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{{Short description|International historically African American collegiate fraternity}}
{{Infobox Fraternity
| name = Alpha Phi Alpha
| letters = {{lang|grc|ΑΦΑ}}
| crest = AlphaPhiAlphaCrest.png
| image_size = 150px
| alt = The coat of arms of Alpha Phi Alpha
| founded = {{start date and age|1906|12|4}}
| birthplace = [[Cornell University]]
| type = Social fraternity
| emphasis = [[African Americans|African American]]
| mission = 
| motto = "First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All"
| colors = {{Color box|#B8860B}} Old Gold and {{Color box|Black}} Black
| symbol = [[Great Sphinx of Giza|Sphinx]]
| mascot = 
| nicknames = Alphas, Ice Cold Brothas, The Oldest & The Coldest, Men of Distinction
| flower = [[Rose|Yellow rose]]
| publication = ''The Sphinx''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://issuu.com/apa1906network/stacks/f24b498fe71c4fcba8e43ddb01840be4|title=The SPHINX Magazine by apa1906network Stack|website=Issuu}}</ref>
| scope = International
| affiliation = NPHC
| affiliation2 = NIC
| chapters = 900+
| members = 
| lifetime = 290,000+
| free_label = 
| free = 
| address = 2313 Saint Paul Street
| city = [[Baltimore]]
| state = [[Maryland]]
| ZIP code = 21218
| country = United States
| homepage = {{URL|https://apa1906.net/}}
| footnotes = 
| status = Active
| pillars = Manly Deeds, Scholarship, and Love For All Mankind
}}
{{Alpha Phi Alpha articles}}
{{African American topics sidebar}}

'''Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.''' ('''{{lang|grc|ΑΦΑ}}''') is the oldest intercollegiate [[List of African-American fraternities|historically African American]] [[Fraternities and sororities|fraternity]]. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the 1905–1906 school year at [[Cornell University]] but later evolved into a fraternity with a founding date of December 4, 1906. It employs an icon from Ancient Egypt, the [[Great Sphinx of Giza]], as its symbol. Its aims or pillars are "Manly Deeds, Scholarship, and Love For All Mankind," and its motto is "First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All." Its archives are preserved at the [[Moorland-Spingarn Research Center]].

Chapters were chartered at [[Howard University]] and [[Virginia Union University]] in 1907. The fraternity has over 290,000 members and 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. It is the largest predominantly African-American intercollegiate fraternity and one of the ten largest intercollegiate fraternities in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.campusexplorer.com/college-advice-tips/0BCBEEAE/10-Largest-Fraternities/|title=10 Largest Fraternities|website=www.campusexplorer.com|access-date=2019-12-20}}</ref>

Alpha Phi Alpha is a social organization with a service organization mission and provided leadership and service during the [[Great Depression]], [[World War]]s, 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]]. It also conducts philanthropic programming initiatives with the [[March of Dimes]], [[Head Start Program|Head Start]], the [[Boy Scouts of America]], and [[Big Brothers Big Sisters of America]].

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 (civic leader)|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]], [[Jamaica]]n [[Prime Minister]] [[Norman Manley]], Olympic gold medalist [[Jesse Owens]], [[Supreme Court of the United States|Justice]] [[Thurgood Marshall]], businessman [[Robert F. Smith (investor)|Robert F. Smith]], United Nations Ambassador [[Andrew Young]], and film director [[Barry Jenkins]].

Alpha Phi Alpha was directly responsible for the conception, funding, and construction of the [[Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial]] next to the [[National Mall]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]

==History==

===Founding===
[[File:alphaconstitution.jpg|upright|thumb|The 1907 ΑΦΑ Constitution and [[Bylaws]]]]At the start of the 20th century, African-American students at American universities were often excluded from fraternal organizations enjoyed by the predominantly [[Caucasian race|white]] student population at non-[[Historically Black Colleges|black colleges]].<ref name="wesley15-16">{{harvnb|Wesley|1981|pp=15–16}}</ref> [[Charles Cardoza Poindexter]] organized a group of students for literary discussion and social functions at Cornell University.<ref name="issuu.com">{{cite web|url=https://issuu.com/apa1906network/docs/201510001-02|title=THE SPHINX - Fall/Winter 2015 - Volume 101 - Number 1-2 - 201510101-02|author=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity|work=Issuu}}</ref> The group initially consisted of 15 students and included women.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web|url=https://issuu.com/apa1906network/docs/195604203|title=The SPHINX - Summer August 1956 - Volume 42 - Number 3 195604203|author=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity|work=Issuu}}</ref> 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 Woodson Tandy|Vertner Tandy]] came from Kentucky, and C.H. Chapman was from Florida.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://issuu.com/apa1906network/docs/195604203|title=The SPHINX &#124; Summer August 1956 &#124; Volume 42 &#124; Number 3 195604203 by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity - Issuu|date=February 3, 2012|website=issuu.com}}</ref>

The group met every two weeks at 421 North Albany Street, where Poindexter roomed.<ref name="ReferenceA" /> Poindexter was stated to have a relationship with the other students of the group that was more faculty-to-student than peer-to-peer, given that he was the secretary of a professor at Cornell.<ref name="issuu.com" /> In December 1905, Poindexter organized a meeting of students which included Murray, Ogle, Phillips, Chapman, Kelley, Callis, Tandy, and George Tompkins.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BBpRjQpHBqEC|title=African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision|first1=Tamara L.|last1=Brown|first2=Gregory S.|last2=Parks|first3=Clarenda M.|last3=Phillips|date=February 17, 2012|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|isbn=978-0813140735|via=Google Books}}</ref>

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.<ref name="google.com">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C_GbXyQwDcUC|title=Black Greek-letter Organizations in the Twenty-First Century|isbn=978-0813138725|last1=Parks|first1=Gregory S.|date=June 13, 2008|publisher=University Press of Kentucky }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LHLySACMxdcC|title=Black Greek 101|isbn=9780838639771|last1=Kimbrough|first1=Walter M.|year=2003|publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press }}</ref> Pi Gamma Omicron inspired Ogle to try to transform the literary society into a fraternity.<ref name="google.com" /> 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.<ref name="books.google.com">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yfTYV_H2XoEC|title=African American Fraternities and Sororities|isbn=0813123445|last1=Brown|first1=Tamara L.|last2=Parks|first2=Gregory|last3=Phillips|first3=Clarenda M.|date=March 11, 2005|publisher=University Press of Kentucky }}</ref> 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.<ref name="wesley15-16" /> On October 23, 1906, George Kelley proposed that the organization be officially known by the [[Greek alphabet|Greek letters]] Alpha Phi Alpha, and Robert Ogle proposed the colors black and [[Old Gold|old gold]]. Poindexter became the first President of Alpha Phi Alpha; under his leadership, the first banquet, initiation procedures, and policies were introduced.<ref name="issuu.com" /><ref name="books.google.com" />

The divisive issue of whether the terms "club" or "fraternity" should be used was still debated.<ref name="Wesley19-27">{{harvnb|Wesley|1981|pp=19–27}}.</ref> A vote again confirmed the name Alpha Phi Alpha with the colors of old gold and black.<ref name="books.google.com" /> The initiation of new members Eugene Kinckle Jones, Lemuel Graves, and Gordon Jones took place on October 30, 1906, at a Masonic Hall including<ref name="books.google.com" /> James Morton was considered and selected, but at the time he was not registered at the university.<ref name="ReferenceA" /> 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.<ref name="issuu.com" /> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GS0UAAAAIAAJ|title=The Rainbow of the Delta Tau Delta|year=1906}}</ref> Callis said that these fraternities, SAE and BTP, were the source of the fraternity rituals.<ref name="issuu.com" /> The other members of the group felt that Poindexter, as a graduate student, dominated the meetings of Alpha Phi Alpha.<ref name="ReferenceB">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bjWCBHygpQ0C|title=Charles H. Wesley|isbn=9780815327547|last1=Wesley|first1=Charles Harris|year=1997|publisher=Taylor & Francis }}</ref> 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.<ref name="ReferenceA" /> In December 1906, George Tompkins' resignation was accepted. Seven of the original 12 men from the initial meeting in December 1905 would continue as members of the fraternity.<ref name="ReferenceA" />

[[File:Alphacharter.jpeg|thumb|upright|The 1906 [[charter]] for ''Alpha chapter'' at Cornell University]]By December 4, 1906, the decision on a name was made: "fraternity". The earlier terms "club", "organization", and "society" were permanently removed.<ref name="Wesley19-27" /> 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.<ref name="issuu.com" /> 11 members were present during the date of the founding of the fraternity on December 4, 1906.<ref name="issuu.com" /> 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.<ref name="ReferenceB" /> Murray was emphatic in his belief that Poindexter should not be considered to be a founder despite his role.<ref name="ReferenceC" /> 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. He was the moving spirit in the literary organization, which served as the predecessor of the fraternity.<ref name="issuu.com" /> He acted as president of the group and continued in office during the formation of the early policies and also through the first initiation in Alpha Phi Alpha society." According to his wife, Poindexter did not oppose the idea of a fraternity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://issuu.com/apa1906network/docs/198707303|title=The SPHINX - Fall 1987 - Volume 73 - Number 3 198707303|author=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity|work=Issuu}}</ref>

The original fraternal founding members are now stated to be [[Henry Arthur Callis]], [[Charles Henry Chapman (Alpha Phi Alpha co-founder)|Charles Henry Chapman]], [[Eugene Kinckle Jones]] (who replaced James Morton), [[George Biddle Kelley]], [[Nathaniel Allison Murray]], [[Robert Harold Ogle]], and [[Vertner Woodson Tandy]].<ref>{{harvnb|Wesley|1981|pp=26–31, 92}}</ref> Eugene Kinkle Jones who joined the group in October 1906 was given the title of a founder in 1952, while James Morton was removed because of his lack of enrollment at Cornell.<ref name="ReferenceC">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kcKJ7LTWjm8C|title=Alpha Phi Alpha|isbn=978-0813134574|last1=Parks|first1=Gregory|date=January 2012|publisher=University Press of Kentucky }}</ref> The founders are collectively known as the Seven Jewels.

