A century ago seven young men founded a brotherhood committed to the cause of freedom today over 125,000 members strong the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha continue this fight w eb des bois Jesse Owens Duke Ellington Edward Brooke Thurgood Marshall Andrew Young and Martin Luther King jr. are among the
Countless Alpha men who have dedicated their lives to scholarship manly deeds and love for all mankind the history of these men is the history of America and their place in the vanguard of African American Progress is unparalleled this is the story of Alpha Phi Alpha z– century of leadership Alpha Phi Alpha a century of leadership is made possible by major funding from Al America Bank may 18 96 the news from Washington DC stunned african-american communities across the United States in the case of Plessy vs. Ferguson a challenge to the practice of segregating railroad passengers the Supreme Court ruled that
The Constitution permitted segregation of black and white Americans just thirty years after emancipation the decision was a new low point for African Americans post reconstruction as Jim Crow took an even stronger grip on the nation it was a signal to all the states that had wrestled with the problem of
Desegregation that that was no longer a problem that they could separate the races and maintain quote equality unquote which of course meant inequality there were no examples that I can find that there was any conscientious effort at all to maintain equality in a separate Society the Plessy decision further complicated
A growing debate between Booker T Washington and w eb Dubois regarding the proper strategy to improve conditions for all African Americans a year before the Supreme Court’s Plessy decision Washington gave his famous Atlanta exposition address suggesting a program of social and political conciliation until Economic Security was established and maintained
W eb de bois countered washington’s position calling for an organized determination and aggressive action on the part of men who believed in negro freedom and growth in 1905 29 men from 14 states answered to voice call meeting on the canadian side of Niagara Falls so in 1905 he pulled together a group of
Individuals to meet in well they were going to meet in Buffalo New York but they couldn’t find housing because of this doctrine of separate but equal a place where they could hold their meeting so they went to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls and this is why
It’s called the Niagara movement in 1905 and one of the things that WB Dubois William Monroe Trotter and others who were a part of the Niagara movement wanted to demonstrate to the country was that African Americans were not satisfied with their situation that things had to change
And so they formed the Niagara movement they issued a Declaration of Principles now that Declaration of Principles indicates the rights that African Americans desire as well as the responsibilities that African Americans themselves needed to embrace in order to change the situation in the country and the founders of Alpha Phi Alpha
Fraternity were very much influenced by the Niagara movement on the main gateway of Cornell University in Ithaca New York are the words of University founder Ezra Cornell I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study with this guiding principle Cornell was among the few mainly white universities
At the time accepting african-americans pursuing higher education well Cornell attracted many african-americans because it was a unique University in those days it had many brilliant scholars and many african-americans have been drawn to it as a very liberal University the atmospheres such that many young men in the south who were going north for
Education went to Cornell just as it went to Harvard and Yale and Princeton african-american students at Cornell at the time lived in the Ithaca community the Ithaca community has an old established african-american population many of these individuals worked at the University they were the individuals who helped to clean the university who
Helped to maintain the university cleaned the dorm rooms they were the cooks for the university and that sort of thing but the students lived in the african-american community most of them lived around st. James AME Zion Church the oldest extant church building in Ithaca was built in 1837 Ithaca was a
Station on the Underground Railroad number of individuals who were escaping from slavery before the Civil War of course settled in Ithaca New York Harriet Tubman visited Ithaca New York Frederick Douglass spoke in Ithaca New York so you have a bit of a heritage there in Ithaca and I think they became
A part of this within this historic African American community a small group of students at Cornell inspired by the Niagara movements Declaration of Principles began a journey that continues even now 100 years later among these exceptional young men was Henry Arthur Calais son of an AME Zion preacher in Binghamton New York Calais
Fulfilled his childhood pledged by enrolling at Cornell to prepare for a career in medicine he supported himself by waiting tables at one of the white fraternities which dominated campus social life and was known to remove his waiters jacket and tutor white fraternity boys for $5 a lesson Calais impressed fellow students with his
Passion and fervor for African American advancement Calais was influenced by some of the great social activist persons of that time Harriet Tubman the great abolitionist Frederick Douglass who was a distant cousin of Calais by marriage he as a young man would learn and recite the speeches of Douglass
There’s an account of him reciting the Atlanta Exposition speaker Booker T Washington in 1895 and even being called little Booker T because of his zest and given that great oration Charles Henry Chapman grew up near Ithaca returning to Cornell after attending Howard University Academy in addition to studying agriculture full-time Chapman
Was a successful businessman he owned a small Brickyard and even a little small cafe many of us like to say that he was one of the founders that had some modest means which we see instrumental as the organization began to take shape Eugene kinkle Jones was a son of two
Highly educated African American parents an unusual circumstance at that time Joan’s father was a professor at Virginia Union University his mother earned degrees from a music conservatory in Boston and from Howard University Jones left Richmond to study at Cornell in the fall of 1906 George Biddle Kelley
Came from Troy New York his great-uncle served in the historic Boston Massachusetts 54th infantry during the Civil War Kelley often recounted his great uncle and grandfather stories of slavery and of the great fight for freedom born in Washington DC Nathaniel Allison Murray was the son of Daniel Alexander Payne Murray the first african-american
Employee of the Library of Congress credited with facilitating the earliest collection of American history told by African Americans ancestors on Murray’s mother’s side fought in the Revolutionary War and stood with John Brown at Harpers Ferry Robert Harold ogle son of Ellen and Jeremiah a day laborer was also from
Washington DC Oval rented a room in Archie and Annie Singleton’s house in Ithaca in 1905 and was the only one in this group of young men who was married with children while still a student upon the tragic death of his wife Olga persevered as a widower with two
Daughters in his senior year at Cornell he worked at the Ithaca hotel he also had a job as a porter on the railroad during the summer and just has some great obstacles yet he graduated Verna Woodson Tandy was born in Lexington Kentucky his father Henry was a successful and well-known building
Contractor Tandy transferred to Cornell from Tuskegee Normal School where he played in the cadets band and studied architecture referred to by his friends at Cornell as an ardent devotee at the shrine of Bacchus and Aphrodite Tandy was known to take unannounced excursions from school for entertainment these seven young men
Were part of a group of african-american students who supported each other academically and socially to survive in this difficult environment though Cornell accepted black students they remained segregated from their white counterparts outside the classroom there was no social interaction between the races in sports study or Greek life
There was a high attrition rate among African American students in such challenging surroundings so they sort of sell of their own and this is what caused them so much anguish and so much anxiety and so much so much a sense of of separation and of detachment so that
That’s the climate in which they lived and that’s the reason for them to try to band themselves together the man that brought these founders together was a gentleman by the name of Charles Poindexter and he initiated social affairs Friday evening socials where they would gather at the homes of
Persons there Charles cordosa Poindexter hailed from West Virginia attending graduate school at Cornell after graduating from Ohio State University this was Cece Poindexter’s idea in starting a social study Club and through the social study club individuals would would gain support would be able to prosper academically
At a meeting on October 23rd 1906 George Biddle Kelly moved and it was approved that the society be known by the Greek letters Alpha Phi Alpha having worked in white fraternity houses and seen the camaraderie and support provided by the Greek letter societies some attendees at this meeting including James
H Morton discussed the possibility of becoming a fraternity they hoped such an organization would improve conditions for future African American students at Cornell CC Poindexter strongly objected to this proposal he did not support the idea of a fraternity because again he saw the fraternities that were on the campus he
Saw the frivolity the frivolousness if you will of many of these organizations and I think for him he did not feel that the black community could afford having such an organization at a meeting on December 4th 1906 CC Poindexter surprised the group with his official resignation after vigorous debate of his
