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History of Alpha Phi Alpha |
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Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the first intercollegiate
Greek
letter fraternity established for black students, was organized at
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, December 4, 1906. Alpha Phi
Alpha Fraternity was born out of the desire for maintaining close
association and unified support for members of this small minority
group. The prejudices of the time, even at a relatively liberal
institution
such as Cornell, placed an extra burden on minority students.
Furthermore, Blacks were denied, for the most part, the mutual
helpfulness which the majority of the students attending Cornell
University regularly enjoyed.
The first unit of the fraternity
that was
established was called the "Alpha Chapter." The seven visionary
founders, or Jewels, of Alpha Phi Alpha are:
Jewel Henry A. Callis, M.D., Jewel Charles H. Chapman, Jewel
Eugene K. Jones, Jewel George B. Kelley, Jewel Nathanial A.
Murray, Jewel Robert H. Ogle, and Jewel Vertner W. Tandy. These
men labored in the years of severe economic struggle and
racial conflict in the United States. Despite their difficulties
of
organization, the early fraternity pioneers succeeded in laying a
firm
foundation and remained steadfast in their goals pointing toward
development of the fraternity membership -- that is espousing the
principles of good character, sound scholarship, fellowship, and
uplifting of humanity, especially in the struggling Black
community in
the United States.
The fraternity has grown steadily in influence throughout
the
years. It has been integrated since 1945 and has expanded
tremendously to the extent that there are now approximately 800
chapters located throughout the U.S, Caribbean Islands, Africa,
West
Indies, Europe, and Asia.
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