Alpha Phi Alpha: Scholarships, the Love for All Program, and a Legacy of Service
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated (ΑΦΑ), stands as the oldest intercollegiate historically African American fraternity, a beacon of leadership, scholarship, and service since its inception. Founded on December 4, 1906, at Cornell University, ΑΦΑ has been at the forefront of addressing social injustices, promoting educational opportunities, and uplifting communities worldwide. This article explores the fraternity's rich history, its commitment to scholarship through initiatives like the Alpha Lambda Education Foundation (ALEF), and its enduring "Love for All Mankind" principle.
The Genesis of a Brotherhood
At the start of the 20th century, African-American students at American universities often faced exclusion from fraternal organizations enjoyed by the predominantly white student population at non-black colleges. Alpha Phi Alpha emerged from a need for community and support among these students. It began as a literary and social studies club during the 1905-1906 school year at Cornell University. Charles Cardoza Poindexter organized a group of students for literary discussion and social functions at Cornell University. The group initially consisted of 15 students and included women. The initial study group consisted of 14 students. These students included four from Washington, D.C. - Robert Ogle, Fred Morgan Phillip, Fannie Holland, and Flaxie Holcosbe. There were also four men and a woman from New York State: George Kelley, Henry A. Callis, James Thomas, Gordon Jones, and Paul Ray. From West Virginia came Eugene Kinckle Jones and Mary Vassar. Vertner Tandy came from Kentucky, and C.H.
Robert Ogle had seen an article in the Chicago Defender magazine about a Negro fraternity at Ohio State University called Pi Gamma Omicron, which the university did not know. Pi Gamma Omicron inspired Ogle to try to transform the literary society into a fraternity. There was disagreement about the group's purpose: some wanted a social and literary club where everyone could participate; others wanted a traditional fraternal organization. Poindexter felt the group should serve the cultural and social needs of the black community and not be an elite secret society. The society decided to work to provide a literary, study, social, and support group for all minority students who encountered social and academic racial prejudice.
On October 23, 1906, George Kelley proposed that the organization be officially known by the Greek letters Alpha Phi Alpha, and Robert Ogle proposed the colors black and old gold. The divisive issue of whether the terms "club" or "fraternity" should be used was still debated. A vote again confirmed the name Alpha Phi Alpha with the colors of old gold and black. The initiation of new members Eugene Kinckle Jones, Lemuel Graves, and Gordon Jones took place on October 30, 1906, at a Masonic Hall including James Morton was considered and selected, but at the time he was not registered at the university. Two founding members learned about fraternity rituals from other fraternal organizations: Henry A. Callis worked in the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity House, and Kelly worked at Beta Theta Pi fraternity house. Coincidentally, an article about a Negro fraternity Pi Gamma Omicron's ambitions to become a national fraternity was noted by a Beta Theta Pi correspondent at Ohio State University. Callis said that these fraternities, SAE and BTP, were the source of the fraternity rituals. The other members of the group felt that Poindexter, as a graduate student, dominated the meetings of Alpha Phi Alpha. In his absence in the meeting in November 1906, the fraternity idea was pushed for a vote by Murray and was seconded by Robert H Ogle. In December 1906, George Tompkins' resignation was accepted. By December 4, 1906, the decision on a name was made: "fraternity". The earlier terms "club", "organization", and "society" were permanently removed. Before the December 4, 1906, meeting, Poindexter had submitted his letter of resignation from the Alpha Phi Alpha club/society, as he took a new job in Hampton University in Virginia. 11 members were present during the date of the founding of the fraternity on December 4, 1906. Despite Poindexter's role in the formation of Alpha Phi Alpha, it was agreed that his name would not be linked to the early formation of the fraternity by its founders. Murray was emphatic in his belief that Poindexter should not be considered to be a founder despite his role. As Charles Wesley stated in the fraternity's history book, "C.C. Poindexter deserves special mention. Without his serious and eager leadership, the fraternal organization would probably have advanced more slowly. Mrs. Annie C Singleton played a pivotal part in helping the organization in its early years.
The fraternity's symbol is the Great Sphinx of Giza, reflecting its connection to ancient Egyptian ideals of wisdom and knowledge. Chapters of Alpha Phi Alpha are given Greek-letter names in order of installation into the fraternity. Founders Eugene Kinckle Jones and Nathaniel Allison Murray chartered the second, third, and fourth chapters at Howard University, Virginia Union University, and the University of Toronto, respectively, in December 1907 and January 1908. The fraternity chartered its first international chapter at the University of Toronto in 1908. The first general convention was assembled in December 1908 at Howard University in Washington, D.C., producing the first ritual and the election of the first General President of Alpha Phi Alpha, Moses A. The fraternity established its first alumni chapter, Alpha Lambda, in 1911 in Louisville, Kentucky.
