These students included four from Washington, D.C. The initial study group consisted of 14 students. The group initially consisted of 15 students and included women. Charles Cardoza Poindexter organized a group of students for literary discussion and social functions at Cornell University. History Founding The 1907 ΑΦΑ Constitution and BylawsĪt the start of the 20th century, African-American students at American universities were often excluded from fraternal organizations enjoyed by the predominantly white student population at non- black colleges. Memorial next to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Smith, United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young, and film director Barry Jenkins.Īlpha Phi Alpha was directly responsible for the conception, funding, and construction of the Martin Luther King Jr. Other members include political activist Cornel West, musicians Duke Ellington, Donny Hathaway, and Lionel Richie, NBA player Walt Frazier, NFL player Charles Haley, Jamaican Prime Minister Norman Manley, Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens, Justice Thurgood Marshall, businessman Robert F. Members of this fraternity include many historical civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., NAACP founder W. It also conducts philanthropic programming initiatives with the March of Dimes, Head Start, the Boy Scouts of America, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. National programs and initiatives of the fraternity include A Voteless People Is a Hopeless People, My Brother's Keeper, Go To High School, Go To College, Project Alpha, and the World Policy Council. The fraternity addresses social issues such as apartheid, AIDS, urban housing, and other economic, cultural, and political issues of interest to people of color. Īlpha Phi Alpha is a social organization with a service organization mission and provided leadership and service during the Great Depression, World Wars, and Civil Rights Movement. It is the largest predominantly African-American intercollegiate fraternity and one of the ten largest intercollegiate fraternities in the nation. Currently, there are more than 730 active chapters in the Americas, Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, and Asia. The fraternity has over 290,000 members and has been open to men of all races since 1945. Its aims are 'Manly Deeds, Scholarship, and Love For All Mankind,' and its motto is 'First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All.' Its archives are preserved at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center.Ĭhapters were chartered at Howard University and Virginia Union University in 1907. It employs an icon from Ancient Egypt, the Great Sphinx of Giza, as its symbol. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the 1905–1906 school year at Cornell University but later evolved into a fraternity with a founding date of December 4, 1906. ( ΑΦΑ) is the oldest intercollegiate historically African American fraternity.

North American Interfraternity ConferenceĪlpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.Manly Deeds, Scholarship, and Love For All Mankind Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., develops leaders, promotes brotherhood and academic excellence, while providing service and advocacy for our communities.Īlphas, Ice Cold Brothas, The Oldest & The Coldest, Men of Distinction

Kappa alpha psi founders day prayer