Views a vote was taken Poindexter’s resignation was regretfully accepted and the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity was born the founders of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity were not looking to start a traditional social organization they were looking to start an organization that had a social purpose that had an intellectual purpose that would be
Involved in activities beyond the college campus they sought from the very beginning to emphasize first of all scholarship secondly Magna deeds as they later said in that in him and love for all mankind they wanted social programs and educational programs that transcended the kind of strict society
In which they lived it also of course suggested to them that they ought to look beyond their communities restricted as their communities were and become a part of the larger social media society which of course meant that they wanted to attack some of the problems that beset their fellows the founders of
Alpha Phi Alpha were not familiar with the workings of college greek-letter societies through observations while working at white fraternities and their own wisdom they fashioned an organization to meet their needs the fraternity later adopted the motto first of all servants of all we shall transcend all and the ancient symbol of
The Sphinx representing intellect and strength as well as the members African ancestry suggested by Henry Arthur calles the aim to destroy all prejudice was included in the general constitution of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity these founders could not know what the future held but they were armed with formidable intellectual and spiritual capacities
And driven by a noble purpose as word of Alpha Phi Alpha sounding at Cornell reached other college campuses a desire ignited to join in this remarkable endeavor Traveling home from the Christmas holiday of 1907 Eugene Hinkle Jones and Nathaniel Allison Murray stopped in Washington DC to establish a second Alpha chapter at Howard University on December 20th 19 young men were inducted into Alpha Phi Alpha Beta Chapter ten days later Jones conducted a similar ceremony at Virginia Union College in
Richmond creating the fraternities Gamma chapter he recalled that these days ended with every man proud that he belonged to an organization of noble purpose and fraternal ISM I often like to say that it was Jones who spreaded the gospel of Alpha he had caught fire of the Alpha spirit because you know in
Order for alpha to to to grow it had to expand you know and he took the idea and the concepts and the precepts of this very young organization within a matter month after his initiation and began to plant seeds at other college campuses and of course those seeds germinated and
Today we have over 700 college chapters seven hundred chapters college and alumni throughout the the United States with the fraternities expansion the need for a national meeting emerged in December 1908 Alpha Phi Alpha held its first general convention on the fourth floor of the main building of Howard University campus
And there the first general convention was held and a constitution bylaws were drafted and conditions were set for the expansion of the fraternity on the closing day of the convention the election of Moses Alvin Morrison of Beta Chapter as national president officially transferred control of the fraternity from Cornell University and Alpha Phi
Alpha became the first national intercollegiate fraternity for African American men Alfa’s birth came at a time when violence against african-americans was on the rise in the United States four months before the 1908 convention a race riot tore apart Springfield Illinois this aggression taking place with bitter irony in the town of Abraham Lincoln’s tomb terrified black communities across
The country and this really struck a number of people around the country how could this happen about 4,000 african-americans are expelled from Springfield Illinois they have to leave the town and so a number of people are struck by this and this leads to the formation of the n-double a-c-p
In what was known as the second Niagara movement w eb de bois called a meeting at Harpers Ferry West Virginia where the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded this group shared many of the objectives of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity therefore they tended to support the
Program the views and the program of the n-double a-c-p more than the so-called patient and long-suffering attitude that Booker T Washington and his group advocated so there was a coincidence of feeling and of program and of activity on the part of alphas on the one hand and the n-double-a-cp
On the other small wonder that the founding fathers of n-double-a-cp found that the alphas were an organization – they’re lacking and many of them joined the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity WEP Du Bois himself was among the n-double-a-cp founders who became brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha joining the fraternity in 1909
Alpha Phi Alpha supported other african-american organizations emerging in the early decades of the 20th century including the National Urban League Alpha Phi Alpha founder Eugene kinkle Jones became the executive secretary of this organization in 1917 and throughout the National Urban league’s nearly 100 years of existence
Alpha men have played a critical role in the organization you know the most humbling part of this is that one of the founders of Alpha Phi Alpha Eugene kinkle Jones was what was then called the executive secretary of the National Urban League really the president and
CEO in the 1920s and in the 1930s so it’s humbling for me many years later 80 years later to have an opportunity to stand on his shoulders as the new president as the current president and CEO of the National Urban League and and to also note and I don’t
Think it’s a coincidence that the National Urban League has had eight leaders in 95 years and and of those eight leaders six have been members of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity alpha brothers who have served as chief executive of the National Urban League include Eugene kinkle Jones Lester Granger Channing Tobias Whitney M
Young Jr Hubie Price and Marc Morial the rapid growth of civil rights organizations also fueled Alpha Phi Alpha Development new chapters formed across the country and the fraternity soon took an innovative step forward in its evolution to continue the bonds of college days in a more formal way and to
Bring into the fraternity others who did not have the opportunity for the fraternal experience either because they did not attend the University where there was a fraternity all because they chose to delay it for some reason in 1911 Alpha Phi Alpha transformed the traditional understanding of a fraternity as an organization only for
Those in college with the creation of the first alumni chapter Alpha Lambda in Louisville Kentucky at this time other than the church what are the outlets for black men there very few professional organizations that are in existence at this time so black men who are professionals who are college graduates
Are able to fellowship with in the fraternity in ways that they’re not able to fellowship in the larger society so the fraternity meets that particular need at the graduate level with the expansion of undergraduate and alumni chapters a means of regular communication between the groups became necessary the solution was the
Fink’s magazine first published in March 1914 with future Alfa general president Raymond W Cannon as editor many early Sphinx editorials addressed the importance of keeping alumni brothers loyal and involved in the fraternity the Sphinx is the second oldest african-american publication still in existence today Americans hoped
That World War one the war to end all wars would establish equality and justice around the globe many alpha men enlisted convinced that victory in this war would forever changed the way Americans viewed equality at home alphas beta chapter and others at Howard University successfully lobbied the US government to establish a
Camp for training black military officers the largest group represented at this camp located at Fort Des Moines Iowa was the 58 alphas present and 50 of these men received commissions though pleased with their successes alpha brothers were frustrated with the segregated military remaining firmly committed to combat any and all
Obstacles to african-american progress America emerged from World War one and entered the 1920s with a roar the Harlem Renaissance of this error was pivotal in the cultural history of the United States as African American artistic achievement gained greater currency naturally many alpha brothers participated in this movement men such
As historian and essayist Charles H Wesley the talented writer Countee Cullen songwriter noble Cecil opportunity magazine editor Charles Johnson the multi-talented Paul Robeson and the legendary Duke Ellington were important figures in the Harlem Renaissance one of my alpha brothers that I absolutely admired Duke Ellington because remember now he was the one that
Opened the door these were the door openers if you will I mentally just walked through and received the benefits of many a day of of their hard work and labor but it was not only were the ambassadors of the music but there were also the ambassadors of the community
12th general president Raymond W cannon recalled that at the height of the Harlem Renaissance Alpha was shocked to learn of the dismally low high school graduation rate among African American students as alpha believed in the fundamental importance of education for African American progress the fraternity initiated a go to high school go to
College program in 1919 they established this program go to high school go to college be get an education that’s the point those of you who can go to college go to college but you most of you can get at least in high school education you’re gonna need that if you’re going