Mrs. Annie C Singleton played a pivotal part in helping the organization in its early years. She became the Mother of the fraternity as a result.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jbhe.com/2011/11/nations-oldest-black-fraternity-honors-its-mother/|title=Nation's Oldest Black Fraternity Honors Its "Mother"|work=The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education|date=24 November 2011}}</ref>

===Consolidation and expansion===
The fraternity's constitution was adopted on December 4, 1906, limiting membership to "Negro male" students and providing that the General Convention of the Fraternity would be created following the establishment of the fourth chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha.<ref name="USWW">{{cite web |url=http://apa.usww.com/alphatoc/frathistory.htm |title=ΑΦΑ Fraternity History |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Zeta Iota chapter |access-date=April 14, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105164253/http://apa.usww.com/alphatoc/frathistory.htm |archive-date=2009-01-05}}</ref> The [[preamble]] states the purpose of Alpha Phi Alpha:

{{blockquote|To promote a perfect union among college men; to aid in and insist upon the personal progress of its members; to further brotherly love and a fraternal spirit within the organization; to discountenance evil; to destroy all prejudices; to preserve the sanctity of the home, the personification of virtue and the chastity of woman.<ref name=const1925>{{cite web |url=http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/alpha/publications/REX021_021.pdf |title=ΑΦΑ Constitution and By-Laws (1925)|publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity |access-date=19 February 2012}}</ref>}}

Chapters of Alpha Phi Alpha are given [[Greek alphabet|Greek-letter]] names in order of installation into the fraternity. No chapter is designated [[Omega]], the last letter of the Greek alphabet and traditionally used for "the end".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01332b.htm|title=CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Alpha and Omega|website=www.newadvent.org}}</ref> Deceased brothers are considered by brothers to have joined Omega chapter.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://issuu.com/apa1906network/docs/protocol_etiquette_manual/40|title=Alpha Protocol & Etiquette Manual|author=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity|via=Issuu}}</ref>

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 charter at Howard made it the site of the organization of the first black Greek letter organization for men among [[Historically black colleges and universities|historically black colleges]].<ref>{{harvnb|Wesley|1981|p=43}}</ref> The first black Greek letter organization among historically black colleges was Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, as it was established early in November 1907.<ref>{{Cite book|last=McNealey|first=Earnestine|title=Pearls of Service The Legacy of America's First Black Sorority|publisher=Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.|year=2006|location=Chicago|pages=20|language=English}}</ref>

The purpose and objective of the fraternity within the [[articles of incorporation]] were declared "educational and for the mutual uplift of its members."<ref name=USWW/> The fraternity has established the Alpha Phi Alpha Archives at Howard University's [[Moorland-Spingarn Research Center]] to preserve the history of the organization.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.edonline.com/taulambda/natlprograms.htm |title=Preservation of Alpha Phi Alpha History |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Tau Chapter |access-date=January 26, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928013547/http://www.edonline.com/taulambda/natlprograms.htm |archive-date=September 28, 2007 }}</ref>

The fraternity chartered its first international chapter at the [[University of Toronto]] in 1908. Chapters have been chartered in [[London]], [[Frankfurt]], [[Monrovia]], the [[Caribbean]], [[South Africa]], and [[South Korea]].<ref name=epsilontheta>{{cite web |url=http://www.bgsu.edu/studentlife/greeks/alpha-phi-alpha/history.htm |title=History of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Epsilon Theta chapter |access-date=April 5, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202061332/http://www.bgsu.edu/studentlife/greeks/alpha-phi-alpha/history.htm |archive-date=December 2, 2008}}</ref>

[[File:alphafstconvent.jpg|thumb|The first General Convention at [[Howard University]] 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. Morrison.<ref name=alphagamma>{{cite web|url=http://www.brown.edu/Students/Alpha_Phi_Alpha/history.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990428124620/http://www.brown.edu/Students/Alpha_Phi_Alpha/history.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 28, 1999 |title=ΑΦΑ First General Convention |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Alpha Gamma chapter |access-date=April 3, 2006 }}</ref> Each newly elected General President is automatically considered one of the "100 most influential Black Americans".<ref name=alphavideo>{{Cite video |people=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity |title=Alpha Phi Alpha Men: ''A Century of Leadership'' |medium=Video |publisher=Rubicon Productions |date=2005}}</ref><ref>From 1963, see ''[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]]''{{'}}s annual "The 100 Most Influential Black Americans" (recently retitled "Ebony Power 150").</ref>

The fraternity established its first [[Alumnus/a|alumni]] chapter, Alpha Lambda, in 1911 in [[Louisville, Kentucky]]. It was again incorporated as a national organization on April 3, 1912, under the laws of [[United States Congress|Congress]] within the District of Columbia, under the name and title of '''The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity'''.<ref name="dcra">''"District of Columbia Organization Information". dcra.dc.gov. Retrieved April 30, 2009.''</ref>

For more than 100 years, Alpha Phi Alpha and its members have had a voice and influence on politics and current affairs.<ref name=crisis1>{{Cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?Id=RCsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA464|title=Publisher's Foreword|volume=92, 10 (464)| page=6|last=Hooks| first=Benjamin L.|journal=The Crisis |date=December 1985|access-date=June 16, 2017}}</ref><ref name=cornell-library>{{cite web |url=http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/alpha/ |title=ΑΦΑ:A Brief History |publisher=rmc.library.cornell.edu |access-date=May 4, 2006}}</ref> ''[[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.<ref name= crisis1/> In 1914, ''The Sphinx'', named after the Egyptian landmark, began publication as the fraternity's journal.<ref name=cornell-library/> ''The Crisis'' and ''The Sphinx'' are respectively the first and second oldest continuously published black journals in the United States.<ref name=cornell-library/> The [[National Urban League]]'s (NUL) ''Opportunity: Journal of Negro Life'' was first published in 1923 under the leadership of Alpha founder Eugene K. Jones and [[Charles S. Johnson|Charles Johnson]] as its executive editor.<ref name=oppjrnl>{{cite book |last1= Arthur Johnson |first1=Abby |last2=Ronald |first2=Mayberry Johnson |date=1991 |title=The Literary Politics of African-American Magazines in the Twentieth Century |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9rbMvkgfeh8C |publisher=Univ of Massachusetts Press |page=48 |isbn= 9780870234026}}</ref>

[[File:AlphaPhiAlphaFourthAnnualConventionMichigan.png|thumb|right|200px|Alpha Phi Alpha Fourth Annual Convention 1912, Elected President [[Charles Herbert Garvin|Charles H. Garvin]] on bottom right]]

In 1912, [[Charles Herbert Garvin|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.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://library.brown.edu/pdfs/1307980563609254.pdf|title=Along the Color Line--Social Uplift (The Crisis)|date=March 1912|magazine=The Crisis|via= Brown University Library}}</ref> He served two terms as president, between 1912 and 1914.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.apa1906.net/general-presidents|title=General Presidents|publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity|via= Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Website}}</ref> 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. One of the most notable contributions made by Garvin was the national incorporation of the fraternity under the laws of Congress.<ref>{{cite book |last1= Parks|first1=Gregory |date=January 1, 2012 |title=Alpha Phi Alpha: A Legacy of Greatness, The Demands of Transcendence |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |pages=97|isbn=978-0813134215}}</ref>
As president, Garvin wrote the fraternity's Esprit De Fraternite. In it, he dictated:

{{poemquote|
      An Alpha Phi Alpha man's attitude should not be 'how much can I derive from the Fraternity' but 'how much can I do for the Fraternity?'  In proportion to what he does for his Chapter and Alpha Phi Alpha, will a member receive lasting benefits from the Fraternity himself in the way of self-development by duty well done and the respect of the Brothers served?
        A member's duties should be:
        1. Prompt payment of all financial obligations, the prime requisite for a successful fraternal life
        2. The doing of good scholastic work in his chosen vocation, thereby accomplishing the real end of a college course
        3. The reasonable endeavor to participate in general college activities and social service and to excel therein
        4. The proper consideration of all things with appropriate attention to the high moral standard of Alpha Phi Alpha.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zol1906.com/pages/zol-chapter/chapter-commitments.php|title=Chapter Commitments-Esprit de Fraternite'|date=1912|publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity|via=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Zeta Omicron Lambda Chapter|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010003746/http://www.zol1906.com/pages/zol-chapter/chapter-commitments.php|archive-date=October 10, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref>}}

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 [[w:Officer (armed forces)|Officer]]s' training camp for [[Buffalo Soldier|black troops]]. Thirty-two Alpha men were granted commissions (four were made [[Captain (United States)|captains]] and many were [[US First Lieutenant|first lieutenants]]). First Lieutenant [[Victor Daly]] was decorated with the {{lang|fr|[[Croix de Guerre]]}} for his service in France.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/alpha/greatwar/greatwar_1.html |title=Alpha Phi Alpha and the Great War |publisher=Cornell University Rare and Manuscript Collections |access-date=April 26, 2006}}</ref> Today, the fort is a museum and education center which honors the [[United States Army|U.S. Army's]] first officer candidate class for African-American men in 1917.<ref name=fortdesmoines>{{cite web|url=http://www.fortdesmoines.org/index.html |title=Fort Des Moines Museum & Education Center |publisher=fortdesmoines.org |access-date=December 29, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311064006/http://www.fortdesmoines.org/index.html |archive-date=March 11, 2007 }}</ref>

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.<ref name=MPT>{{cite web|url=http://www.mpt.org/programsinterests/alpha/ |title=Alpha Phi Alpha Men: A Century of Leadership |publisher=Maryland Public Television |access-date=April 26, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060213072658/http://www.mpt.org/programsinterests/alpha/ |archive-date=February 13, 2006 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> Alpha Phi Alpha has a long history of providing scholarships for needy students and initiating various other charitable and service projects. It evolved from a social fraternity to a primarily community service organization.<ref name=ebony8911>{{Cite journal|date=November 1989 |url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_n1_v45/ai_8029489 |title=A Legacy of Leadership and Service |journal=[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]] |publisher=Gale, Cengage Learning |format=Reprint |access-date=July 21, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070301011145/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_n1_v45/ai_8029489 |archive-date=March 1, 2007 }}</ref>

===History: 1919–1949===
The fraternity's [[#National programs|national programs]] date back to 1919, with its "Go-To-High School, Go-to-[[University|College"]] campaign to promote academic achievement within the African-American community as its first initiative.<ref name=epsilontheta />
 
The 1920s witnessed the birth of the [[Harlem Renaissance]]–a flowering of African-American [[African American art|art]], [[African American literature|literature]], [[African American music|music]], and [[African American culture|culture]] which began to be absorbed into the mainstream [[Culture of the United States|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. By the end of the 1920s, the fraternity had chartered 85 chapters throughout the United States and initiated over 3,000 members.<ref name=alphavideo/>

{{quote box|width=25%|align=right|bgcolor=burlywood
|quote=I want the Fraternity to stand out in the affairs of the Nation.|source= —[[Vertner W. Tandy]],<br />ΑΦΑ Founder<ref>{{harvnb|Mason|1999|p=150}}</ref>}}

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.<ref name=Wesley204-205>{{harvnb|Wesley|1981|pp=204–205}}.</ref> Alpha men [[Rayford Logan]] and Eugene K. Jones were members of Roosevelt's unofficial [[Black Cabinet]], an informal group of African-American public policy advisors to the President.<ref>{{harvnb |Mason |1999 |p=60}}</ref>

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. Historian and fraternity brother [[John Hope Franklin]] was an early beneficiary of the publishing company<ref name=alphavideo/> and was the 2006 [[Kluge Prize]] recipient for lifetime achievement in the study of humanity.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/loc/kluge/prize/franklin.html |title=Kluge Prize Winner 2006 – John Hope Franklin
 |access-date=January 12, 2009 |work=[[John W. Kluge Center]] |publisher=[[Library of Congress]] |location=Washington, D.C.| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090114043243/http://www.loc.gov/loc/kluge/prize/franklin.html| archive-date= January 14, 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref>

