THE HISTORY OF ALPHA PHI ALPHA

Founded on December 4, 1906, at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. holds the distinguished title of being the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity created for African American men. Seven pioneering college students initiated this fraternity, driven by the vision of forging a strong brotherly union among individuals of African descent in America.

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Initially, Alpha Phi Alpha provided a supportive haven and study group for minority students at Cornell, who were navigating through educational and social challenges marked by racial prejudice. These seven founders, revered 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. Their remarkable leadership and vision laid the cornerstone for the fraternity's enduring values of scholarship, fellowship, integrity, and the elevation of humanity.

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Quickly expanding beyond Cornell, Alpha Phi Alpha established chapters across other colleges and universities, including many historically black institutions, with the first alumni chapter being founded in 1911. Beyond championing academic excellence among its members, Alpha Phi Alpha has actively addressed and rectified the educational, economic, political, and social disparities people of color face. The fraternity has been a pivotal force in the civil rights movement, with leaders like W.E.B. DuBois, Martin Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, and many others leading the charge for justice and equality. Embodying its pioneering spirit, Alpha Phi Alpha has embraced interracial membership since 1945.

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Since its inception, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has been a vocal and visionary advocate for the rights and dignity of people of color worldwide.