THE HISTORY OF ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC.
First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All
Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African American Men, was founded at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York by seven college men who recognized the need for a strong bond of brotherhood among African descendants in this country. The visionary founders, known as the “Jewels” of the fraternity, are Henry Arthur Callis, Charles Henry Chapman, Eugene Kinckle Jones, George Biddle Kelley, Nathaniel Allison Murray, Robert Harold Ogle, and Vertner Woodson Tandy.
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The fraternity initially served as a study and support group for minority students who faced racial prejudice, both 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.
While continuing to stress academic excellence among its members, Alpha also recognized the need to help correct the educational, economic, political, and social injustices faced by African Americans. Alpha Phi Alpha has long stood at the forefront of the African-American community's fight for civil rights through 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, and many others.
Since its founding on December 4, 1906, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has supplied voice and vision to the struggle of African Americans and people of color around the world.​
Fraternity Mission Statement
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. develops leaders, promotes brotherhood and academic excellence, while providing service and advocacy for our communities.
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Fraternity Vision Statement
The objectives of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. is to stimulate the ambition of its members, to prepare them for the greatest usefulness in the causes of humanity, freedom, and dignity of the individual, to encourage the highest and noblest form of manhood, and to aid downtrodden humanity in its efforts to achieve higher social, economic, and intellectual status.
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NATIONAL PROGRAMS
GO-TO-HIGH SCHOOL
GO-TO-COLLEGE
The "Go-to-High-School, Go-to-College" program, established in 1922, concentrates on the importance of completing secondary and collegiate education as a road to advancement. Statistics prove the value of this extra impetus in making the difference in the success of young African-American men, given that school completion is the single best predictor of future economic success. Through the Go-to-High-School, Go-to-College educational initiative, young men receive information and learn strategies that facilitate success. Alpha men provide youth participants with excellent role models to emulate.
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PROJECT ALPHA
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation began collaboratively implementing Project Alpha in 1980. 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, Project Alpha consists of a series of workshops and informational sessions conducted by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity brothers.
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A VOTELESS PEOPLE IS A HOPELESS PEOPLE
A Voteless People is a Hopeless People” (aka VPHP) was initiated as a National Program of Alpha during the 1930s when many African-Americans had the right to vote but were prevented from voting because of poll taxes, threats of reprisal, and lack of education about the voting process. Voter education and registration have remained a dominant focus of this outreach activity for over 65 years. In the 1990s, the focus shifted to include political awareness and empowerment, delivered most frequently through town meetings and candidate forums.
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BROTHER'S KEEPER
Brother’s Keeper is a service program developed with the mission of advocating and improving the quality of life for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. brothers, their spouses, and widows who are retired, are elders, have disabilities and are ailing. Upon identification of need, the Brother’s Keeper Program also provides assistance to mature and ailing members of its communities. Limitations caused by advanced age place demands on family members, caregivers, and the larger community to ensure that elders remain independently functional. The goal of the Brother’s Keeper Program is to promote dignity and independence among Alpha family and community members who need help in keeping their lives and homes functional.
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