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Alpha Phi Alpha: A Pillar of Strength Through the Years
For more than a century, Alpha Phi Alpha and its members have had a voice and influence on politics and current affairs. The Crisis, the magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), was started by fraternity member W. E. B. Du Bois in 1910. In 1914, The Sphinx, named after the Egyptian landmark, began publication as the fraternity's journal. The Crisis and The Sphinx are respectively the first and second oldest continuously published black journals in the United States. The National Urban League's (NUL) Opportunity: Journal of Negro Life was first published in 1923 under the leadership of Alpha founder Eugene K. In 1912, Charles H. Garvin was elected as the fourth annual president of Alpha Phi Alpha at the fourth annual convention in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was the first individual to serve two terms as president. He served two terms as president, between 1912 and 1914. While in office he helped secure a chapter house, appointed a special committee to consult with the president of Howard, and asked members to 'use every means possible to raise the moral and scholastic tone of the Fraternity". Garvin saw that it was vital that the Fraternity establish a mindful image and perception for future generations. As president, Garvin wrote the fraternity's Esprit De Fraternite.
The Training Camp at Fort Des Moines during World War I was the result of the fraternity's advocacy in lobbying the government to create an Officers' training camp for black troops. Thirty-two Alpha men were granted commissions (four were made captains and many were first lieutenants). While continuing to stress academic excellence among its members, Alpha's leaders recognized the need to correct the educational, economic, political, and social injustices faced by African Americans and the world community. Alpha Phi Alpha has a long history of providing scholarships for needy students and initiating various other charitable and service projects. The 1920s witnessed the birth of the Harlem Renaissance-a flowering of African-American art, literature, music, and culture which began to be absorbed into the mainstream American culture. Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity brothers Charles Johnson, W. E. B. Du Bois, Noble Sissle, Countee Cullen, and other members were entrepreneurs and participants in this creative upsurge led primarily by the African-American community based in Harlem, New York City.
During the Great Depression, Alpha Phi Alpha and its members continued to implement programs to support the black community. The Committee on Public Policy, the Alpha Phi Alpha Education Foundation, and "The Foundation Publishers" were established at the 1933 general convention. The Committee on Public Policy took positions on numerous issues important to the black community. It investigated the performance of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal agencies to assess the status of the black population, both in the treatment of agencies' employees and in the quality of services rendered to American blacks. Alpha men Rayford Logan and Eugene K. The Education Foundation was created in recognition of the educational, economic, and social needs of African Americans in the United States. The foundation, led by Rayford Logan, was structured to provide scholarships and grants to African-American students. The Foundation Publishers would provide financial support and fellowship for writers addressing African-American issues. In 1933 fraternity brother Belford Lawson Jr. founded the New Negro Alliance (NNA) in Washington D.C. to combat white-run businesses in black neighborhoods that would not hire black employees. The NNA instituted a then-radical "Don't Buy Where You Can't Work" campaign and organized or threatened boycotts against white-owned businesses. In response, some businesses arranged for an injunction to stop the picketing. NNA lawyers, including Lawson and Thurgood Marshall, fought back - to the Supreme Court of the United States in New Negro Alliance v. Sanitary Grocery Co. This ruling in favor of the NAACP became a landmark case in the struggle by African Americans against discriminatory hiring practices. "Don't Buy Where You Can't Work" groups multiplied throughout the nation. The fraternity sponsors an annual Belford V.
The fraternity began to participate in voting rights issues, coining the well-known phrase "A Voteless People is a Hopeless People" as part of its effort to register black voters. This term was coined by the Alpha Omicron Chapter located at Johnson C. Smith University in 1936. Alpha Phi Alpha supported legal battles against segregation. Some of its members who were trial lawyers argued many of the nation's major court cases involving civil rights and civil liberties. The case styled Murray v. Pearson (1935) was initiated by the fraternity and successfully argued by Alpha men Thurgood Marshall and Charles Houston to challenge biases at the university, which had no laws requiring segregation in its colleges. The fraternity assisted in a similar case that involved fraternity brother Lloyd Gaines. In Gaines v. Canada, the most important segregation case since Plessy v. In 1940, true to its form as the "first of first", Alpha Phi Alpha sought to end racial discrimination within its membership.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the nation's entry into World War II, the fraternity fought to secure rights for its members within the ranks of officers in the armed forces. The types of warfare encountered evidenced the nexus between education and war, with illiteracy decreasing a soldier's usefulness to the Army that could only be addressed with the inclusion of a large number of college-educated men among the ranks of officers. Alpha men served in almost every branch of the military and civilian defense programs during World War II. The leadership of the fraternity encouraged Alpha men to buy war bonds, and the membership responded with their purchases. The fraternity's long tradition of military service has remained strong. The general convention in 1952 was the venue for a significant historical action taken regarding the Seventh Jewel Founder. The decision "of placing Brother [Eugene] Jones in his true historical setting resulting from the leading role which he had played in the origin and development of the early years of the fraternity history" was made by a special committee consisting of Jewels Callis, Kelley and Murray, and fraternity historian Charles H. Wesley. James Morton was removed as a founder, yet continues to be listed as one of the first initiates. This convention created the Alpha Award of Merit and the Alpha Award of Honor for appreciation of the tireless efforts on behalf of African Americans, and was awarded to Thurgood Marshall and Eugene K.
