes and goals of the Fraternity and has been discontinued as a condition or manner of initiation into the membership of Alpha Phi Alpha. It is no longer legal within the organization for members to establish a pledge line or to require aspirants to the organization to submit to hazing. All membership intake activities for the fraternity are conducted by the National Intake Office and must occur in the presence of a National Intake Officer.
Membership Intake Policy ''alphaphialpha.net'' (accessed April 16, 2006).
See Also: :category:Alpha Phi Alpha brothers
As Alpha Phi Alpha expanded to over 125,000 members, the ranks of its membership include a plethora of prominent and accomplished ,
Harvard Professor
Cornel West ,
Congressman Charles B. Rangel , former
HUD secretary
Samuel Pierce , entrepreneur
John Johnson , athlete
Mike Powell and
Musician Donny Hathaway .
Famous Alpha Men . ''Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Eta Pi Chapter'' (accessed April 4, 2006).
]]
The fraternity provides classifications for honorary and exalted honorary membership; one of the highest honors that Alpha Phi Alpha can bestow upon a person who has not obtained membership through the traditional plege program. Honorary members include white Vice President Hubert Humphrey, jazz musician
Duke Ellington , and
Abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Wesley 1981, ''op. cit.'', p. 116, 135-136, 453
Alpha men were instrumental in the founding and leadership of the NAACP ()
The Southern Christian Leadership Coference . ''SCLC'' (accessed April 27, 2006).
From the ranks of the fraternity have come a number of pioneers in various fields.
Kelly Miller was the first African-American to be admitted to
Johns Hopkins University .
Todd Duncan was the first actor to play "Porgy" in
Porgy And Bess . During the Washington run of Porgy and Bess in 1936, the cast—as led by Todd Duncan—protested the audience's segregation. Duncan stated that he "would never play in a theater which barred him from purchasing tickets to certain seats because of his race." Eventually management would give into the demands and allow for the first integrated performance at
National Theatre .
Porgy and Bess: Today in History, September 2 ''Library of Congress'' (accessed April 26, 2006).
Charles Houston, a
Harvard Law School graduate and a law professor at Howard University, first began a campaign in the
1930s to challenge racial discrimination in the federal courts. Houston's campaign to fight Jim Crow Laws began with
Plessy V. Ferguson and culminated in a unanimous Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was the recipient of the
Nobel Peace Prize , the
Spingarn Medal , and the
Presidential Medal Of Freedom , awarded posthumously by President
Jimmy Carter . The Presidential Medal of Freedom has also been awarded to members
William Coleman and
Edward Brooke . The Spingarn Medal, awarded annually by the NAACP for outstanding achievement by a Black American, has been awarded to brothers
John Hope Franklin ,
Rayford Logan and numerous fraternity members. The
Congressional Gold Medal Of Honor , the highest civilian award of the
United States Congress was awarded to Jesse Owens and Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Prime Minister Norman Manley of
Jamaica was a
Rhodes Scholar (1914), awarded annually by the
Oxford based Rhodes Trust on the basis of academic achievement and character. Andrew Zawacki, a white man, is a second Rhodes Scholar recipient.
A number of have been named after Alpha men such as the
Eddie Robinson Stadium ,
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and the W.E.B. DuBois library at the
University Of Massachusetts Amherst . The
United States Postal Service has honored fraternity members W.E.B. Dubois, Duke Ellington, Martin Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall,
Paul Robeson and Jesse Owens with a
Commemorative Stamp in their popular Black Heritage Stamp series.
USPS Black Heritage Stamp series . ''United States Postal Service'' (accessed April 5, 2005).
with
Pyramid Of Khafre in the background.'']]
Alpha Phi Alpha utilizes motifs from s. Fraternity members organize travel to Egypt to walk across the sands to the
Sphinx and the
Pyramids .
The Heremakhet and Alpha's constant reference to
Ethiopia in hymns and poems are further examples of Alpha's mission to imbue itself with an African cultural heritage. Fraternity brother
Charles H. Wesley wrote, "To the Alpha Phi Alpha brotherhood African history and civilization, the Sphinx, and Ethiopian tradition bring new meanings and these are interpreted with new significance to others."
The Alpha's national office is located in
Baltimore, Maryland . Darryl R. Matthews, Sr. holds the elective office of General President and Willard C. Hall, Jr. is the Executive Director appointed by the General Convention. The national office is tasked with overall fraternity supervision and program management.
National programs are projects adopted by the General Convention and mandated for implementation in all chapters. The fraternity combines its efforts in conjunction with other philanthropic organizations such as Head Start, Boy Scouts of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Special Projects and Programs . ''alphaphialpha.net'' (accessed April 3, 2006)., ''Project Alpha'' with the March of Dimes, the NAACP, and
Fortune 500 companies. The ''Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation'' is a project of Alpha Phi Alpha to construct fraternity member Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Project . ''Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Eta Lambda Chapter'' (accessed April 26, 2006).