To succeed in this world and the chapters embraced it as a national program it was really our first big national program we were out telling people go to high school go to college stay in high school graduate from high school and then go to college we sent members of our different chapters around
The country into the high schools of this country to tell the youngsters we were Assembly speakers and we sent Flyers out into the community we talked with the principal we want them to go to high school go to college by the end of the 1920s Alpha Phi Alpha was proud of
Its accomplishments and had grown from one small chapter at Cornell University to eighty-five chapters at institutions across the country with over 3,000 members the fraternity continued to hold national meetings annually in major cities and at black universities around the country in 1926 general president Raymond W cannon chose the eminent historian and
Alpha brother Charles Harris Wesley to write a comprehensive history of the fraternity at the 1929 convention in Atlanta Wesley presented the first copies of the Alpha Phi Alpha history book the 294 page volume gave the first account of alphas activities from the jewels at Cornell in 1905 through the
Fraternities extensive work of 1928 during this convention the Alpha brothers made a pilgrimage to the Tuskegee Institute considered a model african-american community with elementary and high schools housing and a bank all on the grounds the Alpha conventioneers paid tribute at the tomb of Booker T Washington clearly alpha had
A great appreciation of Washington’s contribution to African American development despite the fraternities close association with WEP to boys the men of Alpha knew that unity of purpose regardless of differences in approach was vital to the success in the struggles that lay ahead Just as Alpha Phi Alpha sought to expand further America was hit by the Great Depression the depression was hard on the entire country but especially african-americans the black community feels the depression sooner and it last longer than for the rest of the country and this certainly affects the fraternity in December 1930 the
Fraternities Executive Council reported that 17 chapters were inactive yet alpha endured the existence of our alumni chapters was one of the things that helped to sustain us as there was some decline in membership on college campuses because of fewer African Americans being able to afford to go to college at that time
But the men of Alpha persisted in their leadership and service their undying commitment was aptly described by brother Bernard young editor of the Sphinx magazine any brother who has fraternity spirit and love worthy of the name we see that old man depression gets a lickin from Alpha Phi Alpha in 1933
The fraternity established the Alpha Phi Alpha Education Foundation headed by brother Rayford W Logan the education foundation comprised a structure of scholarships and grants for African American students in addition they created foundation publishing to provide financial support and fellowship for writers addressing African American issues a young John
Hope Franklin was among the first recipients of assistance from foundation publishing additionally a committee of Public Policy was organized to give Alpha a voice for or against national government policies the men of Alpha recognized the alarmingly disproportionate appropriations for education of black and white citizens in many states the
Committee of public policy was intended to address such problems individually and as an organization they worked to eliminate and overcome the barriers of segregation and Prejudice obstacles to african-american development the architect of the whole legal attacked on segregation was Charlie Houston Charles Hamilton Houston who saw a weakness in
The laws which could be attacked through the courts Charles Hamilton Houston was a brilliant student particularly in Amherst he was commissioned in the United States Army going through Fort Des Moines in essence after a tour in Europe where he was subjected to much racial discrimination because in the United
States military he returned and in a law school at Harvard University he became one of the charter members of Alpha ADA chapter which was the chapter at Harvard University of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity he later came back to Washington DC and was a charter member of mule and a
Chapter and during that time taught at Howard University became Dean of the Howard University Law School and became a mentor to many of the law students who later led the fight to dismantle the racial barriers in the United States among them David Marshall so I remember this as a
Student at Fisk and as the president of alphas at in 1934 when Charles Hamilton Houston came to Fisk University I had the enviable pleasure of of introducing him I should never forget his his speech that he had the passion the commitment that he communicated to everyone who
Heard him I think when when Charles Houston got through the roll up roll up our sleeves and go out in the community organize people have them to vote to have them to participate in there’s a drive for equality just immediately that was our passion as a result of his is
Being there and talking to us and and it lighted a fire in us that I think could not be extinguished in in our lifetime two of Charles Hamilton Houston protegees at Howard Alpha brothers Thurgood Marshall and a Belford V Lawson jr. joined Houston and other alpha trial lawyers and arguing many of the
Country’s major court cases affecting civil rights and civil liberties unavailable to address the fraternities 1936 general convention Houston wrote alpha President Charles H Wesley to recommend Thurgood Marshall as a capable alternative Wesley accepted this substitution encouraging the up-and-coming young lawyer who did not disappoint he called on Alpha brothers to support
The legal battles against segregation in which further advances were soon achieved when Donald Murray of Baltimore was denied admission to the University of Maryland law school on account of his race in 1935 Houston Marshall and Lawson filed suit to challenge his exclusion with the support of n-double-a-cp lawyers they argued the case
Successfully before the Maryland Court of Appeals and the school was required to admit Murray however Murray was unable to afford books and tuition so alpha then stepped up to pay his costs until he graduated the success of this case demonstrated the great potential of fighting discrimination in the courts continuing
The momentum Houston and alpha brother Sidney R Redmond sued the University of Missouri for denying fellow alpha man Lloyd L gains admission to the University’s Law School the case went all the way to the United States Supreme Court and in 1938 was decided in Gaines favor all alpha men shared a great sense
Of pride when brother Jesse Owens rocked the world with his record-breaking gold medal performances at the 1936 Olympics setting the world’s record and winning four gold medals made Owens a national hero to other alpha brothers ruff Metcalf and Dave Albert and joined Owens and winning Olympic medals for the
Entire world to see including Germany’s new leader Adolf Hitler who was heard to say we will next time forbid any participation of anything African here you have Jesse Owens winning four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics and just shattering this myth of Aryan supremacy and demonstrating the ability of African
Americans to compete at the highest level I think that we saw the demonstration of a kind of superb performance that could justify the at the the advocacy of equality for here was a superior type of activity on the part of an african-american that proved not merely
To white America but to the world what what African American could do at home Alpha Phi Alpha soon took a new focus of black electoral participation in 1937 the fraternity launched a campaign with the motto a vote las’ people is a hopeless people endeavoring to gain political empowerment for African
Americans through voter education the Brothers of Alpha mounted a massive campaign this program continues today as alpha encourages African Americans to make their voices heard via the ballot box I think the program is a little bit more elevated now a little bit more organized but at the grassroots level that is
Essentially what it is it is going to shopping centers it’s going to populated areas to to fairs to amusement parks anyplace there’s a conglomerate of individuals and ensuring that everyone understands the responsibility of being good citizens and you cannot be a good citizen if you are not a voting citizen
At the outset of World War 2 alphaman embraced the opportunity to serve their country many African Americans served in the Second World War but alpha men found the segregated structure of the military frustrating and oppressive fascism was not the only adversary they faced During World War two there was a slogan amongst African Americans that we were fighting a double V campaign for victory abroad as well as victory at home and there was a determination that after World War two things were going to be different that this country could never
Be the same as it was before world war ii and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity was poised to make sure that this change occurred this change began to take place when they returned from the war African Americans found little change regarding civil rights in America even as they disembarked from troop ships signs
Separated them from the white soldiers black men who participated in World War two had their horizons expanded they saw the world they saw that racial segregation and discrimination was not natural that in other countries in France in England in Italy that they were treated as equals and they said if
