The list of Alpha Phi Alpha brothers (commonly referred to as Alphas)[1] includes initiated and honorary members of Alpha Phi Alpha(ΑΦΑ), the first inter-collegiate Greek-letterorganization established for Black college students.[2] Originally founded in December 1905 as a literary society by CC Poindexter, it was established as a fraternity on December 4, 1906 at Ithaca, New York. It wasn't until 1952, when James Morton was removed as Jewel. [3] Alpha Phi Alpha opened chapters at other colleges, universities, and cities, and named them with Greek letters. Members traditionally pledge into a chapter, although some members were granted honorary status prior to the fraternity's discontinuation of the practice of granting honorary membership. A chapter name ending in "Lambda" denotes an alumni chapter.[4] The only alumni chapter that does not end in "Lambda" is Rho Chapter, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
No chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha is designated Omega, the last letter of the Greek alphabet that traditionally signifies "the end". Deceased brothers are respectfully referred to as having their membership transferred to Omega Chapter, the fraternity's chapter of sweet rest.[5]Frederick Douglass is distinguished as the only member initiated posthumously when he became an exalted honorary member of Omega chapter in 1921.[6]
The fraternity through its college and alumni chapters serves the community through nearly a thousand chapters in the United States, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean.[7]
The honor of serving as General President is especially heartfelt when one recognizes that in "The House of Alpha", the President is "One Among Equals."
The House of Alpha was written in 1946 by fraternity brother Sydney P. Brown as a dedicatory statement for the "Alpha House" (fraternity house) of Theta Chapter and Xi Lambda chapter who jointly shared the fraternity house. Loyalty to the Fraternity was repeatedly urged by brothers on the part of those who were among the initiated, and for every chapter with the vision of a fraternity house. The statement has become a manifesto for the national fraternity and chapters, as each may symbolically be referred to as a "House of Alpha".[9][10]
Eugene K. Jones, sometimes referred to as "The Visionary Jewel", once said:
Alpha Phi Alpha, the oldest of Negro Fraternities, with all of its members presumably far above the average American and having a good and practical understanding of the salient factors involved in the Negro's problem...should be able to take into their hands the leadership in the Negro's struggle for status.[11]
President of Central State University; President of Wilberforce University; Executive Director and President of the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASALH); 14th General President and Historian of Alpha Phi Alpha
Professor of Mathematics University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley); first black person admitted to the National Academy of Sciences; first tenured black professor in UC Berkeley history; former Chair of the Department of Statistics
Willard W. Garvey Distinguished Professor of Business History at Wichita State University; acclaimed for extensive and systematic research on African American consumerism; lecturer and author of books on the economic history of African Americans including Black Business in the Black Metropolis, Desegregating the Dollar, and Business in Black and White
The Rhodes Scholarship is the world's oldest and arguably most prestigious international fellowship. The scholarships have been awarded to applicants annually since 1902 by the Rhodes Trust in Oxford on the basis of academic qualities, as well as those of character.
Songwriter, composer; former lead singer of The Impressions; 1991 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; 1993 NAACP Image Award Hall of Fame inductee
Jazz composer, lyricist, bandleader, and singer of the Harlem Renaissance; lyricist of Shuffle Along, which became the first hit musical on Broadway written by and about African-Americans
Spoken word artist; best-selling author; TLC's Four Weddings; BET Telly Award Winning Journey of Peace; ABC Chicagoing; HGTV House Hunters, DeVry Commercials; J.P. Morgan Chase Commercials; 107.5 WGCI #1 Spoken Word Artist
First Black Justice of US Supreme Court; attorney in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka; first Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund; 1946 Spingarn Medal and 1993 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient; authored the Constitution for the newly independent African nation of Kenya
Representative from Illinois; first African-American chairman of a regular House Committee (Committee on Expenditures in Executive Department); Dawson Technical Institute at Kennedy-King College (Chicago) is named in his honor
Representative from Illinois; co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus; 1932 and 1936 Olympian; Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building (Chicago) is named in his honor
first Black Representative from New York(Harlem); Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee; early civil rights and racial equality legislation advocate;long-time Pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church
Representative from New York; co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus; first Black person to chair the Committee on Ways and Means; New York State Assembly Representative; Marine combat veteran awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals
Assistant Attorney General of the state of Alabama who researched and wrote opinions which led GovernorGeorge Wallace to pardon Clarence Norris, the last known surviving defendant in the international cause célèbre case of the Scottsboro Boys; 29th General President of Alpha Phi Alpha
Chief architect of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund's strategy for racial equality in dismantling the Jim Crow laws; first Black editor of the Harvard Law Review; 1950 Spingarn Medal recipient
President of the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc., which oversees the fundraising, design, and construction of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial; 31st General President of Alpha Phi Alpha
Attorney in Lucy v. Adams, which prevented the University of Alabama from denying admission to applicants solely on account of race or color; civil rights activist; namesake of the Arthur Davis Shores Law Center and A. D. Shores Park in Birmingham, Alabama
