XI GAMMA CHAPTER OF ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC.
History
The most remarkable leadership in the African American community in the 20th Century has without question come from the ranks of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Since its founding on December 4, 1906, the Fraternity has supplied voice and vision to the struggle of African Americans and people of color around the world.
Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African-Americans, was founded at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York by seven college men who recognized the need for a strong bond of Brotherhood between African descendants in this country. The visionary founders, known as "Jewels" of the Fraternity, are; Brothers Henry Arthur Callis, Charles Henry Chapman, Eugene Kinckle Jones, George Biddle Kelly, Nathaniel Allison Murray, Robert Harold Ogle and Vertner Woodson Tandy.
The Fraternity initially served as a study and support group for minority students who faced racial prejudice-educationally and socially at Cornell. The Jewel founders and early leaders of the Fraternity succeeded in laying a firm foundation for Alpha Phi Alpha's principles of scholarship, fellowship, good character and the uplifting of humanity.
Alpha Phi Alpha chapters were developed at other colleges and universities; Many of them traditionally black schools-soon after the founding at Cornell. While continuing to stress academic excellence among its members, the Fraternity also recognized the need to correct the educational, economic, political, and social injustices faced by African Americans.
National Programs
The Fraternity's national programs date back to 1919, when Alpha Phi Alpha introduced its "Go-to-High School, Go-to-College" campaign to increase the education level of the African American community.
Alpha Phi Alpha later took the lead in the voting rights struggle for African Americans and coined the nationally famous phrase: "A Voteless People is a Hopeless People" as part of its effort to register black voters. The slogan remains the battle cry today for Alpha voter registration efforts.
Project Alpha ,This collaborative project is designed to provide education, motivation and skill-building on issues of responsibility, relationships, teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases for young males ages 12-15 years. Designed to provide young men with current and accurate information about teen pregnancy prevention
Famous Members
Alpha Phi Alpha has long stood at the forefront of the African American community's fight for civil rights and human dignity. From the Fraternity's ranks have become outstanding civil rights leaders such as: W.E.B. DuBois, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Edward Brooke, Martin Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Andrew Young, William Gray, Paul Robeson, Julius Chambers, Maynard Jackson and many others.
History of Alpha Phi Alpha