Established in 1922, the Go-To-High School, Go-To-College is intended to afford Alpha men with the opportunity to provide young participants with role models. The program concentrates on the importance of completing secondary and collegiate education as a path to advancement and to provide information and strategies to facilitate success.
Go - To - High School, Go - To - College . ''alphaphialpha.net'' (accessed April 5, 2005).
"A Voteless People is a Hopeless People" was initiated as a National Program of Alpha during the 1930s when many African-Americans had the right to vote but were prevented from voting because of poll taxes, threats of reprisal, and lack of education about the voting process. Voter education and registration has since remained a dominant focus in the fraternity's planning. In the
1990s the focus has shifted to promotion of political awareness and empowerment, delivered most often through use of town meetings and candidate forums.
Voter Registration page . ''alphaphialpha.net''. (accessed April 5, 2006).
Alpha Phi Alpha and the March of Dimes began a collaborative program called Project Alpha in 1980. The project consists of a series of workshops and informational sessions conducted by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity brothers to provide young men with current and accurate information about
Teen Pregnancy prevention.
March of Dimes: Alpha Phi Alpha . ''March of Dimes'' (accessed April 26, 2006)
Alpha Phi Alpha also participates in the March of Dimes ''WalkAmerica'' and raised over $95,000 in 2004.
.]]
The campaign to erect a permanent memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr. is one the most ambitious projects in the history of the fraternity.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Project ''alphaphialpha.net'' (accessed April 26, 2006).
The United States Congress, in 1998, authorized the fraternity to establish a foundation to manage the memorial's fundraising and design. The fraternity laid a marble and bronze plaque to dedicate the memorial site on December 4, 2000. In 2001, Dr. King's family stood in the path of Alpha Phi Alpha's campaign to erect the memorial, because the family wanted the fraternity to pay a fee for the right to use King's image. "If nobody's going to make money off of it, why should anyone get a fee?" the s from across the world depicted in statues above the Great West Door of
Westminister Abbey .
The fraternity is a member of the
National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), composed of nine international black Greek-letter sororities and fraternities, and Alpha Phi Alpha is the only member founded at an
Ivy League school. The council promotes interaction through forums, meetings and other mediums for the exchange of information and engages in cooperative programming and initiatives through various activities and functions.
National Pan-Hellenic Council Homepage . ''National Pan-Hellenic Council'' (accessed April 26, 2006).
Alpha Phi Alpha has declared 2006 the beginning of its "Centennial Era" to celebrate its
100th Anniversary . These preparations will culminate with the Centennial Convention, consisting of nationwide activities and events including the commissioning of intellectual and scholarly works, presentation of exhibits, lectures, artwork and musical expositions, and the production of film and video presentations scheduled for
July 25 -
30 ,
2006 in
Washington, D.C. . The Centennial Era is to be framed by the
Slogan ''First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All''.
The ''2006 Centennial Celebration Kickoff'' launched with another "pilgrimage" to Cornell University on
November 19 ,
2005 . That event brought over 700 fraternity members gathered for a day long program. Members journeyed across campus and unveiled a new centennial memorial to Alpha Phi Alpha. The memorial—a wall in the form of a "" in recognition of the Jewels—features a bench and a plaque and is situated in front of the university's
Barnes Hall .
''Alpha Phi Alpha Men: A Century of Leadership'', is a historical
Documentary on Alpha Phi Alpha's century of leadership and service. The film premiered February 2006 on
PBS as part of the 2006
Black History Month theme, "Celebrating Community: A Tribute to Black Fraternal, Social and Civic Institutions."
The 2006 Black History Theme . ''Association for the Study of African
American Life and History '' (accessed April 8, 2006).
There is some dispute as to whether Alpha Phi Alpha was the first black fraternity. Black-sponsored Greek letter organizations may have begun in 1903 on the
Indiana University campus, but there were too few registrants to assure continuing organization. In that year a club was formed called Kappa Alpha Nu, but the club disappeared after a short time. There is no record of any similar organization at Indiana University until Kappa Alpha Nu was issued a charter in 1911.
Black sponsored Greek letter organization . ''Alphi Phi Alpha Fraternity, Mu Nu Chapter'' (accessed April 26, 2006).
The History of Kappa Alpha Psi . ''Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Germantown Alumni Chapter'' (accessed April 26, 2006).
Sigma Pi Phi, founded in 1904, has also claimed to be the first although many argue this is a . Sigma was founded as an organization for professionals and college graduates and ''not'' as an organization of black college students. Historian Charles H. Wesley, a member of both Alpha Phi Alpha and Sigma Pi Phi, authored ''The History of Alpha Phi Alpha, A Development in College Life'' and ''The History of Sigma Pi Phi'' and asserts that Alpha Phi Alpha was the first Greek-letter organization among black college men.Wesley, Charles H. (1950). ''The History of Alpha Phi Alpha: A Development in Negro College Life'' (Foundation Publishers).
- ''Alpha Phi Alpha Men: A Century of Leadership'' , 2006, Producer/Directors: Alamerica Bank/Rubicon Productions