First African-American to serve as Washington State Supreme Court Justice 1998-2002; first African-American to serve as King County Superior Court judge and Seattle Municipal Court judge; served as a special assistant to United States Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy (1960-64) to investigate corruption related to Teamster Union pension funds; brought an indictment in Chicago against Teamster Union President James Hoffa; appointed by President Clinton in 1999 to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
Chief auditor for the Republic of Liberia, European correspondent for the associated negro press in Paris, Government adviser on export-import banking issues for Liberia
Editor of the Sphinx; editor in chief of the Memphis World; co-founder and editor in chief of the Tri-State Defender; southern vice president of Alpha Phi Alpha during the Montgomery Bus Boycott
ABC Network News Senior Justice Correspondent; 2012 National Association of Black Journalists(NABJ) Journalist of the Year Award Winner; two-time Emmy Award winner(2001 and 2009); winner of the George Foster Peabody and Alfred I DuPont Awards
First African American Admiral, United States Navy; first African American to command a US fleet; the Arleigh Burke class warship USS Gravely (DDG 107) was named in his honor and commissioned on November, 20th 2010
Montford Point Marine; Awarded Congressional Medal of Honor by President Barak Obama; former executive director and general secretary of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; Alpha Award of Merit recipient,
Colonel, United States Air Force; original Tuskegee Airman and 30 year career officer in the USAF; holds an Air Force record 409 fighter combat missions flown in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam; awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Air Medal, and Army Commendation Medals; awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush in 2007; inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2011
Prominent child psychiatrist; founder of the Comer School Development Program at the Yale Child Study Center; associate dean at the Yale School of Medicine
Chemist who contributed to the science of food preservation; author of 59 United Statespatents; a number of his inventions were also patented in foreign countries
Inventor who originated a respiratory protective hood (similar to modern gas masks) and a hair-straightening preparation; patented a type of traffic light signal
Orthodontist; for many years, he was acknowledged as one of the best hands-on clinical orthodontics instructors in the world; a dental facility in Barbados is named after him
Co-founder of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity; second Executive Director of the National Urban League; Member of President Franklin D Roosevelt's Black Cabinet
First Executive Director of the National Urban League; Member of President Franklin D Roosevelt's Black Cabinet; 2nd Executive Director of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH); 1980 Spingarn Medal recipient; 15th General President of Alpha Phi Alpha
Co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC); delivered the benediction at the inauguration of Barack Obama in 2009; 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient
Gold medal winner at the IAAF World Cup, Summer Universiade, and Liberty Bell Classic; was not able to compete in the 1980 Olympics due to the US boycott on Russia, but held the world record that year in 100m
1948 Olympian and first African American to play with the USA Olympic Basketball Team; first African American consensus All American college basketball player; NBA player; first African American to play in the NBA All-Star game; Basketball Hall of Fame
NBA player; Basketball Hall of Fame; two-time NBA Champion; seven-time NBA All-Star, 4x All NBA First Team; two-time All NBA Second Team; seven-time All Defensive First Team; NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
NBA player and coach; second most wins all-time in NBA history; 1994 NBA Coach of the Year; 1996 Olympian; Basketball Coach; Basketball Hall of Fame; twice inducted into the Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach, the first and only African American so honored
NFL player; first African American All-American football player at Michigan State University; first MSU player to have jersey retired; first African American to serve on the MSU coaching staff; member of College Football Hall of Fame
NFL player, Pro Football Hall of Fame; eight-time Pro Bowl selection; three-time First Team All Pro selection; two-time Second Team All Pro selection; four-time First Team All NFC; two-time Second Team All NFC; NFL 1990's All Decade Team
NFL signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2007; former member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, Florida Tuskers, Arizona Cardinals, Edmonton Eskimos, Detroit Lions, and Dallas Cowboys; offensive tackle for the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League
NFL player; two-time college football All-American; College Football Hall of Fame; actor and singer; social activist; 1945 Spingarn Medal recipient; Stalin Peace Prize laureate
Head of the Grambling State University football program for 56 years; the winningest coach in college football history; first coach to record 400 wins; 408 total career wins
NFL player; one of the first two African-Americans to play in the NFL's modern (post-World War II) era; actor; nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor
NFL player; 2007 College Football Hall of Fame Inductee; 1986 NFL Man of the Year; 1987 Sports Illustrated Co-Sportsman of the Year; former Cincinnati City Councilman
University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Fame; second African American to letter in varsity football at Michigan; three-time track and field All-American and eight-time Big Ten champion; famous for being excluded from the 1934 Michigan vs. Georgia Tech football game due to being African American
Architect; designed buildings for Howard University, Hampton University and Langston Terrace Dwellings in Washington, DC; architect of Tuskegee, Alabama Army Airfield; first and only African American to design a US airbase
^Mason, Herman (1999). "The Visionary Jewel—Eugene Kinckle Jones". The Talented Tenth: The Founders and Presidents of Alpha. Winter Park, FL: Four-G. ISBN1-885066-63-5.
^ abcde"Virginia Union History". vuu.edu. Retrieved 2010-01-08. Cite error: The named reference "vuu" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
^ abc"Civil rights veterans join Martin Luther King Jr.'s fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha" (Press release). Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. December 2010. Most of you have been walking in the light of Alpha all these years, and now you have finally have made it official.