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 [[boycott]]s 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.]]''<ref name=findlawNNA>{{cite web |url=http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=303&invol=552 |title=New Negro Alliance v. Sanitary Grocery Co. |work=findlaw.com |access-date=May 1, 2006}}</ref> This ruling in favor of the NAACP became a [[Landmark decision|landmark case]] in the struggle by African Americans against [[Equal opportunity|discriminatory hiring]] practices. "Don't Buy Where You Can't Work" groups multiplied throughout the nation.{{Ref_label|a|a|none}}<ref name=ctdcNNA>{{cite web|url=http://www.culturaltourismdc.org/info-url3948/info-url_show.htm?doc_id=212961&attrib_id=7970 |title=New Negro Alliance's Sanitary Grocery Protest Site |publisher=Cultural Tourism: District of Columbia |access-date=April 29, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060223154642/http://www.culturaltourismdc.org/info-url3948/info-url_show.htm?doc_id=212961&attrib_id=7970 |archive-date=February 23, 2006 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> The fraternity sponsors an annual Belford V. Lawson Oratorical Contest in which collegiate members demonstrate their oratorical skills first at the chapter level, with the winner competing at the District, Regional and General Convention.<ref name=alphasc>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.scalpha.org/forms/awards_&_achievements_criteria_handbook.pdf |title=Belford V. Lawson Oratorical Contest |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity |journal=Awards and Achievements Criteria Handbook |pages=19–23 |access-date=January 5, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228045628/http://www.scalpha.org/forms/awards_%26_achievements_criteria_handbook.pdf |archive-date=February 28, 2008 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref>

The fraternity began to participate in [[Voting Rights Act|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. The Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy said, "Alpha Phi Alpha...developed citizenship schools in the urban South and with its slogan "A Voteless People is a Hopeless People" registered hundreds of blacks during the 1930s, decades before the [[Southern Christian Leadership Conference]] (SCLC) and the [[Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee]] (SNCC) launched their citizenship schools in the 1960s." The slogan is still used in Alpha Phi Alpha's continuing voter registration campaign.<ref name=epsilontheta/><ref name=ippp>{{Cite web |title=Will the Circle Be Unbroken? The Erosion and Transformation of African American Civic Life |publisher=Institute for Philosophy & Public Policy |year=1976 |url=http://www.publicpolicy.umd.edu/IPPP/summer98/will_the_circle_be_unbroken.htm |access-date=December 26, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060514191844/http://www.publicpolicy.umd.edu/IPPP/summer98/will_the_circle_be_unbroken.htm |archive-date=2006-05-14 | author = Harris, Fredrick C. | url-status = dead}}</ref> Alpha Phi Alpha member and former Washington, D.C., mayor [[Marion Barry]] was the first chairman of the SNCC.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/biography.asp?bioindex=33&category=politicalMakers |title=Marion Barry biography |publisher=thehistorymakers.com |access-date=August 19, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061231154617/http://thehistorymakers.com/biography/biography.asp?bioindex=33&category=politicalMakers |archive-date=December 31, 2006 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

{{quote box|width=25%|align=right|bgcolor=burlywood
|quote=Alphamen led the way in achieving competitive glory for the nation as well as racial pride for black America.|source= —Harold Rudolph Sims<ref name=wf2008/>}}

Seven Alpha men represented the United States at the politically charged [[1936 Summer Olympics]]: [[Jesse Owens]], [[Ralph Metcalfe]], [[Fritz Pollard Jr.]], [[Cornelius Johnson (athlete)|Cornelius Johnson]], [[Archie Williams]], [[Dave Albritton]], and [[John Woodruff (athlete)|John Woodruff]].<ref name=wf2008>{{Cite journal |last=Myers II |first=Michael J. |date=Fall–Winter 2008 |url=http://www.sphinxmagazine.com/Articles/Alpha-and-the-Olympic-Games.aspx |title=Alpha Athletes at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity |journal=The Sphinx |volume=93 |issue=3–4 |access-date=January 13, 2010}}</ref> In 1938, Alpha Phi Alpha continued to expand and became an international organization when a chapter was chartered in London, England.<ref>{{harvnb|Wesley|1981|p=239}}</ref>

Alpha Phi Alpha supported legal battles against [[Racial segregation|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 L. Gaines|Lloyd Gaines]]. In ''[[Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada|Gaines v. Canada]]'', the most important segregation case since ''[[Plessy v. Ferguson]]'', Gaines was denied admission to the Law School at the [[University of Missouri]] because he was black.<ref name=":0">{{harvnb|Wesley|1981|pp=217–218}}</ref> Alpha men Houston and Sidney Redmon successfully argued that "States that provide only one educational institution must allow blacks and whites to attend if there is no separate school for blacks."<ref name=":0" />

In 1940, true to its form as the "first of first", Alpha Phi Alpha sought to end racial discrimination within its membership. The use of the word "Negro" in the membership clause of the constitution, which referred to "any Negro male student," would be changed to read "any male student." The unanimous decision to change the constitution happened in 1945 and was the first official action by a BGLO to allow the admission of all colors and races.<ref>{{harvnb|Wesley|1981|p=244}}</ref> Bernard Levin became the first non-black member in 1946,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rDzopsSbWAoC|title=Black Greek-letter Organizations in the Twenty-First Century|isbn=978-0813172958|last1=Parks|first1=Gregory|date=June 13, 2008|publisher=University Press of Kentucky }}</ref> and Roger Youmans became the first non-black member to address the fraternity at the 1954 general convention.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Brothers and Sisters: Diversity in College Fraternities and Sororities|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=lJ0hFQlKx4oC|publisher = Associated University Presse|date = 2009|access-date = 2015-04-12|isbn = 9780838641941|first1 = Craig LaRon|last1 = Torbenson|first2 = Gregory|last2 = Parks}}</ref>

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 [[War#Types of warfare|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 of the United States|military]] and civilian defense programs during World War II. The leadership of the fraternity encouraged Alpha men to buy [[war bond]]s, and the membership responded with their purchases.<ref>{{harvnb|Wesley|1981|p=248}}</ref> The fraternity's long tradition of military service has remained strong. Alpha's military leaders [[Samuel Gravely]] and [[Benjamin Thurman Hacker|Benjamin Hacker]] were followed by other fraternity members who lead and serve in the armed forces.

In 1946, fraternity brother [[Paul Robeson]], in a [[letter to the editor]] published in ''[[The New York Times]]'', referring to apartheid and South Africa's impending request to annex South-West Africa, a [[League of Nations mandate]], appealed:

{{blockquote|to my fellow Americans to make known their protest against such conditions to the South African Ministry in Washington; to send to the Council on African Affairs an expression of support for these grievously oppressed workers in South Africa; to keep the South African situation in mind against the time when General [[Jan Smuts|Smuts]] will come to the [[United Nations|United Nations Assembly]] to demand the annexation of South West Africa, which means more Africans for him to exploit.<ref name=robeson/>}}

In 1947, Alpha Phi Alpha awarded Robeson the Alpha Medallion for his "outstanding role as a champion of freedom."{{Ref_label|b|b|none}}<ref name=robeson>{{cite web|url=http://www.bayarearobeson.org/Chronology_5.htm |title=The 20th Century's Greatest Renaissance Man |publisher=bayarearobeson.org |access-date=July 23, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927234158/http://www.bayarearobeson.org/Chronology_5.htm |archive-date=September 27, 2007 }}</ref>

===History: 1950–1969===
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. Jones.<ref>{{harvnb|Wesley|1981|pp=331–334}}</ref><ref name=alphalegacy>{{cite web|url=http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com/Page.php?id=138 |title=The Founders of Alpha Phi Alpha (ΑΦΑ) (Seven Jewels) |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity |access-date=February 10, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214175746/http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com/Page.php?id=138 |archive-date=February 14, 2009 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref>

{{quote box|width=45%|align=right|quote=God grant from this assembly, this noble assembly of fraternity men, some of the leaders of our nation will emerge.|source= —[[Martin Luther King Jr.]],|Address to ΑΦΑ at [[Golden Jubilee]]<ref>{{harvnb |Mason |1999 |p=204}}</ref>}}

In 1956, the fraternity made a "[[pilgrimage]]"{{Ref_label|c|c|none}} 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". There were three living Jewels present for the occasion: Kelley, Callis, and Murray.<ref>{{harvnb|Wesley|1981|pp=381–386}}</ref>

Alpha men were at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s.<ref name=MPT/> In [[Montgomery, Alabama|Montgomery]], Martin Luther King Jr. led the people in the [[Montgomery bus boycott]] as a minister and later as head of the SCLC. [[Birmingham, Alabama|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. Marshall employed mentor and fraternity brother Charles Houston's plan to use the ''de facto'' inequality of [[Equal Protection Clause|"separate but equal" education in the United States]] to attack and defeat the [[Jim Crow laws]].<ref>{{harvnb|Wesley|1981|pp=366–369}}</ref> The actions by Alpha activists provoked death threats to them and their families and exposed their homes as targets for [[firebombing]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAkingML.htm |title=Martin Luther King Jr. |publisher=Spartacus Schools |access-date=January 5, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071231160143/http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAkingML.htm |archive-date=December 31, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

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]]. The Alpha Phi Alpha delegation was one of the largest to participate in the March on Washington.<ref name=etalambda>{{cite web|url=http://www.etalambda.org/sitebody/mlk/index.htm |title=Martin Luther King Jr. |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Eta Lambda chapter |access-date=April 22, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311021220/http://www.etalambda.org/sitebody/mlk/index.htm |archive-date=March 11, 2007 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref>

In 1968, after the [[Martin Luther King Jr.#Assassination|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 [[Martin Luther King Jr. Day|national holiday]]. They collected $100&nbsp;million for construction.<ref name=blkcoll>{{Cite news|last=Gray |first=Butler T. |year=2006 |url=http://www.black-collegian.com/african/mlk/monument1299.shtml |title=National Mall Site Chosen for Memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. |publisher=black-collegian.com |access-date=April 3, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061019021602/http://www.black-collegian.com/african/mlk/monument1299.shtml |archive-date=October 19, 2006 |df=mdy }}</ref>

===History: 1970–2000===
Beginning in the 1970s, new goals were being introduced to address the current environment. The older social programs and policies were still supported; however, under the direction of General President [[Ernest Nathan Morial|Ernest Morial]], the fraternity turned its attention to new social needs. This included the campaign to eliminate the [[Ghetto#United States|ghetto-goal]] on numerous fronts with housing development and entrepreneurship initiatives.