This could exist amongst white people abroad why can’t this exist among white people in the United States addressing this problem Belford Lawson elected general president of the fraternity in 1946 challenged his brothers to an even more active role in the fight for equality in America the great decision of this generation of
Alpha men is whether we shall with every ounce of energy with every dollar in our Treasury with every fiber of our mind and soul deny the gigantic conspiracy to preserve our status quo and destroy the mighty monstrous mockery of human decency and dignity he was the most eloquent and passionate advocates of the
Program of seeking equality of opportunity and seeking the complete enfranchisement of african-americans throughout the country and I think that it was his passion that renewed the efforts on the part of the fraternity to achieve equality and and and Lawson was of course in one of the greatest artists
I’ve ever heard and one of the greatest advocates of of social betterment that I have ever heard on may 17 1942 in route from Washington DC to Birmingham on the Southern Railroad Elmer Henderson was denied dining car service and subsequently retained the services of Belford V Lawson to challenge the railroad segregation practices
With the financial backing of Alpha Phi Alpha and later the n-double-a-cp the case went to the Supreme Court with Belford V Lawson and alpha associate general counsel John a Sandefur arguing on mr. Henderson’s behalf in 1950 the court ruled in mr. Henderson’s favor putting an end to discrimination on America’s railroads
When alpha brother Herman Marion Sweatt sought admission to the University of Texas law school in 1946 the state of Texas set up a separate school for Sweatt in a basement in another suit supported by Alpha Phi Alpha the Supreme Court ruled in 1950 that African Americans could not receive an equal
Education and hastily assembled separate facilities for shadowing the 1954 Brown versus Board of Education decision declaring that separate was inherently unequal You brother Frederick Douglas Patterson president of Tuskegee Institute spearheaded a major effort for African American higher education in 1944 pushing for the foundation of the United Negro College Fund of the schools originally participating in the United Negro College Fund scholarship program the majority had presidents who were alpha brothers
An appreciation of such tireless efforts on behalf of African Americans the fraternity created the Alpha award of Honor and the Alpha Award of Merit upon accepting the first Alpha award of Honor Thurgood Marshall cautioned the brothers that further struggle for freedom and equality still lay ahead Marshall soon
Began work on the landmark court case Brown versus the Topeka Board of Education and enlisted fellow alpha men for assistance I was teaching at Cornell by the way in the summer of 1953 when I got a call from would you believe it Thurgood Marshall and he said John hope
What are you doing this fall I said I’m going back to Howard University where I’m teaching he said you know what else you’ll be doing I said no he said you’ll be working for me I said what will I be doing he said well you’re gonna be
Working for on the on the second brief in Brown against the Board of Education I saw then what was what I could see I had no other place in no other point the deep deep commitment of Thurgood Marshall to the whole program and to the and to finding an answer to these
Questions and to persuading the Supreme Court that that the Constitution that the 14-minute was on our side so to speak I’ve never seen a man work so hard and never my father was a lawyer and I’ve seen him work and I’ve seen people work in other areas but I had never seen
Anyone work as hard as Thurgood Marshall did in the summer and fall of 1953 and I did not know until later that his wife was dying at that time and he sat there working day and night I remember one night at midnight he said well we’ll take a 15-minute break that was most
Inspiring performance of duty that I’ve ever seen in my life by anyone and I shall always remember that and I shall always be humbled by it for I I then learned what real sacrifice what real devotion what real commitment what real passion can be and can bring about these
Tireless efforts in the courts led to continuing progress that forever altered American life you dramatic news as the United States on May 17 1954 the Supreme Court ruled in favor of brown and African Americans across the country rejoiced while the brown decision was a victory against segregation the implementation and
Enforcement of the ruling was a different story I remember so well on May 17 1954 my wife who was a librarian the librarian at Spingarn high school here in Washington and I was at Howard University my wife called me on the afternoon 17th of may of May and she
Said have you heard the news I said what news she said the Supreme Court decision I said no she said we won and of course I was immensely pleased delighted and then I learned that that the entire country was reacting those people who were promoting this aviation were were
Happy about it and elated but I also realized even on that afternoon and particularly that night and the next day that while some people celebrated of the 14th amendment there were others who were decrying the decision expressing the disappointment and expressing determination to nullify that opinion regardless of what it took
The southern reaction was often ugly sometimes violent students parents and elected officials refused to abide by the brown ruling forcing federal intervention but the push forward continued and increased momentum in coming years Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity of course is involved in the struggle that begins in the south that spreads
Across the country that starts with December 1st 1955 when a courageous black woman decided that she’d had enough not that she was just tired she was tired alright she was tired of being treated as a second-class citizen the Montgomery Alabama bus boycott ceased the country’s attention and thrust alpha brother Martin Luther King
Jr. to national prominence as a civil rights Crusader son of an Atlanta preacher Martin Luther King jr. was a newcomer to Montgomery having recently earned his PhD at Boston University where he was a member of alphas Sigma chapter in Montgomery here you have this young Minister just out of graduate
School family has just had a child he’s called upon to lead this movement now we look back today and of course we honor Martin Luther King jr. as a tremendous leader but that was a thankless job very few people wanted that position because it meant that they were going to be the
Focus of attention and as Martin Luther King’s house was bombed his life was threatened the lives of his family this was not a position that people were running to to to become the leader of the Montgomery bus boycott but Martin Luther King jr. I think threw his family
In many respects through the fraternity was prepared when Kings efforts in Montgomery led to his arrest alpha leadership came to the aid of their brother as a show of support for his efforts to eliminate barriers to african-american progress when Frank Stanley who without general president at
That time called me one night and said Jimmy Martin has been arrested and we need to do something to go down and need to do something to to show our support so there was now a major situation in the Civil Rights area major because every single newspaper television
Station chaired the fact that Martin Luther King had been arrested for trying to carry out the Montgomery boycott okay everybody knew that so now here they were putting him on trial and this man was gonna stand up there by himself we were alpha men he was our brother so
The decision was made that we ought to go down there physically and stand with him in that courtroom when they had his trial and then of course some of the brighter mind and said yeah but just going down there it won’t do it carry some money and that’s where we
Can’t $1000 well now you say now $1,000 that’s all but $1,000 in that day and age was worth an awful lot of money when King appeared in court James huger was among the alpha brothers sitting behind him in full support the disgraceful display of justice that
Took place left a lasting mark on those present I’ve been a victim of discrimination and segregation all my life because I’ve lived in the south but I was not prepared for the meeting in that courtroom that day Martin Luther King was the most educated man in that
Room he had a PhD and not a single other person in that room had it including a judge and all of the lawyers but not one time did those people ever address him as mr. king or Reverend King they always addressed him as that boy or that [ __ ]
Oh well we sat there and I think we could have walked out if we could have but we couldn’t but Martin Luther King was one of the most humble persons you’d ever want to meet and you talk about turning the other cheek he was one of
Those he turned around and looked at us and looked at the expression on our faces and he uttered these words this too shall pass Netcom D at this time we are committed to having another a massive demonstrations grace under fire served him well after a tense year and a fight
All the way to the Supreme Court the boycott in Montgomery resolved in a major triumph over Jim Crow the pattern of direct activism followed by litigation proved a successful formula for achieving progress and was celebrated along with Alpha Phi Alpha ‘s educational and political efforts at the
Fraternities meeting in 1956 more than a thousand alpha men and their families attended an emotional 50th anniversary convention at Buffalo New York they took a train to Ithaca making a pilgrimage to alphas birthplace a pun returned to Buffalo they enjoyed the performance by brother Duke Ellington’s band whether
Charles Wesley gave a moving speech urging alpha men to further their efforts in the cause of freedom New York Governor Averill Harriman addressed the gathering decrying racial discrimination brother Arthur Shores was awarded the Alpha Medal of Honor for his work in Birmingham and Martin Luther King jr.
