Alpha Phi Alpha

Alpha Phi Alpha
ΑΦA
The official crest of Alpha Phi Alpha. The official crest of Alpha Phi Alpha.
Founded	December 4, 1906 Cornell University
Type	Service
Scope	International
Motto	First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All
Colors	Black and Old Gold
Symbol	Sphinx, Pharaoh, Ape
Flower	Yellow Rose
Chapters	700+
Cardinal Principles	Manly Deeds, Scholarship, and Love for All Mankind
Headquarters	2313 St. Paul Street Baltimore, Maryland USA
Website	Alpha Phi Alpha website

Alpha Phi Alpha (ΑΦΑ), Fraternity (known as A-Phi-A, but also Alphas and A-PHI) is the first intercollegiate Greek letter fraternity established for African Americans when established on December 4, 1906 on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

The founders, known as the Seven Jewels, were Henry A. Callis, Charles H. Chapman, Eugene K. Jones, George B. Kelley, Nathaniel A. Murray, Robert H. Ogle and Vertner W. Tandy.

History

The fraternity was born of a desire to promote close association and mutual support among African Americans at the turn of the twentieth century. Initially it provided a literary, study, social and support group at the founders' university, Cornell, for all minority students who faced racial prejudice, both educational and social.

The Sphinx is the fraternity's journal, printed quarterly since 1914. It is among America's oldest periodicals serving as the official publication of an African American organization. The first, founded by fraternity member W.E.B. DuBois in 1910 is NAACP's The Crisis.

Since its founding, the fraternity has initiated over 150,000 men into the organization; it has been interracial since 1945.

The fraternity will celebrate a century of service in 2006.

Mission

The objectives of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity (Inc.) are to stimulate the ambition of its members; to prepare them for the greatest usefulness in the cause of humanity, freedom, and dignity of the individual; to encourage the highest and noblest form of manhood; and to aid downtrodden humanity in its efforts to achieve higher social, economic, and intellectual status. The first two objectives

1. to stimulate the ambition of its members, and
2. to prepare them for the greatest usefulness in the cause of humanity, freedom, and dignity of the individual

provide the basis for the establishment of Alpha University.

Chapters

File:Alpha Phi Alpha shield.jpg

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity shield

The first chapter established at Cornell University is named Alpha chapter. The second, Beta, established at Howard University in 1907 made Alpha Phi Alpha the first black fraternity to charter a chapter on a historically black college or university. The fraternity established Alpha Lambda 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, Caribbean islands, Vietnam and South Korea.

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 posthumous.

National programs

File:MLK memorial.jpg

Design for the MLK Jr. National Memorial

The United States Congress, in 1998, authorized the fraternity to establish a foundation to manage fundraising and design of a memorial to fraternity member Martin Luther King, Jr. [1]. The Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation is a project of Alpha Phi Alpha, in which the fraternity leads the efforts to build the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial.

The fraternity sponsors Project Alpha in conjunction with March of Dimes. Other programs of the fraternity are Go To High School, Go To College and Voteless People Is a Hopeless People. The fraternity combines its efforts with Head Start, Boy Scouts of America and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

The fraternity is a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), composed of nine (9) International Greek-letter sororities and fraternities, and the only one founded at an Ivy League school.

Centennial Celebration

In 2006, the fraternity entered a Centennial Era – A Period of preparation and mobilization leading up to the Centennial Convention, consisting of nation-wide activities and events; the commissioning of intellectual and scholarly works; the presentation of exhibits, lectures, artwork and musical expositions, and the production of film and video presentations.

Centennial Era

• The 2006 Centennial Celebration Kickoff was a pilgrimage to Cornell University on November 19, 2005 which united over 700 fraternity brothers. During the daylong pilgrimage, members marched across campus and unveiled a new centennial memorial to Alpha Phi Alpha. The memorial, a wall in the form of a "J" in recognition of the Jewels, has a bench and a plaque and is situated in front of Barnes Hall. [2]
• 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 ^[3] as part of the 2006 Black History Month theme, Celebrating 100 Years of Black Organizations.
• Alpha Phi Alpha's official 2006 Centennial (Celebration) will occur July 25 - 30, 2006 in Washington, D.C..

The first pilgrimage was held in 1956 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee and drew about 1,000 members who traveled by chartered train from Buffalo to Ithaca. Martin Luther King delivered the keynote speech at the anniversary banquet, chronicled in the documentary, Alpha Phi Alpha Men: A Century of Leadership.

Notable Alphas

See List of Alpha Phi Alpha Men

Notes

• ^ Maryland Public Television - Alpha Phi Alpha Men: A Century of Leadership

External links

• Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity website
• Alpha Phi Alpha iconography
• 2006 Centennial (Celebration) Pilgrimage photos
• National Pan-Hellenic Council

Documentary films

• Alpha Phi Alpha Men: A Century of Leadership , 2006, Producer/Directors: Alamerica Bank/Rubicon Productions

References

• Wesley, Charles H. (1981). The History of Alpha Phi Alpha, A Development in College Life. Foundation Publishers. ISBN.
• Mason, Herman "Skip" (1999). The Talented Tenth: The Founders and Presidents of Alpha. Four-G Publishers, Inc. ISBN 1885066635.
• Ross, Lawrence, Jr., "The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities", 2000