In 1963, the [[Federal Housing Administration]] requested non-profit organizations to get involved with providing housing for [[Poverty|low-income]] families, individuals, and senior citizens. Alpha Phi Alpha was poised to take advantage of this program with the government in improving urban housing living conditions. The Eta Tau Lambda chapter created Alpha Phi Alpha Homes Inc. with [[w:James R. Williams (lawyer)|James R. Williams]] as the chairman to address these needs in [[Akron, Ohio]]. In 1971, Alpha Homes received an $11.5&nbsp;million grant from [[United States Department of Housing and Urban Development|HUD]] to begin groundbreaking on Channelwood Village with the Henry Arthur Callis Tower as its centerpiece. Channelwood contains additional structures named after General Presidents James R. Williams and Charles Wesley and streets named for fraternity founders Tandy and Ogle. The Alpha Towers in Chicago and three other urban housing developments in [[St. Louis, Missouri]] — the Alpha Gardens, Alpha Towne, and Alpha Village saw completion through Alpha Phi Alpha leadership.<ref>{{harvnb|Wesley|1981|pp=472–480}}</ref>

In 1976, the fraternity celebrated its 70th anniversary with dual convention locations: New York City and Monrovia. The fraternity launched the Million Dollar Fund Drive with three prime beneficiaries — the [[United Negro College Fund]], the National Urban League, and the NAACP. The executive director of the NAACP stated, "Alpha Phi Alpha provided the largest single gift ever received by the civil rights group."<ref name=ebony8911/>

In 1981, the fraternity celebrated its [[Diamond Jubilee]] in [[Dallas]], Texas, featuring a presentation of the New Thrust Program consisting of the Million Dollar Fund Drive, the Leadership Development and Citizenship Institutes, and the quest to obtain a national holiday for fraternity brother Martin Luther King Jr.<ref>{{harvnb |Mason |1999|p=352}}</ref>

{{blockquote|We will go to great lengths to lend our voices, our time, our expertise, and our money to solve the problems that humankind must solve as we move into the 21st century.|Henry Ponder|28th General President ΑΦΑ<ref name=ebony8911/>}}

As the 21st century approached, Alpha Phi Alpha's long-term commitment to the social and economic improvement of humanity remained at the top of its agenda. The fraternity's 28th General President, [[Henry Ponder]], said, "We would like the public to perceive Alpha Phi Alpha as a group of college-trained, professional men who are very much concerned and sensitive to the needs of humankind. We will go to great lengths to lend our voices, our time, our expertise, and our money to solve the problems that humankind must solve as we move into the 21st century."<ref name=ebony8911/>

In 1996, the World Policy Council (WPC) was created as a [[think tank]] to expand the fraternity's involvement in politics and social and current policy to encompass important global and world issues.<ref name=alphavideo/> The United States Congress authorized the [[United States Secretary of the Interior|Secretary of the Interior]] to permit Alpha Phi Alpha to establish a memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King on Department of Interior lands in the District of Columbia.<ref name="mlkbill">"H.B. 104–190". thomas.gov, A Bill to authorize the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity to establish a memorial in the District of Columbia to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.</ref>

===Twenty-first century===
[[File:Alpha Phi Alpha centennial memorial, Ho Plaza, Cornell University Ithaca New York.jpg|thumb|Alpha Phi Alpha and Cornell University dedicated a centennial memorial on [[Ho Plaza]] in 2006]]
In 2006, more than 10,000 Alpha Phi Alpha members gathered in Washington, D.C., to participate in the fraternity's [[#Centennial celebration|centennial convention]] to lay the groundwork for another 100 years of service. The fraternity developed a national strategic plan that outlines the processes that Alpha Phi Alpha will utilize in its continuing efforts to develop tomorrow's leaders and promote brotherhood and academic excellence.<ref name=bcw>{{Cite news |last=Anamelechi |first=Anthony |date=August 30, 2006 |url=http://www.blackcollegewire.org/index.php?id=4764&option=com_content&task=view |title=Alpha Phi Alpha Plans Action on Black Male Issues |work=Black College Wire |publisher=Black College Communication Association |access-date=April 30, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725081131/http://www.blackcollegewire.org/index.php?id=4764&option=com_content&task=view |archive-date=July 25, 2011 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> The Centenary Report of the World Policy Council was published in connection with the centenary of Alpha Phi Alpha.<ref name="WPC#5">{{Cite report |first=Horace |last=Dawson |author-link=Horace Dawson |author2=[[Edward Brooke]] |author3=[[Henry Ponder]] |author4=Vinton R. Anderson |author5=[[Bobby William Austin]] |author6=[[Ron Dellums]] |author7=[[Kenton Keith (diplomat)|Kenton Keith]] |author8=Huel D. Perkins |author9=[[Charles B. Rangel|Charles Rangel]] |author10=Clathan McClain Ross |author11=[[Cornel West]] |title=The Centenary Report of the Alpha Phi Alpha World Policy Council |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity |date=July 2006 |url=http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com/Resources/ImageFile/File/image/WPC06-WEB.pdf |access-date=February 10, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225132901/http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com/Resources/ImageFile/File/image/WPC06-WEB.pdf |archive-date=February 25, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2007, General President Darryl Matthews addressed demonstrators at a protest rally touted as the new civil rights struggle of the 21st century. The rally for six [[African American|black]] teenagers, the "[[Jena Six|Jena 6]]", was a poignant reminder of incidents that punctuated the civil rights struggles begun in the 1950s.<ref name=jena6>{{Cite press release |first=Darryl R. Sr.|last=Matthews |url=http://www.dvercity.com/alpha_phi_alpha.html |title=We Demand Justice for the Jena 6! |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity |date=September 20, 2007 |access-date=April 30, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105215239/http://www.dvercity.com/alpha_phi_alpha.html |archive-date=January 5, 2009 |quote=The members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated have historically engaged in the struggle to uplift the downtrodden in their efforts to achieve the promise of social and economic parity described and prescribed in the pledge of allegiance to this great republic that declares liberty and justice for all.}}</ref>

On the eve of the [[First inauguration of Barack Obama|Inauguration of Barack Obama]], the fraternity under the new leadership of 33rd General President Herman "Skip" Mason hosted a Martin Luther King Holiday program at the [[w:National Press Club (USA)|National Press Club]] "to honor yesterday's 'firsts'—those in history who paved the way for the nation to be able to celebrate the first African-American president."<ref name=inaug>{{Cite press release|last=Mason |first=Herman Jr. |date=January 15, 2009 |url=http://apa1906.net/PressNewsDetails.php?newsID=84&newsCat=Press |title=A PHI A to Host MLK Commemoration |access-date=April 30, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723014622/http://apa1906.net/PressNewsDetails.php?newsID=84&newsCat=Press |archive-date=July 23, 2011 }}</ref> Alpha Congressman [[Chaka Fattah]] said "The life and legacy of Dr. King [was] a predicate for the election of Barack Obama," "The two are inextricably linked."<ref>{{Cite press release|url=http://www.pitchengine.com/alphaphialphafraternityinc/alpha-phi-alpha-fraternity-inc-declares-mlk-and-fraternitys-contributions-to-civil-rights-movement-inextricably-linked-to-historic-election-of-first-black-president/3406/ |title=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Declares MLK and Fraternity's Contributions to Civil Rights Movement "Inextricably Linked" to Historic Election of First Black President |format=Reprint |access-date=April 30, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224132454/http://www.pitchengine.com/alphaphialphafraternityinc/alpha-phi-alpha-fraternity-inc-declares-mlk-and-fraternitys-contributions-to-civil-rights-movement-inextricably-linked-to-historic-election-of-first-black-president/3406/ |archive-date=February 24, 2012 }}</ref> Alpha Phi Alpha responded to President [[Barack Obama|Obama's]] clarion call to Americans to remake America by implementing a public policy program to focus on saving America's black boys.<ref name=bboys>{{Cite press release|last=Mason |first=Herman Jr. |date=January 15, 2009 |url=http://apa1906.net/PressNewsDetails.php?newsID=80&newsCat=Press |title=President Mason sets focus on America's black boys |access-date=April 30, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723015052/http://apa1906.net/PressNewsDetails.php?newsID=80&newsCat=Press |archive-date=July 23, 2011 }}</ref> General President Mason on behalf of the fraternity appealed to President Obama to create a "White House Council on Men and Boys" and partner with Alpha Phi Alpha to specifically address the needs of this group on a national level.<ref name=whcmb>{{Cite press release |last=Mason |first=Herman Jr. |date=January 15, 2009 |url=http://apa1906.net/PressNewsDetails.php?newsID=90&newsCat=Press%20Release |title=Alpha appeals to President Obama |access-date=April 30, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504074038/http://apa1906.net/PressNewsDetails.php?newsID=90&newsCat=Press%20Release |archive-date=May 4, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Alpha Phi Alpha responded to the [[2010 Haiti earthquake]] by sending a humanitarian delegation of Alpha men led by President Mason to [[Haiti]] on a fact-finding mission to assess the situation and develop a long-term support plan for the Haitian people. The organization views its plan to 'adopt' a school in Haiti as "a great opportunity for the first black intercollegiate fraternity to stand in solidarity with the first [[Haitian Revolution#Free republic|independent black Republic]]."<ref>{{Cite press release|url=http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com/PressNewsDetails.php?newsID=136&newsCat=Press |title=Alpha Phi Alpha to send humanitarian mission to Haiti |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity |date=January 27, 2010 |access-date=February 23, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718000249/http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com/PressNewsDetails.php?newsID=136&newsCat=Press |archive-date=July 18, 2011 }}</ref>

The fraternity protested the passage of [[Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act|Arizona Senate Bill 1070]], which it believes may lead to [[racial profiling]] by relocating its 2010 national convention from [[Phoenix, Arizona]], to [[Las Vegas, Nevada]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=Alpha Phi Alpha Removes Convention From Ariz. Due To Immigration Law |date=May 1, 2010 |url=http://newsone.com/nation/news-one-staff/alpha-phi-alpha-removes-convention-from-ariz-due-to-immigration-law/comment-page-1/ |newspaper=News One (Pakistani TV channel) |publisher=Radio One |access-date=May 2, 2010}}</ref> The bill makes it a [[misdemeanor]] state crime for an [[w:alien (law)|alien]] to be in [[Arizona]] without carrying legal documents, steps up state and local law enforcement of [[Federal government of the United States|federal]] [[immigration law]]s, and cracks down on those sheltering, hiring and transporting illegal immigrants.<ref name="cis-attr">{{cite web | url=http://www.cis.org/articles/2006/back406.html | publisher=[[Center for Immigration Studies]] | title=Attrition Through Enforcement: A Cost-Effective Strategy to Shrink the Illegal Population | author=Vaughan, Jessica M. | date=April 2006}}</ref><ref name="sb1070 1">Arizona SB1070, Section 1.</ref> The bill has been called the broadest and strictest anti-[[illegal immigration to the United States|illegal immigration]] measure in decades.<ref name="nyt-az-law">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/24/us/politics/24immig.html | title=U.S.'s Toughest Immigration Law Is Signed in Arizona | author=Archibold, Randal C. | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date=April 24, 2010 | page=1}}</ref>
 
With global expansion as a platform, the fraternity chartered new chapters in the eastern hemisphere at the 2010 National Convention in Las Vegas, NV. The two new chapters are in London, England, and Johannesburg, South Africa, further expanding the fraternity's global footprint.