Was awarded the Alpha award of Honor dr. King was the featured speaker at the convention his address on the injustice of segregation was the crowning moment of the event and he took time to thank his fraternity brothers for their support I can remember those days very dark days
When many of us confronted a trial in court and I can look out in the courtroom and see our very eminent general president that made me feel very good as an alpha man and I want to thank you for what you have done all along this 50th anniversary was a time for men
Of Alpha to celebrate their accomplishments and to plan for the future alphas leadership was having an impact as African American Progress gained momentum but this time there was widespread advocacy of equality and I can only say that historically goes back surely to the early days of this organization but
That by the middle of the 50s and sickened into the 60s it is very very widespread alphas also led african-americans in gaining a foothold in elected positions in government in 1942 brother William L Dawson of Chicago was elected to the United States House of Representatives and became the first African American to
Chair a House committee alpha man Adam Clayton Powell joined Dawson in the house in 1945 representing the district including Harlem New York brother Charles Diggs jr. went to the house in 1955 and became the first chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and yet another Alpha carried this progress forward into the 1960s A world war two veteran and graduate of Howard University and Boston University Law School alpha man Edward William Brooke practice law in Boston before boldly announcing a run for Massachusetts Attorney General in 1962 no african-american had ever been elected Attorney General of any state in the nation here I was is one newspaper
Said a black and a white state a Protestant and a Catholic state a Republican in a democratic state and he’s poor and I pleaded guilty it’s all indictments but having said that I continued on in my campaign for attorney general while proud of his groundbreaking election as Massachusetts attorney
General Brooks saw it as a somewhat bittersweet triumph it might be an honor to be the first African American to ever be elected a state attorney general it was an honor but it’s a sad commentary when you think about the fact that it hadn’t happened before 1962 long after
Emancipation with all the talent legal talent that was around this country the fact that I in 1962 was the first ever to be elected a state’s attorney general the chief law enforcement office of the state is a sad commentary for America not for African Americans but for America the fraternities 21st general president
And president of Wiley College dr. Thomas Winston Cole led the Alpha contingent in the massive march on Washington DC August 28 1963 brother Martin Luther King electrified hundreds of thousands of listeners with his dream of racial equality and justice on July 10th 1964 the world showed its appreciation of brother King’s work in
Oslo Norway he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize as a trustee for the 22 million Negroes in the United States of America who are engaged in a creative battle to end the night of racial injustice in Massachusetts Attorney General Edward Brooke won acclaim with his success in the high-profile
Boston Strangler case and for a record of tough action against organized crime in 1966 after two outstanding terms as Massachusetts Attorney General Edward Brooke won election as the first african-american United States Senator since reconstruction alpha prepared me for many things that I had to do helped
Me to think helped me to make right decisions and take right actions and in this regard the Alpha Phi also really has been with me every step of the way Edward Brooke took his seat in the United States at a time of intense political upheaval and unrest President
Lyndon Johnson tapped the new senator to serve on the Commission on civil disorders investigating the causes of the disturbances that rocked cities across the nation this group took the lead in shaping the 1968 Civil Rights Act as alphaman made strides in the legislative branch of government advances continued on the judicial side
As well brother Thurgood Marshall continued his illustrious legal career presiding as a US Circuit Court Judge and then serving as a remarkably successful Solicitor General under President Johnson Marshall achieved the pinnacle of his field upon being appointed to the United States Supreme Court in June of 1967 on April 4th 1968
The mounting successes of African American Progress were overshadowed by tragedy the evening before a planned march through Memphis Tennessee alpha brother Martin Luther King jr. was killed by an assassin’s bullet I was present when dr. King was killed he was in 306 of the Rana hotel and I was in 308 and I heard the shot ring out that killed dr. King and I looked around and about 20 feet away he was dr. King’s body back against the wall I jumped in
My car and went to the hospital because as a an employee of the Department of Justice I could get in my little badge and I got into the hospital and the doctor looked me straight in the eye and said he’s dead mr. Sennett it was an evening that I could never never forget
I knew dr. King personally and and I knew of his role as a leader and his philosophy as a leader and it struck me in a way that it still Now more involved and more committed to the struggle and that occurs every time there were demonstrations they retired that were masked maidens you could find alpha in vada the assassination shocked the world King’s death was a terrible blow but his alpha brothers courage and will to carry the fight forward would not be
Shaken this determination and commitment were inherent in Alpha Phi Alpha x’ very spirit the fraternity had lost a heroic brother but it would not lose its way Alfa’s quest to improve life for all african-americans reached beyond the fight against legal segregation and Prejudice to include direct efforts for economic progress I think I forgot involved with the social issues economic issues of the country because of the condition in which black Americans lived poverty poor public schools poor education generally
Housing there’s no decent affordable housing available to them when I was in the Senate they had redlining banks will not give mortgages to African Americans who went into districts that had any white cinema at all I was fortunate to get rid of that at the time very proud
Of that but it was necessity it came about because that’s was way it was my father told me that if you pay more than 25 percent of your rent for of your income rather for rent that you can’t afford to live in that particular rental unit so I introduced legislation to put a
Maxim that no one living in public housing would pay more than 25 percent of income for rent it was called the Brooklyn lemon and proud of that the Brooke Amendment dictates that public housing tenants pay no more than 25% of their income on rent and mandates government subsidies to ensure that
Housing operating costs are met chapters of Alpha Phi Alpha also worked to provide good quality housing in urban areas spread across the opportunity park area of southwest Akron Ohio the channel would village housing development serves as a testament to Alpha Phi Alpha leadership in Community Improvement originally constructed to provide homes
For low and moderate income families and the elderly the genesis of this hugely successful project came in the Akron’s need for redevelopment in the area a prominent judge in Akron a member of alphas a d’etat Lambda chapter whether James Williams was instrumental in the project’s inception in the late 50s and
Early 60s Akron embarked on one of the most aggressive the urban renewal programs in the country three large development projects whereby more than 2,000 units of housing was actually displaced and as part of the plan for the urban renewal area was to rebuild most of that housing and that was the
Impetus for alpha to become involved the Federal Housing Act of 1963 asked nonprofit organizations such as labor unions fraternities and churches to get involved in building housing for low-income families individuals and senior citizens Alpha Phi Alpha was poised to take advantage of this opportunity to work with government in
Improving urban living conditions aware of the need for such efforts in Akron ADA tall Lambda chapter took up the challenge a $180 contribution from each brother in the chapter served as seed money I went to the Brotherhood suggested that this may be a worthwhile effort on the
Part of alpha and we should take a look at it and see if it makes sense for us and I thought he lost his mind and first of all it wasn’t so much what he was saying that I didn’t really like but what I was thinking who in the world’s
Been alone some black men that much money to start a project it had never been done before no one thought we were crazy they thought we were maybe in left-field in fact there was some of us who we had nothing to do but gamble that’s why it
Was a dream and if it worked fine if it didn’t well we were right back where we started from after a while and after talking to some builders and talking to other experts in the community and after approach in the city to make sure that the land was available we decided to
Proceed the chapters secured a federal Department of Housing and Urban Development grant of eleven point four million dollars for construction and groundbreaking took place on October 29th 1971 construction went smoothly and was completed ahead of schedule and formal dedication of the project took place on October 28th 1973 the