^"Freeman A. Hrabowski III". The University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Archived from the original on December 15, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-19. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ abBurke, Michael (2004-09-04). "Norman Manley and Aloun Assamba". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on September 26, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-30. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^"Ebony Magazine's "Power 150"" (Press release). May 2008. Retrieved June 7, 2009. Alpha continues to stand as the organization that represents the totality of the Black male...
^"Shuffle Along". The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Archived from the original on February 2, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-22. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^"Dreamgirls". Center Theatre Group. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
^Carter, Amberly R. (February 2007). "Becoming Greek"(PDF). The Drum. Millikin University. p. 3. Archived from the original(PDF) on September 27, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-07. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^"Zeta Pi Lines 1990 - 1999". Alpha Phi Alpha, Theta Pi chapter. Archived from the original on June 1, 2010. Retrieved 10 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^"Thurgood Marshall". africanamericans.com. Archived from the original on March 1, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-28. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^"Press Briefing by Drug Control Director Lee Brown" (Press release). William J. Clinton Foundation. 1994-02-09. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-04. Our belief is that supply and demand are equally important and, therefore, they should not be competing with each other.{{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ abMason, Herman (1999). "Rayford Wittingham Logan". The Talented Tenth: The Founders and Presidents of Alpha. Winter Park, FL: Four-G. ISBN1-885066-63-5.
^"The Honorable Roland Burris". Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. Archived from the original on February 28, 2003. Retrieved 2007-07-05. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ ab"U.S. Senate approves resolution" (Press release). Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. 2006-11-06. Retrieved 2008-12-31. Alpha Phi Alpha is an exceptional organization that deserves to be recognized and honored for all of its many great achievements. The fraternity has helped shape more than 175,000 young men into extraordinary leaders who contribute positively to their communities and the world.[dead link]
^Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity (2005). Alpha Phi Alpha Men: A Century of Leadership (Video). Rubicon Productions.
^"Walter C. Carrington". Council of American Ambassadors. americanambassadors.org. Archived from the original on January 5, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-26. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^"Delano Lewis". kckps.org. Archived from the original on January 9, 2009. Retrieved 2007-06-30. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ abc"McGee earns Boy Scouts' top honor at national jamboree/the sphinx winter2011". The Sphinx. 96 (1): 52. Winter 2011. Cite error: The named reference "sphinxwinter2011" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
^Howell, Ron (November 1997). "Al Vann and the Revolution unplugged". City Limits. City Futures. Retrieved 28 February 2012. Coming out of my role in the sixties, it was understood that the role of the politician was to help build institutions.
^"Tyrone K. Yates". Ohio House of Representatives. Archived from the original on May 11, 2009. Retrieved June 7, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ ab"PLP Party". PLP1. Retrieved 2012-11-06. Cite error: The named reference "PT" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
^Prince, Richard (2004-07-20). "Tony Brown Named Hampton J-School Dean". Richard Prince's Journal-isms. Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-07-29.
^Brock, Paul (2004-07-28). "Chuck Stone". nabj.org. Archived from the original on October 3, 2006. Retrieved 2007-07-20. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ ab"Don Barksdale". hoopedia.nba.com. Archived from the original on April 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-10. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^"Walt Bellamy". The Sphinx. 84 (2). Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity: 51. Spring 1999.
^ ab"Lineage of Theta Sigma chapter". Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Theta Sigma chapter. Archived from the original on January 1, 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
GOODWILL is the monarch of this house. Men, unacquainted, enter, shake hands, exchange greetings, and depart friends. Cordiality exists among all who abide within.
I am the eminent expression of friendship. Character and temperament change under my dominant power. Lives once touched by me become tuned, and are thereafter, amiable, kindly, fraternal.
I inspire the musician to play noble sentiments, and assist the chemist to convert ungenerous personalities into individuals of great worth. I destroy all ignoble impulses. I constantly invoke principles which make for common brotherhood, and the echo resounds in all communities, and princely men are thereby recognized. Education, health, music, encouragement, sympathy, laughter—all these are species of interest given on self-invested capital.
Tired moments find me a delightful treat, hours of sorrow, a shrine of understanding—at all times I am faithful to the creed of companionship.
To a few, I am the castle of dreams—ambitious, successful, hopeful dreams. To many, I am the poetic palace where human feeling is rhymed to celestial motives; to the great majority, I am the treasury of good fellowship.
In fact, I am the college of friendship; the university of brotherly love; the school for the better making of men.
I AM ALPHA PHI ALPHA!
—Sydney P. Brown
References
This section lists printed references used for this article. For inline citations, see citations above.
Mason, Herman (1999). The Talented Tenth: The Founders and Presidents of Alpha (2nd ed.). Winter Park, FL: Four-G. ISBN1-885066-63-5.
Wesley, Charles H. (1981). The History of Alpha Phi Alpha, A Development in College Life (14th ed.). Chicago, IL: Foundation. ASIN: B000ESQ14W. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)