Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated

History

    Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, the first intercollegiate Greek-Letter Fraternity established for Black college students was organized at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York on December 4, 1906.  The first chapter of our National Fraternity, organized by college men of Afro-American descent, was called "Alpha Chapter".  The Fraternity was borne out of the desire for maintaining close association and unified support for members of this small minority inasmuch as they were denied, for the most part, the mutual helpfulness which the majority of students attending their university enjoyed.  The seven visionary Founders at Cornell, Jewels Henry Arthur Callis, Charles Henry Chapman, Eugene Kinkle Jones, George Biddle Kelley, Nathaniel Allison Murray, Robert Harold Ogle, and Vertner Woodson Tandy labored in the years of severe economic struggle and racial conflict in the United States.  Despite their difficulties organizing in this untried area of student life the early Fraternity pioneers succeeded in laying a firm foundation.  They remained steadfast in their goals, pointing toward development of the Fraternity's membership and the espousing of the principals of good character, sound scholarship, fellowship and the uplifting of humanity, especially the struggling Black minority in the United States. 

       Alpha Phi Alpha has a long and distinguished history of involvement, achievement, and leadership in civil and human rights efforts.  Over the years, the Fraternity has supported many charitable and service projects.  The "GO TO HIGH SCHOOL-GO TO COLLEGE" program initiated in 1929 counseled youth on the importance of a post-secondary education and the professions which show promise for advancement.  Each year Alpha's five regions conduct Leadership Development/Citizenship Education (LD/CE) Institutes which train outstanding high school youth in vital leadership skills.  Similar LD/CE programs are held by local chapters.  Project Alpha, a male-oriented educational program designed to prevent teen pregnancies, is now in the 23^rd year of operation (in conjunction with the March of Dimes).  It is a project that serves as the model for a new generation of male focused programs now being launched.  From the Fraternity's ranks have, come leaders such as W.E.B. Dubois, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Edward Brooke, Martin Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Andrew Young, William Gray, Paul Robeson, Julius Chambers, Maynard Jackson, and many others.

       Alpha Phi Alpha has also long been involved in the advancement of civil rights for all citizens through citizenship education programs as well as financial and physical support for legal battles leading to landmark court decisions.  One such program, "A Voteless People is a Hopeless People" continues to serve as a battle cry for the Fraternity's Voter registration efforts.  Alpha is a member organization of the National Coalition on Black Voter Participation, Inc. and is a sponsoring group of "Operation Big Vote".

       The Fraternity asserts that Black Americans who have benefited from the struggles of our forefathers can and must support their own institutions.  Alpha Phi Alpha has given significant financial contributions to the NAACP, the United Negro College Fund and the National Urban League.

       The Fraternity has grown steadily in influence throughout the years, and we integrated our racial membership in 1945.  We have expanded mightily to the extent that there are more than 700 chapters located in the U.S., Caribbean Islands, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the West Indies.  The Fraternity's General Headquarters is located in Baltimore, Maryland. 

<< Return to top

Contact Us:  alphaineurope@googlemail.com