Centerpiece of the channel would village housing development is the 277 unit high-rise Henry a Calais tower named for the Alpha founding brother channel would village also includes 144 garden apartments and 130 magnificent townhouses clearly a far cry from low-income housing following the success of channel would village alpha expanded
Its housing in Akron with the 148 unit James R Williams tower and Charles H Wesley tower with 100 apartments outside Akron alpha housing projects include Lionel H Newsome tower and Alliance Ohio the growth continued to include projects across Ohio and beyond with 17 properties in Northeastern Ohio and 16 more throughout
The state Alpha Phi Alpha homes operates and maintains more than 1,600 units in total additional projects outside the state include the impressive alpha tower apartments in Chicago Illinois and the Alpha Gardens and alpha Terrace developments in st. Louis Missouri so our outreach is beyond Ohio we believe
That there’s a need for housing all over the country so whatever’s a need we try to go and assist and we want to make sure that everybody has affordable housing the quality of work that’s been done here is is well known in in many different parts of the United States it
Is it is it has been a benchmark for the the kind and quality of work that makes a huge difference in the life of a community we see a bigger role in being able to share our information teach other chapters and now other organizations that are out that have
Seen we have done and I think we were best 40-year old secret out there a total Mamta’s experience in Akron has helped Alpha Phi Alpha chapters to sponsor housing developments across Ohio in Chicago Illinois and in st. Louis Missouri chapters in other cities are currently considering programs as the home ownership rate among
African-americans continues to lag far behind that of white citizens these programs are one way to move forward in closing the gap you see this really partnership between the private sector entity like the Alpha file for homes Inc and city of Akron other agencies and organizations could use that model to really continue to
Improve the living conditions for the providing particular housing for residents and I think that’s the their legacy probably is a good role model to have people see what can be done when they work together for the right cause put together some innovative and creative people and let them work with
Government to try to make things better having an organization like alpha file for that one helps to educate people about the needs of Housing and credit and the things that will allow people to achieve homeownership get into home and stay into home are the kinds of partners
That we always look to have at the Fannie Mae Foundation in fact we can’t do anything alone and we certainly can’t help the many millions of families that need help with respect to getting into a home of their own we actually do need partners like Alpha Phi Alpha and many
Other Greek letter organizations and other nonprofit organizations that are doing really excellent work in providing an opportunity for people to have a piece of the American Dream and so we’re very proud of the the legacy and the record of Alpha Phi often providing affordable housing and always look for
More opportunities as a partner with the organization to figure out ways to improve the homeownership opportunities for African Americans in 1970 earnest in Morrie L the fraternities 23rd general president and first african-american mayor of New Orleans called on his brothers to strive for elimination of the ghetto
Alpha Phi Alpha worked toward this goal in many creative and innovative ways as african-americans made progress in civil rights areas the fraternity began implementing new programs focused on economic empowerment I think alpha first introduced me to the concept that education is important and that education leads to political empowerment and political empowerment
Leads to economic empowerment and that all three are very crucial and to read the history book of Alpha Phi Alpha you will find that theme running throughout the history book that alpha many many years ago determined that it was very important for young african-american men to to consume education and then we had
To move into the political mainstream and of course that leads to economic development we have had a social agenda to change certain laws for equal accommodation equal housing etc voting we have gone the civil rights route in terms of legislation etc now I think is what we call silver rights Silv are
Civil rights which is the money and economic development and for the last eight or ten years if return has been moving very aggressively but I think in the last four or five years it is galvanized economic development is the new civil rights movement it’s no longer
Question of whether we can go to a certain movie theater or whether we can sit at the lunch counter in a drugstore or whether we can check into a hotel you can do those things if you have money but in order to participate in wealth creation in America and around the globe
Economic development is the new platform Alpha is leading the way in economic development many alpha breaking barriers and every conceivable venue in a producing not only jobs but the opportunity to network the opportunity to provide vendor contracts and it is the overall nature of that participation that will take us to the
Next level in America America is very much a capitalistic country and we are all part of it and I think that we have mastered education we have mastered almost every facet of the American Way of life and of course historically we’ve had successes economically in this company we’ve had very successful black
Businesses one of them probably the largest black business for a number of years was Johnson publication and of course John H Johnson is a fraternity brother we’ve had North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance so we’ve had a number of success quote businesses over the years that happen to be black but now we are
More concentrated saying this is an important part of the Alpha agenda business and economic development african-americans are being a lot more successful than they have been in the past and from an economic standpoint at the same time there’s still kind of the underclass the less fortunate and as
Those two extremes kind of continue to grow how do we bridge the gap how do we bridge that gap and so I think one of the things that alpha has always done has always been to look back and to reach and bring up and we’ve got to
Continue to do that the fraternity has worked on numerous fronts for the elimination of the ghetto through housing development programs and entrepreneurship initiatives alpha has enabled African Americans to advance toward economic independence and success many prominent alpha brothers have also contributed to this progress from positions within government
From the outset at Cornell University alphas founders sought to promote african-american progress through various avenues naturally political participation and service in government have played an important part in these efforts and it was the time to boys and frederick douglass and they the freedom movement was really at its peak and we
In some way were an outgrowth of it Thurgood Marshall with the Legal Defense Fund of the n-double a-c-p and Martin Luther King and Maynard Jackson is Mayor of Atlanta Marc Morial as mayor New Orleans I was mayor of Atlanta Dave Dinkins as mayor in New York Kwame
Kilpatrick as mayor Detroit we have been a politically activist group of young men other alphas of this generation took leadership roles at a national level along with Andrew young brothers Charles Rangel Adam Clayton Powell William Gray Ralph Metcalfe William Dawson Ronald dellums Harold Ford Julianne Dixon and
Chaka Fattah have also served in the United States House of Representatives alphas political presence in Washington DC continues to grow today it’s a great tradition because when you start talking about public policy and you look at Martin Luther King jr. when you look at Thurgood Marshall Edie Brooke and then a
Continuation through the present Congress with six members of Alpha Phi Alpha serve in Congress today we’ve had many members recent members of Congress Ron Dellums and Julianne Dixon Earl Hilliard have served recently the six members now that we’re making public policy and the focus of the fraternity has been on education
And political empowerment those have been two guiding lights and I think it’s important that we can in you that alpha represents leadership it represents scholarship it represents a commitment to service to make your community a better place in which to live alpha has had a strong presence for
Many many years I mean for decades in Washington and now we are fortunate in that we have a number of congressmen that are serving but also we have a reach through brothers that are active on the staff side you know when I was at the White House I was not the only Alpha
At the White House we have brothers who are taking staff roles in Congress brothers who are taking staff roles in the Senate and it’s fortunate we’re fortunate that we can can come together and work on on important projects and and be a part of important administration’s among the many alphas