In 2012, Herman "Skip" Mason was suspended from the fraternity amid allegations of financial improprieties and was summarily removed as General President. Mason filed a lawsuit that contended the [[board of directors]] violated the fraternity's constitution and by-laws when it suspended him.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Walter C. |date=July 27, 2012 |title=Judge denies request to immediately reinstate fraternity president |url=https://www.onlineathens.com/story/news/state/2012/07/28/judge-denies-request-immediately-reinstate-fraternity-president/15602712007/ |access-date=2025-01-07 |website=Online Athens |language=en-US}}</ref> The lawsuit requested a [[injunction#Temporary restraining orders|temporary restraining order]] that would have, in effect, reinstated him as general president. This was denied.<ref name=mason-denied>{{cite news | url=http://www.ajc.com/news/dekalb/judge-denies-temporary-restraining-1485953.html| title=Judge denies temporary restraining order in lawsuit against Alpha Phi Alpha| last=Poole |first=Stephanie M. | newspaper=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|date=2012-07-27|access-date=2007-07-27}}</ref>

==National programs==
Alpha Phi Alpha asserts that through its community outreach initiatives, the fraternity supplies voice and vision to the struggle of African Americans, the [[African diaspora]], and the countless special problems that affect Black men.<ref name=ebony8911/><ref name=betasigma>{{cite web |url=http://www.hartfordalphas.com/alpha.php?id=1 |title=Hartford Alumni Chapter |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Beta Sigma Lambda chapter |access-date=April 5, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070628233738/http://www.hartfordalphas.com/alpha.php?id=1 |archive-date=June 28, 2007 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable floatright" style="margin:0 0 0.5em 0.5em; font-size:88%;"
|+ ΑΦΑ National Programs<ref name=APApgms>{{cite web|url=https://apa1906.net/national-programs |title=ΑΦΑ National Programs |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity |access-date=December 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813192502/http://www.albany.edu/~aphia/newsite/natprogs.html |archive-date=August 13, 2006 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref>
| | Mentoring
| | Project Alpha
|-
| | Education
| | Go To High School, Go To College
|-
| | Leadership Training
| | Leadership Development Institute
|-
| | Service
| | Brother's Keeper
|}

The fraternity provides for charitable endeavors through its Education and Building Foundations, providing academic scholarships and shelter to underprivileged families these projects are managed by fraternity brothers; Broderick McKinney, Kenneth Burnside, and Gregory Anderson.<ref name=USWW/> The fraternity combines its efforts in conjunction with other philanthropic organizations such as [[Head Start Program|Head Start]], Boy Scouts of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America,<ref name=natlpgms>{{cite web |url=http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com/Page.php?id=52 |title=ΑΦΑ Special Projects and Programs |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity |access-date=February 10, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214175525/http://alpha-phi-alpha.com/Page.php?id=52 |archive-date=February 14, 2009 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Project Alpha with the [[March of Dimes]], NAACP, [[Habitat for Humanity International|Habitat for Humanity]], and [[Fortune 500]] companies.

Alpha's "Designated Charity" benefits from the approximately $10,000, one-time contribution to fund-raising efforts at the fraternity's annual general convention.<ref name=ebony8911/> The fraternity also has made commitments to train leaders with national mentoring programs.<ref name=USWW/>

The Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation is a project of Alpha Phi Alpha to construct the [[Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial]] on the [[National Mall]] in Washington D.C.<ref name=mlkalphanews>{{cite web|url=http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com/Page.php?id=103 |title=ΑΦΑ Martin Luther King Jr. Project |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity |access-date=February 10, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090810164744/http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com/Page.php?id=103 |archive-date=August 10, 2009 }}</ref>

===Go-To-High School, Go-To-College===
Established in 1922, the Go-To-High School program is intended to afford Alpha men the opportunity to provide young participants with role models. The program concentrates on the importance of completing secondary and collegiate education as a path to advancement and provides information and strategies to facilitate success.<ref name=rhosigmapgms>{{cite web|url=http://www.albany.edu/~aphia/newsite/natprogs.html |title=ΑΦΑ National Programs |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Rho Sigma chapter |access-date=April 5, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813192502/http://www.albany.edu/~aphia/newsite/natprogs.html |archive-date=August 13, 2006 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> Much of the fundraising for the program is done by the graduate and undergraduate chapters at the local level via fraternity specific philanthropic events or collaborations like "The Official Four Way: World Tour" with other fraternal Greek-lettered organizations like [[Lambda Upsilon Lambda]], [[Iota Nu Delta]], and [[Pi Delta Psi]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://13wham.com/news/local/alpha-phi-alpha-teams-up-with-rochester-family-mission-to-help-local-families-in-need#|title=Alpha Phi Alpha teams up with Rochester Family Mission to help local families in need|date=December 4, 2024|website=WHAM}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1 December 2006 |title=The Dragon - Winter 2005 |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060127012547/http://www.nycpdpsi.com:80/Files/Winter2005Newsletter.pdf |accessdate=December 12, 2024 |publisher=Pi Delta Psi}}</ref>

===A Voteless People is a Hopeless People===
The Fraternity's voter education/registration program was initiated as a National Program of Alpha during the 1930s by the Alpha Omicron chapter (Johnson C. Smith University) 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 since remained a dominant focus in the fraternity's planning. In the 1990s, the focus shifted to the promotion of political awareness and empowerment, delivered most often through the use of town meetings and candidate forums.<ref name=rhosigmapgms/> Members are required to be registered voters and to participate in the national voter registration program.<ref name=davidson>{{cite web|last=Giduz |first=Bill |url=http://www2.davidson.edu/common/templates/news/news_tmp03.asp?newsid=1805 |title=Charter for Historically Black Fraternity Makes History at Davidson |work=News & Events |publisher=Davidson College |access-date=December 28, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060917162359/http://www2.davidson.edu/common/templates/news/news_tmp03.asp?newsid=1805 |archive-date=September 17, 2006 }}</ref>

The fraternity's Nu Mu Lambda, chapter of [[Decatur, Georgia]], held a voter registration drive in [[DeKalb County, Georgia]] in 2004, from which [[w:Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] Secretary of State [[Cathy Cox (American politician)|Cathy Cox]] rejected all 63 voter registration applications on the basis that the fraternity did not follow correct procedures, including obtaining specific pre-clearance from the state to conduct their drive.

{{blockquote|The Court finds and hereby '''DECLARES''' that the rejection of voter registration applications because they were submitted in a bundle, or by someone who was not a registrar or deputy registrar, violates the [[National Voter Registration Act of 1993|NVRA]].|U.S. Court of Appeals|''Wesley v. Cox''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.heardlawoffices.com/Downloads/CONSENT_DECREE_&_FINAL_JUDGMENT.pdf |title=Charles H. Wesley Education Foundation v. Cox |work=Wesley v. Cox Final Decree |publisher=heardlawoffices.com |access-date=January 28, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228045628/http://www.heardlawoffices.com/Downloads/CONSENT_DECREE_%26_FINAL_JUDGMENT.pdf |archive-date=February 28, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>}}

Nu Mu Lambda filed ''Charles H. Wesley Education Foundation v. Cathy Cox'' on the basis that the Georgia Secretary of State's long-standing policy and practice of rejecting mail-in voter registration applications that were submitted in bundles and/or by persons other than registrars, deputy registrars, or the individual applicants, violated the requirements of the [[National Voter Registration Act of 1993]] (NVRA) by undermining voter registration drives. A Senior [[United States federal judge|U.S. District Judge]] upheld earlier federal court decisions in the case, which also found private entities have a right under the NVRA to engage in organized voter registration activity in Georgia at times and locations of their choosing, without the presence or permission of state or local election officials.<ref name=nvra>{{Cite news|last=Epting |first=Sarah |date=March 10, 2006 |url=http://www.atlantaprogressivenews.com/news/0034.html |title=Cox Violated Voter Rights, Judge Declares |publisher=Atlanta Progressive News, The Wesley Foundation is the Georgia nonprofit charitable affiliate of Nu Mu Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. |access-date=May 25, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060619034329/http://www.atlantaprogressivenews.com/news/0034.html |archive-date=June 19, 2006 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref>

===Project Alpha===
Alpha Phi Alpha, Iota Delta Lambda Chapter (Chicago), and the March of Dimes began a collaborative program called Project Alpha in 1980. The project consists of a series of workshops and informational sessions conducted by Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity brothers to provide young men with current and accurate information about [[Teenage pregnancy|teen pregnancy]] prevention. Alpha Phi Alpha also participated in the March of Dimes' WalkAmerica and raised over $181,000 in 2006.<ref name=MarchofDimes>{{cite web |url=http://www.marchofdimes.org/volunteers/alpha-phi-alpha-fraternity-inc.aspx |title=March of Dimes: Alpha Phi Alpha |publisher=March of Dimes |access-date=October 30, 2014}}</ref>

==Special Initiatives==
===Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial===
{{Main|Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial}}
[[File:MLK Memorial map.jpeg|thumb|right|300px|Memorial site, shown in relation to areas including the National Mall, West Potomac Park, and the Tidal Basin]]

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is a Fraternity special project that was a result of an early effort of Alpha Phi Alpha [[Fraternities and sororities|fraternity]] to erect a monument to Dr. King.<ref name=etalambda/> King was initiated into the organization via Sigma Chapter on June 22, 1952,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://17th-house.com/site/?page_id=59 |title=1950-59 |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Sigma Chapter: 17th-House |year=2009 |access-date=September 10, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110906015520/http://17th-house.com/site/?page_id=59 |archive-date=September 6, 2011 }}</ref> while he was attending [[Boston University]].<ref name=hb1981>{{harvnb|Wesley|1981|pages=381–386}}</ref> King remained involved with the fraternity after the completion of his studies, including delivering the [[keynote]] speech at the fraternity's 50th-anniversary banquet in 1956.<ref name=hb1981/> In 1968, after [[Martin Luther King Jr.#Assassination|King's assassination]], Alpha Phi Alpha proposed erecting a permanent memorial to King in Washington, D.C. The fraternity's efforts gained momentum in 1986 after King's birthday was designated a national holiday.<ref name=blkcoll/>

In 1996, the [[Congress of the United States|United States Congress]] authorized the [[United States Secretary of the Interior|Secretary of the Interior]] to permit Alpha Phi Alpha to establish a memorial on Department of Interior lands in the District of Columbia, giving the fraternity until November 2003 to raise $100&nbsp;million and break ground. In 1998, Congress authorized the fraternity to establish a [[Foundation (nonprofit organization)|foundation]]—the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation—to manage the memorial's fundraising and design, and approved the building of the memorial on the National Mall. In 1999, the [[United States Commission of Fine Arts]] (CFA) and the [[National Capital Planning Commission]] (NCPC) approved the site location for the memorial.

The memorial's design, by [[ROMA Design Group]], a San Francisco-based architecture firm, was selected out of 900 candidates from 52 countries. On December 4, 2000, a marble and bronze plaque was laid by Alpha Phi Alpha to dedicate the site where the memorial was to be built.<ref>{{cite news |first=Linda |last=Wheeler |title='Sacred Ground' Dedicated to King; Plaque Placed at Site of Memorial for Civil Rights Leader |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-562862.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025084546/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-562862.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 25, 2012 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 5, 2000 |access-date=April 16, 2009}}</ref> Soon thereafter, a full-time [[fundraising]] team began the fundraising and promotional campaign for the memorial. A ceremonial groundbreaking for the memorial was held on November 13, 2006, in [[West Potomac Park]].