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In 1956, the fraternity made a "pilgrimage" to Cornell in celebration of its Golden Jubilee, which drew about 1,000 members who traveled by chartered train from Buffalo, New York, to Ithaca. Fraternity brother Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the keynote speech at the 50th-anniversary banquet, in which he spoke on the "Injustices of Segregation". Alpha men were at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s. In Montgomery, Martin Luther King Jr. led the people in the Montgomery bus boycott as a minister and later as head of the SCLC. Birmingham saw Arthur Shores organize for civil rights in Lucy v. Adams. Thurgood Marshall managed the landmark US Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, in which the Court decided against segregation in public schools. In 1961, Whitney Young became the executive director of the National Urban League. In 1963, the NUL hosted the planning meetings of civil rights leaders for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. In 1968, after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Alpha Phi Alpha proposed erecting a permanent memorial to King in Washington, D.C. The efforts of the fraternity gained momentum in 1986 after King's birthday was designated a national holiday. Beginning in the 1970s, new goals were being introduced to address the current environment. The older social programs and policies w…
Alpha 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. The fraternity addresses social issues such as apartheid, AIDS, urban housing, and other economic, cultural, and political issues of interest to people of color. 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. Members of this fraternity include many historical civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., NAACP founder W. E. B. Du Bois, John Mack, Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, Rev. C.T. Vivian, and Dick Gregory. 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. Alpha Phi Alpha was directly responsible for the conception, funding, and construction of the Martin Luther King Jr.
The Alpha Lambda Education Foundation (ALEF): Investing in Future Leaders
In a tradition of manly deeds, scholarship and love for all mankind, the Alpha Lambda Education Foundation (ALEF) has been organized as a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation. The goal of the ALEF is to promote community service, leadership development, and educational opportunities for and among at-risk youths, with a special emphasis on reaching out to young African American males. The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and the Alpha Beta Lambda Education Foundation works collectively to raise money that supports the educational endeavors of those young men aspiring to pursue higher education. Having supported students since 1998, we strive to seek out those who have demonstrated their potential, letting them know that it is our goal to support them financially and personally. A student will officially be awarded $1,000 each semester upon the student’s enrollment in the 4-year college or university of their choice. A member of the scholarship committee maintains contact with and mentors each student during his college career.
The Alpha Lambda Education Foundation offers scholarships to African-American and Latino males who plan to attend an accredited University/College. Eligible applicant(s) will be a male high school senior of African-American or Latino descent planning to attend an accredited University/College for the 2026 - 2027 academic year. Eligibility also requires a minimal grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, residence in Metro Louisville, and completion of the required essay. Applicant(s) selected to receive the Alpha Lambda Education Foundation Academic Scholarship will receive a complimentary ticket (+1 guest) to attend the 2025 Hope Breakfast on January 19th, 2025, and be recognized by the men of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.
If selected to receive the Alpha Lambda Education Foundation Academic Scholarship, the applicant(s) will be required to produce a letter of acceptance and a copy of their class schedule for the Fall 2025 semester as proof of registration to an accredited University or College. Class registration will be verified before the scholarship dollars are released. Failure to provide this information by August 21, 2026 and August 20, 2027 may result in forfeiting the scholarship award with or without further communication from the Alpha Lambda Education Foundation or the applicant(s) regarding the award.
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The Hope Breakfast
Since 2014, The ALEF has hosted the Hope Breakfast in honor of Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. This event will raise money towards scholarship, community outreach, and mentor programs throughout the community.
Manly Deeds, Scholarship, and "Love for All Mankind"
Alpha Phi Alpha prides itself on being a “school for the better making of men”. No population is in more need of enlightenment than African American males. The fraternity's mission is encapsulated in its four primary aims: Manly Deeds, Scholarship, Love for All Mankind, and Uplift. Alpha Phi Alpha has been open to men of all races since 1945. Currently, there are more than 730 active chapters in the Americas, Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, and Asia.
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