Who have served at all levels of American government our cabinet members Samuel Peirce Louis Sullivan Lee Brown and William Coleman ambassadors Walter Carrington Oh Rudolph agry and James Joseph and mayors Maynard Jackson Richard Arrington Marion Barry norm rice and Dennis Archer in addition to service in government Alfa’s long tradition of military
Service remains strong as well officers such as Vice Admiral Samuel gravely Admiral Benjamin hacker and Brigadier General Fred Augustus Gorton are followed by more alpha leaders today whenever my father had a fraternity meeting all these men who walked into my house were the leaders of the community
The principal of the high school was an alpha the coach of the football team was an alpha most of the professors and instructors at colleges and universities bethune-cookman college for example is near Orlando they were alphas I think alpha has a major presence in the military and all branches services
At least one of the flag officers I would take to venture to say is out an alpha man or familiar with with Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Slee der ship as an organization has further expanded in the last decade at the 1995 general convention Senator Edward Brooke spoke
On the need for alpha to broaden its view to encompass international concerns I wanted to do that because I think as I’ve said often that intellectual power is so great that it ought to be shared that we should be given our thoughts and our opinions on domestic and international issues which heretofore we
Have not had that opportunity to do in 1996 the 29th general president Milton C davis acted on senator Brooks recommendation expanding alphas involvement in politics and government policy with the creation of a new group within the fraternity the world Policy Council appropriately Davis asked senator Brooke to serve as the first
Chairman of the world Policy Council and they set about seriously considering issues of domestic importance and international importance toward the end that they would write to these issues would research them would come forward with ideas and solutions and concepts to address serious issues in essence would become a think-tank for Alpha Phi Alpha
Fraternity Howard University site of alphas first General Convention many decades before proudly hosted the world policy council members at their initial meeting after the group’s formation well several years ago the organization founded the world policy council here at the University of first meeting organizational meeting was held here at
Howard and Senator Brooke and a president ponder and a number of others but ambassador Horace Dawson and many others were part of that of that founding and I think it’s it’s a natural outgrowth and it’s a very mature and sophisticated response to a global and world issues that really affect us all
And it’s a recognition of that we work with men in that policy board we talk we think it’s like a think tank and then we try to project what we think ought to happen how we think the value that are consistent with the values of alpha and consistent with the values of an
International leader like Martin Luther King jr. who of course was an alpha to me that is one of a cutting-edge ventures for alpha that we learn how to use the global platform to talk about local issues as well our job I think is to do reflection dialogue research and
To reflect on major social and political issues as well as religious matters after considerable discussion and reflection issue we draw up and issue papers position papers on these matters what we hope that our positions would affect and influence public policy and issue these position papers to the to
The media of the country to the opinion-makers but mainly and also rather not just mainly but also to our fraternities so that the chapters throughout the nation could accept these documents read them consider them and make them a part of their own word discussion the President of the United States is getting this
When the president is making some big statement a letter comes from this grupe from this for turnit e saying how we think the president ought to react to this since its founding the world Policy Council has offered positions on the AIDS crisis the problem of world hunger
The war on terror among many other areas of foreign and domestic policy the world Policy Council ensures that Alpha Phi Alpha concerns and ideas are heard by those whose decisions shaped the future this group is a further step in Alpha Phi Alpha s’long tradition of education and advocacy and embodies the values of
Good citizenship and participation in public discourse this active engagement in the political process is a natural extension of the fraternity’s history of leadership 100 years after its inception the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity remains driven by the ideals of its founders at Cornell University in 1906 individual attainment of education and scholastic achievement this greater personal success makes possible service to others striving for improvement of conditions for those less fortunate well I think alpha will
Continue to play a major role because it still stands by those precepts I told you about earlier scholarship leadership service to others they’ll never go out of style I think partly it is in the individual to realize that there is a greater society out there and that those
Of us who are blessed have to give something back but it is also something that is ingrained within the fraternity cast your net out there as far as you can go try to make fishermen of men try not to give a man a fish but give him a
Pole so he can learn how to fish so you can make his own community better man oh if I don’t do it who else will you know all we have are each other so there’s someone to move a community or move some kids in a more positive direction we’re
It the practical application of this philosophy is the many social programs implemented by the fraternity the roots of such an approach for addressing societal problems date back to the 1920s and 1930s with the implementation of the go-to high school go to college initiative and the vote ‘less people is a hopeless people campaign
Today both programs flourish and have further expanded to address additional academic personal social and leadership needs of young african-american males our mentoring program involves a local high school where we take seven young men and we work very intimately with them in relation to their academic success their social success improving
Their leadership abilities we have some brothers including myself who actually have a little brother it’s a one-on-one relationship concept then we have a program that we bring little brothers over to the fraternity building and we work with them as a chapter project alpha was begun in the late 1970s in the
Chicago area by alpha brothers of iota Delta Lambda Chapter in 1982 the March of Dimes birth defects foundation joined forces with alpha making the program national and taking important lessons to thousands of teens and hundreds of communities across the country project alpha was an attempt by our chapters to
Take young boys 10 to 14 years old and help them to understand what it means to be a man medically legally morally and spiritually we don’t have a formal puberty right in this country but our fraternity has attempted to provide it for young african-american males Alpha Phi Alpha and the Boy Scouts of
America share common goals and objectives regarding the proper development of young men in order to help scouting reach its full potential alpha chapters and brothers Charter Scout units and serve as scouting leaders on both the local and national level through the Boy Scouts alpha men become good neighbors while educating young men to
Good citizens and leaders at the 1990 General Convention Alfa formally agreed to work with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America to promote a positive experience for african-american youth and their families by providing role models and increasing minority participation and local Big Brother and big sister activities alpha brothers add
A valuable dimension to an already successful campaign in the early 1980s Alfa expanded its leadership training to correct the economic social and political and justices faced by African Americans the Leadership Development Institute’s started by the southern region of Alpha Phi Alpha addressed this need the initiative achieved great
Success and was incorporated into the regular activities of other regions of the Alpha community to facilitate a uniform control alpha nationalized the leadership development Institute’s setting common standards and common goals the program encourages young people to attend college and to develop oratorical ability and strong moral compass teaching parliamentary procedure
Organizational and communication skills builds confidence to succeed in the future Alpha Phi Alpha is collaborative effort with the nation’s headstart program assists fathers and elevating their self-esteem by teaching self-sufficiency as a way to counter negative social influences in 1998 the fraternity formally merged these programs under the Alpha Phi Alpha
Education Foundation through the foundation Alpha facilitates programs consistent with the ideals originally determined by its founders in 1906 College brothers play a major role in the workings of the fraternity those elected as assistant regional vice presidents serve as voting members of the board of directors College brothers compete in a national scholar bowl and vie for distinction as college brother of the year they demonstrate their impressive public speaking skills in the