In August 2008, the foundation's leaders estimated the memorial would take 20 months to complete with a total cost of US$120&nbsp;million.<ref name=20m>{{cite news |title=King Memorial Raises Goal by $20&nbsp;million |url=http://www.mlkmemorial.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=hkIUL9MVJxE&b=1601383&content_id={C6725C23-D756-48E3-9DAE-9A962AC9C42B}&notoc=1 |agency=Associated Press |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha |date=August 13, 2008 |access-date=April 16, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727091510/http://www.mlkmemorial.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=hkIUL9MVJxE&b=1601383&content_id=%7BC6725C23-D756-48E3-9DAE-9A962AC9C42B%7D&notoc=1 |archive-date=July 27, 2011 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> As of December 2008, the foundation had raised approximately $108&nbsp;million,<ref>{{cite news |last=Malone |first=Julie |date=December 4, 2008 |url=http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2008/12/04/mlk.html |title=Rights pioneers visit King site |work=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]] |access-date=March 13, 2017 |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629142454/http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2008/12/04/mlk.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> including substantial contributions from such donors as the [[Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation]],<ref name="20m"/> [[The Walt Disney Company]] Foundation, the [[National Association of Realtors]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.realtor.org/about_nar/mlk_memorial.html |title=NAR Donates $1&nbsp;million to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial |publisher=[[National Association of Realtors]] |access-date=October 20, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20081024042358/http://www.realtor.org/about_nar/mlk_memorial.html |archive-date=October 24, 2008 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> and filmmaker [[George Lucas]]. The figure also includes $10&nbsp;million in [[matching funds]] provided by the United States Congress. The memorial opened to the public on August 22, 2011, after more than two decades of planning, fund-raising, and construction.

===World Policy Council===
{{Main|World Policy Council}}
General President [[Milton C. Davis]] established the World Policy Council in 1996 as a [[nonprofit]] and [[Nonpartisanism|nonpartisan]] [[think tank]] with a mission as stated in its centenary report "to address issues of concern to our brotherhood, our communities, our Nation, and the world."<ref name=alphavideo /><ref name="WPC#5" />

The council is headed by [[United States Ambassador to Botswana|Ambassador]] [[Horace Dawson]] and communicates its position through [[white paper]]s which is disseminated to policymakers, politicians, scholars, journalists, and chapters of the fraternity. Since its founding the council has issued five reports on topics such as the [[AIDS]] crisis, [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict|Middle East conflict]], and [[Politics of Nigeria|Nigerian politics]].<ref name=alphavideo /><ref name=ticker>{{Cite journal|last=Booker |first=Simeon |date=October 11, 1999 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_19_96/ai_57042492 |title=TickerTape |journal=[[w:Jet (magazine)|Jet]] |publisher=Johnson |format=Reprint |access-date=April 30, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090820034845/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_19_96/ai_57042492/ |archive-date=August 20, 2009 }}</ref> The fifth report was published in 2006 and examines the [[Millennium Challenge Account|Millennium Challenge]], [[Hurricane Katrina]] and [[Extraordinary rendition by the United States|extraordinary rendition]].<ref name="WPC#5" />

==Chapters==
{{Main|List of Alpha Phi Alpha chapters}}
As of 2023, Alpha Phi Alpha has chartered 979 alumni and college chapters; 686 chapters are active in the United States, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Germany, Liberia, Korea, South Africa, and the Virgin Islands.

==Membership==
{{quote box|width=40%|align=right|bgcolor=burlywood|
quote=The chief significance of Alpha Phi Alpha lies in its purpose to stimulate, develop, and cement an intelligent, trained leadership in the unending fight for freedom, equality, and fraternity. Our task is endless.|source= —[[Henry A. Callis]],<br />ΑΦΑ Founder<br />6th General President<ref>{{harvnb|Mason|1999|p=3}}</ref>}}

Alpha Phi Alpha's membership is predominantly African-American in composition with brothers in over 680 college and graduate chapters in the United States, the District of Columbia, the Caribbean, Bermuda, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Since its founding in 1906, more than 290,000 men have joined the membership of Alpha Phi Alpha, and a large percentage of leadership within the African-American community in the 20th century originated from the ranks of the fraternity.<ref name="membership#">{{cite web|url=http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com/Page.php?id=5 |title=ΑΦΑ Membership |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity |access-date=April 30, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416214613/http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com/Page.php?id=5 |archive-date=April 16, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=alphaaspirants>{{cite web|url=http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com/Page.php?id=71 |title=ΑΦΑ Chapters |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity |access-date=February 10, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090817154054/http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com/Page.php?id=71 |archive-date=August 17, 2009 }}</ref>

[[w:John A. Williams (author)|John A. Williams]] wrote in his book ''The King that God Did Not Save'', which was a commentary on the life of Alpha Phi Alpha member Martin Luther King Jr., "a man clawing out his status does not stop at education. There are attendant titles he must earn. A fraternity is one of them."<ref name=etalambda/><ref name="WPC#5"/> The mystique of belonging to a Greek letter group still attracts college students in large numbers despite lawsuits that have threatened the very existence of some fraternities and sororities.<ref name="WPC#5"/>

===Initial Membership Development Process (IMDP)===
The period in which a candidate for membership in the fraternity enes before applying and being initiated as a member. This period is the time the candidate learns the organization's history, objectives, aims, and the tenacity of brotherhood.<ref name=skip24>{{cite web |last=Mason |first=Herman "Skip" |date=May 25, 1999 |url=http://www.skipmason.com/hm/hm24.htm |title=All That Glitters Is Not Gold |publisher=skipmason.com |access-date=November 17, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071128043946/http://skipmason.com/hm/hm24.htm |archive-date=November 28, 2007 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all |ref=none}}</ref>

As of June 2013, the fraternity only inducts members through the Initial Membership Development Process (IMDP), and all membership development activities for the fraternity are overseen by the National Membership Services Director and conducted by regionally appointed Chief Deans. The fraternity has abolished pledging and pledge "lines" as a means of obtaining membership in Alpha Phi Alpha. Aspirants must not submit themselves, or agree to submit themselves, to any membership activities that are prohibited by the fraternity. Individuals involved in hazing face severe disciplinary action by the fraternity and are referred to the local legal authorities.<ref name=pledging>{{cite web|url=http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com/Page.php?id=157 |title=Anti-Hazing Statement |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity |access-date=November 4, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105043258/http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com/Page.php?id=157 |archive-date=November 5, 2013 }}</ref>

There are periods in the history of the fraternity where [[hazing]] was involved in certain pledge lines. The fraternity has never condoned hazing but has been aware of problems with "rushing" and "initiations" dated as far back as the 1934 General Convention when the fraternity founders communicated their concern with physical violence during initiation ceremonies.<ref>{{harvnb|Wesley|1981|p=214}}</ref> At the 1940 General Convention, a pledge manual was discussed that would contain a brief general history, the list of chapters and locations, the achievements of Alpha men, outstanding Alpha men, and pledge procedures.<ref>{{harvnb|Wesley|1981|p=242}}</ref>

In 2001 and 2007, the chapters at [[Ohio State University]] and [[Oklahoma State University–Stillwater]] were suspended for two and five years, respectively, for hazing and incidents involving prospective members injured seriously enough to require medical care.<ref name=OSU>{{Cite press release |date=January 11, 2001 |url=http://www.osu.edu/osu/newsrel/Archive/01-01-11_Fraternity_Suspended_Due_to_Hazing.html |title=University, national group sanction Alpha Phi Alpha |publisher=Ohio State University |access-date=January 4, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060902165852/http://www.osu.edu/osu/newsrel/Archive/01-01-11_Fraternity_Suspended_Due_to_Hazing.html |archive-date=September 2, 2006 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref name=expel>{{Cite news|first=Robert E. |last=Barnes |url=http://news.mywebpal.com/partners/356/public/news791054.html |title=Epsilon Epsilon Chapter Incident |publisher=Black Chronicle |date=March 16, 2007 |access-date=April 30, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091008053539/http://news.mywebpal.com/partners/356/public/news791054.html |archive-date=October 8, 2009 }}</ref> In 2010, the fraternity suspended new membership intake indefinitely in response to hazing activities in 2009 that again caused pledges to be hospitalized.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122486154&ps=cprs |title=Nation's Oldest Black Fraternity Rocked By Hazing|date=January 12, 2010 |access-date=May 24, 2010}}</ref> In 2012, the [[University of Florida]] chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha was also accused of hazing. The allegations claimed that members of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity repeatedly struck and paddled pledges hard enough to cause bruises, and one pledge was paddled so hard that he was unable to sleep on his back for several nights.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120224/ARTICLES/120229681|title=University of Florida's Alpha Phi Alpha hazing involved paddling, 'thunderclaps,' police say|work=Gainesville.com}}</ref>

In the selection of candidates for membership, certain chapters had not escaped challenges of racial stereotyping and allegations of [[colorism]]. In a biography of Justice Thurgood Marshall, the authors recounted how certain chapters of the fraternity used a "brown paper bag test" and would not consider students whose skin color was darker than the bag.<ref>{{harvnb|Davis|Clark|2001|loc=chapter 7}}</ref> General President Belford Lawson Jr. lamented this attitude and condemned initiation practices of snobbery and exclusivity, and said "[[Jesus|Jesus Christ]] could not make Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity today; they would [[Blackball (blacklist)|blackball]] Him because He was not ''hot enough''."<ref>{{harvnb|Mason|1999|p=295}}</ref>

The fraternity once provided classifications for honorary and exalted honorary membership. Honorary members include Vice President Hubert Humphrey (who is Caucasian), jazz musician [[Duke Ellington]], and activist W. E. B. Du Bois.<ref>{{harvnb|Wesley|1981|pp=81, 116, 453}}</ref> [[Frederick Douglass]] is distinguished as the only member initiated [[Posthumous recognition|posthumously]] when he became an ''exalted honorary'' member of the fraternity's Omega chapter in 1921. The Fraternity no longer has honorary membership, a practice that stopped in the 1960s.<ref name=rhosigma>{{cite web|url=http://www.albany.edu/~aphia/newsite/famousas.html |title=Frederick Douglass, first Honorary member of Alpha Phi Alpha |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Rho Sigma chapter |access-date=April 3, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060225055002/http://www.albany.edu/~aphia/newsite/famousas.html |archive-date=February 25, 2006 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref>

===Notable members===

{{Main|List of Alpha Phi Alpha members}}
{| class="floatright" style="margin: 0.5em 0.0em 0.5em 1.0em; border: 1px solid #a2a9b1; width:22em;"
|+ First African American accomplishments by Alpha Phi Alpha men<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.flyetapi.org/famous.html |title=Notable Men of Alpha |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Eta Pi chapter |access-date=April 14, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927090204/http://www.flyetapi.org/famous.html |archive-date=September 27, 2007}}</ref>
|-
| [[Dennis Archer]]
| President – [[American Bar Association]]
|-
| [[Richard Arrington Jr.|Richard Arrington]]
| [[Mayor#United States|Mayor]] – [[Birmingham, Alabama]]
|-
| [[Edward Brooke]]
| [[State Attorney General]],<br />[[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]] since [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]]
|-
| [[Willie Brown (politician)|Willie Brown]]
| Mayor – San Francisco, California
|-
| [[Emanuel Cleaver]]
| Mayor – [[Kansas City, Missouri]]
|-
| [[E. Franklin Frazier]]
| President – [[American Sociological Association]]
|-
| [[Malvin Russell Goode|Malvin Goode]]
| Reporter – [[American Broadcasting Company]]
|-
| [[Samuel L. Gravely Jr.|Samuel Gravely]]
| Commandant of a [[United States Fleet|U.S. Fleet]]
|-
| [[Charles Hamilton Houston]]
| Editor – ''[[Harvard Law Review]]''
|-
| [[David Dinkins]]
| Mayor – [[New York City|New York, N.Y.]]
|-
| [[Maynard Jackson]]
| Mayor – [[Atlanta|Atlanta, Georgia]]
|-
| [[Ted Berry]]
| Mayor – [[Cincinnati|Cincinnati, Ohio]]
|-
| [[John H. Johnson|John Johnson]]
| [[Forbes 400]]
|-
|[[Ernest Nathan Morial|Ernest Morial]]
| Mayor – [[New Orleans|New Orleans, Louisiana]]
|-
|[[Thurgood Marshall]]
| Justice – [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]]
|-
| [[Samuel Pierce]]
| Board member of [[Fortune 500]] company
|-
| [[Fritz Pollard]]
| Head coach – [[National Football League]]
|-
|[[Chuck Stone]]
| President – [[National Association of Black Journalists]]
|-
| [[Otha E. Thornton Jr.]]
| President – [[National Parent Teacher Association]]
|-
|}

The fraternity's membership roster includes activist [[Dick Gregory]], [[Princeton University|Princeton]] Professor [[Cornel West]], [[United States House of Representatives|Congressman]] [[Charles B. Rangel]], [[Department of Housing and Urban Development]] Secretary [[Samuel Pierce]], celebrity physician [[Corey Hébert]], entrepreneur [[John H. Johnson|John Johnson]], athlete [[Mike Powell (athlete)|Mike Powell]], musician [[Donny Hathaway]], United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young, the first [[Premier of Bermuda]] [[Edward Richards|Sir Edward T. Richards]], and Atlanta Mayor [[Maynard Jackson]].<ref name=alphachapter>{{cite web|url=http://www.rso.cornell.edu/alpha/prominent/prominent.html |title=Prominent Alpha Men |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Alpha chapter |access-date=October 24, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060914161013/http://www.rso.cornell.edu/alpha/prominent/prominent.html |archive-date=September 14, 2006 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref>

[[Roland Burris]] became the only black member of the 2009 [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] when he assumed the seat vacated by President Barack Obama.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Staff Writer |date=January 15, 2009 |title=Burris sworn in as senator |url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/1380620,w-burris-sworn-senator-011509.article |agency=[[Associated Press]] |work=Chicago Sun-Times |publisher=Chicago Sun News Group |access-date=January 15, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090117172748/http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/1380620%2Cw-burris-sworn-senator-011509.article |archive-date=January 17, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Alpha men were instrumental in the founding and leadership of the NAACP (Du Bois),<ref>See, e.g., [[Niagara Movement]].</ref> [[People's National Party]] (PNP) Norman Manley,<ref name=pnp>{{cite web |url=http://www.pnpjamaica.com/history_frame.htm |title=The Birth of the People's National Party |publisher=pnpjamaica.com |access-date=May 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021040826/http://pnpjamaica.com/history_frame.htm |archive-date=October 21, 2007 }}</ref> [[Association for the Study of African American Life and History]] (ASALH) ([[Jesse E. Moorland]]),<ref name=ASALH>{{cite web|url=http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/1141/Jesse_Moorland_civic_leader_and_much_more |title=Jesse_Moorland Civic Leader and Much More |publisher=African American Registry |access-date=April 26, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051119074744/http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/1141/Jesse_Moorland_civic_leader_and_much_more |archive-date=November 19, 2005 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> UNCF ([[Frederick D. Patterson]]),<ref name=UNCF>{{cite web |url=http://www.uncf.org/aboutus/index.asp |title=The United Negro College Fund |publisher=UNCF |access-date=April 26, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060424213006/http://www.uncf.org/aboutus/index.asp |archive-date=April 24, 2006 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> and the SCLC (King, [[Wyatt Tee Walker|Walker]] and [[T. J. Jemison|Jemison]]). The National Urban League has had eight leaders in its more than 100 years of existence; six of its leaders are Alpha men: George Haynes, Eugene K. Jones, [[Lester Granger]], [[Whitney Young]], [[Hugh Bernard Price|Hugh Price]] and [[Marc Morial]].

From the ranks of the fraternity have come several pioneers in various fields. Honorary member [[w:Kelly Miller (scientist)|Kelly Miller]] was the first African American to be admitted to [[Johns Hopkins University]]. [[Todd Duncan]] was the first actor to play "Porgy" in ''[[Porgy and Bess]]''. During the Washington run of ''Porgy and Bess'' in 1936, the cast — as led by Todd Duncan — protested the audience's segregation. Duncan stated that he "would never play in a theater that barred him from purchasing tickets to certain seats because of his race." Eventually, management would give in to the demands and allow for the first integrated performance at the [[w:National Theatre (Washington, D.C.)|National Theatre]].<ref name=libcong1>{{cite web |url=http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/sep02.html |title=Porgy and Bess: Today in History, September 2 |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=April 26, 2006| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060325082815/http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/sep02.html| archive-date= March 25, 2006 | url-status= live}}</ref>

[[Charles Hamilton Houston]], a [[Harvard Law School]] graduate and a law professor at Howard University, first began a campaign in the 1930s to challenge racial discrimination in the federal courts. Houston's campaign to fight Jim Crow Laws began with ''Plessy v. Ferguson'' and culminated in a unanimous Supreme Court decision in ''Brown v. Board of Education''.

[[Norris B. Herndon]], Charles Hamilton Houston's fellow 1921 initiate at Alpha Phi Alpha's Sigma Chapter, became the second President of the historic [[Atlanta Life Insurance Company]]. Herndon's father, honorary Alpha [[Alonzo Herndon]], founded Atlanta Life in 1905, becoming [[Atlanta, Georgia]]'s first African-American millionaire. Atlanta Life is notable for both its financial support of the Civil Rights Movement and owning the first insurance policy for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Chapter Lineage|url=https://www.17th-house.com/new-page-2|access-date=2023-02-08|website=17th House|language=en-US}}</ref>

[[Ron Dellums]]'s campaign to end the racist, [[History of South Africa in the apartheid era|apartheid]] policies of South Africa succeeded when the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] passed Dellums's anti-apartheid [[Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act]] calling for a trade [[embargo]] against South Africa and immediate divestment by American corporations.{{Ref_label|d|d|none}}<ref name=ebony9408>{{Cite journal |last=Norment |first=Lynn |title=How African-Americans helped free South Africa – Special Issue: Nelson Mandela and the New South Africa |url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_n10_v49/ai_15687226 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227103019/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_n10_v49/ai_15687226 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2009-02-27 |journal=[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]] |publisher=Johnson |format=Reprint |date=August 1994 |access-date=April 30, 2009   }}</ref>

Martin Luther King Jr. was a [[Nobel Peace Prize]] laureate, awarded "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the holding and promotion of peace congresses." The [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]], designed to recognize individuals who have made "an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors", has been awarded to many members including Edward Brooke and [[William T. Coleman Jr.|William Coleman]]. The [[Congressional Gold Medal]], the highest civilian award of the United States Congress, was awarded to Jesse Owens and Vice President Hubert Humphrey. The [[Spingarn Medal]], awarded annually by the NAACP for outstanding achievement by a Black American, has been awarded to brothers John Hope Franklin, Rayford Logan, and numerous fraternity members.

Premier Norman Manley was a [[Rhode Scholars|Rhodes Scholar]] (1914), awarded annually by the Oxford-based Rhodes Trust based on academic achievement and character. [[Randal Pinkett]], Andrew Zawacki, and [[Wes Moore|Westley Moore]] are other Rhodes Scholar recipients.

Several buildings and monuments have been named after Alpha men, such as the [[Eddie Robinson Stadium]], [[Ernest N. Morial Convention Center]], [[Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport]], [[Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport]], [[Whitney Young Memorial Bridge]], and the W. E. B. Du Bois Library at the [[University of Massachusetts Amherst#Libraries|University of Massachusetts Amherst]]. The [[United States Postal Service]] has honored fraternity members W. E. B. Du Bois, Duke Ellington, Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Paul Robeson, and Whitney Young with a [[commemorative stamp]] in their Black Heritage Stamp series.<ref name=esper>{{cite web|url=http://www.esperstamps.org/black-h1.htm |title=Black Heritage Stamp series |publisher=Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections |access-date=April 30, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090323095437/http://www.esperstamps.org/black-h1.htm |archive-date=March 23, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===General Presidents of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.===
{{Div col}}
*Moses A. Morrison, 1908–1909
*Roscoe C. Giles, 1910
*Frederick H. Miller, 1911
*Charles H. Garvin, 1912–1914<ref>{{cite book |last1= Parks|first1=Gregory |date=January 1, 2012 |title=Alpha Phi Alpha: A Legacy of Greatness, The Demands of Transcendence |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |pages=359|isbn=978-0813134215}}</ref>
*[[Henry Lake Dickason|Henry L. Dickason]], 1914–1915
*[[Henry Arthur Callis|Henry A. Callis]], 1915
*Howard H. Long, 1916–1917
*William A. Pollard, 1917–1918
*Daniel D. Fowler, 1919
*Lucius L. McGee, 1920
*Simeon S. Booker, 1921–1923
*Raymond W. Cannon, 1924–1927
*Bert A. Rose, 1928–1931
*Charles H. Wesley, 1932–1940
*[[Rayford Logan|Rayford W. Logan]], 1941–1945
*Belford V. Lawson Jr., 1946–1951
*Antonio M. Smith, 1952–1954
*[[Frank L. Stanley Sr.|Frank L. Stanley]], 1955–1957
*Myles A. Paige, 1957–1960
*William H. Hale, 1961–1962
*T. Winston Cole Sr., 1963–1964
*Lionel H. Newsom, 1965–1968
*[[Ernest Nathan Morial|Ernest N. Morial]], 1968–1972
*[[Walter Washington (educator)|Walter Washington]], 1973–1976
*[[James R. Williams (lawyer)|James R. Williams]], 1977–1980
*Ozell Sutton, 1981–1984
*Charles C. Teamer, 1985–1988
*Henry Ponder, 1989–1992
*[[Milton C. Davis]], 1993–1996
*Adrian L. Wallace, 1997–2000
*[[Harry E. Johnson]], 2001–2004
*Darryl R. Matthews Sr. 2005–2008
*Herman "Skip" Mason Jr., 2009 – April 2012
*Aaron Crutison Sr. (acting), April 2012 – December 2012
*Mark S. Tillman, 2013–2016
*Everett B. Ward, 2017–2020
*Willis L. Lonzer, III, 2021–2024
*Lucien J. Metellus, Jr., 2025–present<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apa1906.net/general-presidents/|title=General Presidents|website=Alpha Phi Alpha}}</ref>
{{Div col end}}