Belford V Lawson oratorical competition I’ve always thought of Alpha as a boot camp for leadership alpha is in the business of producing leaders nationally and internationally when you look at our history whether it’s Thurgood Marshall Adam Clayton Powell the list is long and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that
The men who have contributed greatly to this country and internationally alphas I think it was because of the training and experience that they enjoyed as being part of this fraternity is what has enabled them to be significant contributors in their respective endeavors no question I mean this whole
Notion of leadership is something that can’t be overlooked because I think the fraternity trained me helped to train me to become a leader and and that’s that’s very important and certainly the my job as mayor my job is president of National Congress of black mayors uh means that
I’m I’m put in a leadership position that I must perform in hence that has been image we have been closely associated with the elite of black education if it’s going to be great the number has to be greater than one and so what we’re doing at alpha is learning
How to marshal that intellectual in human capital and make sure that we always collectively impact we’re trying to do because one at a time we won’t we won’t happen there’s got to be a collective impact it’s just innate in us to want to leave I don’t care who
You are that’s the way I fire from perishing that’s what the Jules song that we sing you out to lead men of Alpha are among the accomplished leaders of every area of professional life in America we’re facing some serious challenges right now and I think that
Alpha is going to be right there in the thick of all these challenges that that we face providing leadership providing Direction helping to prepare others and saying that based upon our history and tradition we have no choice except to keep moving forward to keep finding answers to keep producing the raft
Bunches and the Martin Luther King’s to keep making men who can match the mountains of today there’s so many things out there we have any begun to touch on and fraternity is really just right now which is primed to really leap forward and do be the leader that it’s
Been the past hundred years alfred demands that you build a legacy that’s what it demands okay this has been established but that’s the past it’s already been laid that foundation has been laid now we’re talking about building the first floor and the second floor and the third floor and it demands
That you understand that your legacy is now we represent a legacy of leadership and that leadership is so ingrained in who we are and it’s just kind of expected we expected to be at the head of the line that’s what I love about Alpha that it’s not only we have this
Rich history but we continue to progress and move forward take four steps not only are they just our College brothers remembers this fraternity they are also our mentees we try to mentor them that’s another dimension of this being an issue eternity alpha became sort of like the
School for me the school for the better making of men is what we often say and it was it was a school was something that taught me how to become a better man taught me how to how to grow up and become an adult it’s even more worth it
When you look at a young brother who’s a college brother who may have come from a rough kind of an individual to being a very fine refined and defined young man now looking in leadership as the 20th century drew to a close the brothers of Alpha embarked on their most ambitious
Project to date building a memorial dedicated to the life and works of dr. Martin Luther King jr. on the National Mall in Washington DC the idea for the memorial was born when alpha man George Seeley impressed upon brothers al Bailey Oscar little and Eddie Madison the vital need to preserve
And promote the legacy of dr. King the National Organization adopted the idea and the political wheels of Alpha turned when legislation was passed authorizing the fraternity to raise funds and build the memorial on the National Mall general president-elect of Alpha Phi Alpha Adrian Wallace realized the enormity of the undertaking I knew at
That point coming into office effective in 1997 that my priorities had to shift the court in there because this was a a project of magnitude and scale and scope at fraternity heretofore had never really taken taken long before so clearly this was something we had to devote a considerable amount of energy
And resource and leadership to to craft is this mammoth truly a mammoth and historic undertaking the ultimate goal for those who visit the memorial is for them to emerge with an enriched experience revitalized with the teachings and spirit of one of the 20th century’s most influential men while dr.
King will forever be treasured by his brothers in alpha he is but one alpha man who excelled in his service to all humanity in the last century thirty two alphas have served as general president of the fraternity this office commands respect and wields influence beyond at the fraternity itself the election of a
New general president of Alpha is a highly competitive choice of a leader among leaders and is noted in the Congressional Record of the United States alphas president is automatically considered one of the 100 most influential African Americans meeting with other leaders in all walks of life including the President of the United
States past general presidents have a unique perspective on alphas century of achievement and on future challenges facing the fraternity the theme that has permeated alpha across the decades as progress used to call it the motif that that is a part of us is a sense of history and a sense of
Identity and when you know your history and know how are your four parents have struggled and to get where we are we really have come further as a people than anybody in history in such a short time younger men look for leadership and that’s in fact what we provide as you
Said so even when we provide leadership young men look for that leadership in four years our five has been providing that leadership when you go in and talk to young people say in a classroom setting you know here we are we got our suits on and we got tides on and
Sometimes it’s difficult to let them know that hey 60 years ago I was sitting in a situation pretty much where you are today and and and and this is what to happen to me this is what I did and and you can do that too and now you’re gonna
Need some help here you got to need help and we’re willing to help we have had in this fraternity a slogan go to high school go to college and we have used that to help get more of our youngsters in school and I think as we go forward
We should not think in terms of throwing out everything that we have already done some things that are old work very well we need to mix that in with the new but I think a and go to high school go to college campaign of some magnitude will
Certainly be good for us to continue as we move into the 21st century and beyond so part of our challenge will be to continue to seek out bright young men encourage them to go to high school to finish and come to college because otherwise the african-american male is an end
Specie under the direction of the general presidents the fraternity thrives during the annual general convention alpha leadership reports on accomplishments of the past year and outlines programs for the future the younger generation fully participates as well more recent traditions include the Miss black-and-gold pageant and the stepping competition all brothers are made to
Feel welcome as parts of the greater whole that is the fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha is the safe haven it is the place where men who are accomplished or who are accomplishing success can come together and reinforce that there’s so many negative images and stereotypes and perceptions out there and again there’s
So many people some in your own family telling you that you know why are you trying to go to law school why are you trying to be a doctor here is a place where you can sit down among peers where it’s understood the pressures and the travails of everyday living
But you look across the aisle or the next seat and you know here’s a brother who understands what I’ve been through or what I’m going through and you look back a few hours here’s some young college brothers that we need to try to give a leg up and tell them what they
Can expect to go through but it’s a place where you can be around people who are dedicated to excellence to success and achievement and it’s it perpetuates that environment the history of Alpha Phi Alpha men is extraordinary for it parallels the history of african-american progress in the 20th century and beyond with alpha
Men playing key roles throughout the struggle the rise of the african-american middle class is closely associated with the expansion of Alpha and the fraternities commitment to improving the condition of all mankind is unprecedented as the brothers of Alpha celebrate a century of extraordinary leadership and service
They are aware of and poised to meet the many challenges of the next century for at the core of their existence the drive to be first of all servants of all and to transcend all is paramount in every man of Alpha Phi Alpha You to learn more about this program visit our website MPT org Alpha Phi Alpha a century of leadership is made possible by major funding from Al America Bank You
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