==Regions==
{{Main|List of Alpha Phi Alpha chapters}}
Alpha Phi Alpha divides its chapters into regions across the United States and internationally. There are five major regions currently: Eastern, Midwestern, Southern, Southwestern, and Western. Every U.S. state in a region is further designated as a "district" of that region. Each region comprises both collegiate and alumni chapters, with the latter designated by the Greek letter ''Lambda''. Since its inception, Alpha Phi Alpha has chartered 414 college chapters and 369 alumni chapters.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apa1906.net/regional-leadership/#:~:text=Since%20its%20inception%2C%20Alpha%20Phi,chapter%20was%20founded%20in%201911.| title=Regional Leadership }}</ref>

== Egyptian symbolism ==
{{quote box
| width = 45%
| align = right
| quote = I have stood beside the Sphinx in Egypt in Africa in July on my third visit there, and I brought greetings to this silent historical figure in the name of Alpha Phi Alpha and I crossed the continent to Ethiopia.
| source = —[[Charles H. Wesley]],<br />14th General President ΑΦΑ<ref>{{harvnb|Wesley|1981|p=273}}</ref>
}}

Alpha Phi Alpha utilizes motifs from Ancient Egypt and uses images and songs depicting the Her-em-akhet (Great Sphinx of Giza), [[pharaoh]]s, and other [[Egypt]]ian artifacts to represent the organization. The Great Sphinx of Giza was made out of one unified body of stone which represents the fraternity and its members. This is in contrast to other fraternities that traditionally echo themes from the golden age of [[Ancient Greece]]. Alpha's constant reference to [[Ethiopia]] in hymns and poems are further examples of Alpha's mission to imbue itself with an African cultural heritage. Fraternity brother Charles H. Wesley wrote, "To the Alpha Phi Alpha brotherhood, African history and civilization, the Sphinx, and Ethiopian tradition bring new meanings, and these are interpreted with new significance to others." The [[Giza Necropolis|Great Pyramids of Giza]], symbols of foundation, sacred geometry, and more, are other African images chosen by Alpha Phi Alpha as fraternity icons.<ref name="munualphas">{{cite web|url=http://www.munualphas.com/part4.html |title=Black sponsored Greek letter organization |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Mu Nu chapter |access-date=April 21, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070519201140/http://www.munualphas.com/part4.html |archive-date=May 19, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The fraternity's 21st General President, Thomas W. Cole said, "Alpha Phi Alpha must go back to her ultimate roots; only then can she be nurtured to full bloom."<ref>{{harvnb|Mason|1999|p=323}}</ref> Fraternity members make [[pilgrimage]]s to its spiritual birthplaces of Egypt to walk across the sands of the Giza Plateau to the Great Sphinx of Giza and the Great Pyramids of Giza, and Ethiopia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com/Page.php?id=219 |title=A Tour to Alpha's Spiritual Birthplaces: Ethiopia and Egypt |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity |access-date=January 26, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100202012059/http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com/PageNotFound.php |archive-date=February 2, 2010}}</ref>

==Centennial celebration==
[[File:AlphaCabinet.jpg|thumb|Alpha Phi Alpha board members at the centennial banquet, July 2006 in Washington, D.C.]]
Alpha Phi Alpha declared 2006 the beginning of its "Centennial Era" as it readied for its [[Centennial|Centenary]], framed by the slogan "First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All". These preparations consisted of nationwide activities and events, including the commissioning of intellectual and scholarly works, presentation of exhibits, lectures, artwork, and musical expositions, the production of film and video presentations, and a Centennial Convention July 25–30, 2006, in Washington, D.C.

The 2006 Centennial Celebration Kickoff launched with a "pilgrimage" to Cornell University on November 19, 2005. That event brought over 700 fraternity members who gathered for a day-long program. Members journeyed across campus and unveiled a new centennial memorial to Alpha Phi Alpha. The memorial—a wall in the form of a "J" in recognition of the Jewels — features a bench and a plaque and is situated in front of the university's Barnes Hall.<ref name=cornellnews>{{Cite news |last=D'Andrea |first=Theresa |date=November 5, 2005 |url=http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Nov05/Alpha.Phi.Alpha.td.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051108053058/http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Nov05/Alpha.Phi.Alpha.td.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 8, 2005 |title=ΑΦΑ Centennial Pilgrimage to Cornell University |work=ChronicleOnline |publisher=Cornell News Service |access-date=June 12, 2007   }}</ref>

''Alpha Phi Alpha Men: A Century of Leadership'' is a historical documentary on Alpha Phi Alpha's century of leadership and service. The film premiered in February 2006 on [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]]<ref name=MPT/> as part of the 2006 [[Black History Month]] theme, "Celebrating Community: A Tribute to Black Fraternal, Social and Civic Institutions."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asalh.org/ThemeIntro.html |title=The 2006 Black History Theme |publisher=Association for the Study of African American Life and History |access-date=April 8, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060422054908/http://www.asalh.org/ThemeIntro.html |archive-date=April 22, 2006 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> In 2009, the fraternity donated its repository of interviews with prominent Alpha members that were collected for the documentary to Cornell University Library.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lowery |first=George |date=December 7, 2009 |url=http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Dec09/AlphaPhiAlphaMOU.html |title=Trove of video interviews with prominent African-Americans entrusted to Cornell Library |work=ChronicleOnline |publisher=Cornell University|access-date=December 10, 2009}}</ref>

The centennial convention began on [[United States Capitol|Capitol Hill]] with Congressman and fraternity member David Scott stating to the House of Representatives, "This week men from every discipline and geographic location convene to chart and plan for the fraternity's future, celebrate its 100th anniversary, and reinvigorate its founding principles of scholarship, fellowship, good character, and the uplifting of humanity." The House of Representatives passed ''House Concurrent Resolution 384'', approved 422–0,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2006-403|title = H.Con.Res. 384 (109th): Recognizing and honoring the 100th anniversary of … -- House Vote #403 -- Jul 25, 2006}}</ref> which recognized and honored Alpha Phi Alpha as the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans, its accomplishments and its historic milestone.<ref name=davidscott>{{cite web |url=http://davidscott.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=47752 |title=Congressman Scott Honors Centennial Anniversary of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity |date=25 July 2006 |publisher=davidscott.house.gov. This is a House Concurrent Resolution. A concurrent resolution is a legislative proposal that must be passed by the House and Senate but does not require the signature of the President and does not have the force of law. Concurrent resolutions are generally used to express the sentiment of Congress or to amend the internal rules of the House and Senate |access-date=January 4, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070119001444/http://davidscott.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=47752| archive-date= January 19, 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref>

The [[resolution (law)|resolution]] was co-sponsored by the eight members of the House of Representatives who are members of Alpha Phi Alpha, which included [[Emanuel Cleaver]], [[Robert C. Scott|Robert Scott]] and [[Chaka Fattah]]. While in Washington, fraternity members such as National Urban League head Marc Morial and Congressman [[Gregory Meeks]] witnessed the renewal of the [[Voting Rights Act|Voting Rights Act of 1965]] by President [[George W. Bush]] in a signing ceremony at the White House. A tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. with an hour-long reflection at the site of the King Memorial was witnessed by Alpha's General President(s) and a host of the fraternity members assembled for the convention. [[Grammy Award]] winning singer [[Lionel Richie]] gave a performance for his fraternity at the [[John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts|John F. Kennedy Center]].<ref name=JET082806>{{Cite news |title=Alpha Phi Alpha Celebrates 100 Years at Annual Convention in D.C. |work=[[Jet (magazine)|Jet]] |publisher=Johnson |pages=20–22 |date=August 28, 2006}}</ref>

The ''House of Alpha'', the Centennial Exhibit of Alpha Phi Alpha, opened its doors at the convention. Herman "Skip" Mason served as [[curator]] of the exhibit, which has been described as a "fraternal masterpiece." The featured materials are part of the records of Alpha Phi Alpha, local chapters, and the personal collections of fraternity members.<ref name=HouseOfAlpha>{{cite web|url=http://www.believeinthe7.com/index2.htm |title=Centennial Exhibition of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity |publisher=Committee To Elect Herman "Skip" Mason Jr. |access-date=July 28, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828190515/http://www.believeinthe7.com/index2.htm |archive-date=August 28, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Mason was inaugurated as the fraternity's 33rd General President in January 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pitchengine.com/alphaphialphafraternityinc/even-in-2009-with-an-africanamerican-president-a-black-man-still-faces-challenges/3649/ |title=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.'s 33rd General President Herman "Skip" Mason Jr.'s Inaugural Address |publisher=pitchengine.com |access-date=February 10, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214033937/http://www.pitchengine.com/alphaphialphafraternityinc/even-in-2009-with-an-africanamerican-president-a-black-man-still-faces-challenges/3649/ |archive-date=February 14, 2012 }}</ref>

== Black college Greek movement ==
[[File:BadgeAKA1.jpg|thumb|upright|Alpha Phi Alpha delegate's pin from the 1940 Pan-Hellenic convention of ΑΚΑ, ΑΦΑ and ΚΑΨ]]

Members of black fraternities and sororities call themselves Greek because "Greece was a culturally diverse pluralistic society of various ethnic and racial groups—much like the United States of today. However, the citizens were mostly dark-skinned black and brown people" according to journalists and Alpha Phi Alpha brother [[w:Tony Brown (journalist)|Tony Brown]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Brown |first=Tony |author-link=w:Tony Brown (journalist)|date=Fall 2005 |url=http://www.sphinxmagazine.com/Magazine/Sphinx-Special-Edition-2005-Part2.pdf |title=Why Blacks Call themselves Greeks |journal=The Sphinx |volume=90 |issue=3 |page=93 |publisher=Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and SJW Publishers |location=Chicago, IL |access-date=January 11, 2010}}</ref>

Alpha Phi Alpha is the first intercollegiate Greek-lettered fraternity in the United States established for people of African descent, and the paragon for the Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs) that followed.<ref name=munualphas/> [[Alpha Kappa Alpha]] was founded in 1908 at Howard University as both the first African-American sorority and the first BGLO founded at a black college.<ref name=NPHCarchive>{{cite web|url=http://groups.msn.com/NPHCArchivePhotoSociety/didyouknow.msnw |title=NPHC Archive Photo Society |access-date=December 22, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050118182140/http://groups.msn.com/NPHCArchivePhotoSociety/didyouknow.msnw |archive-date=January 18, 2005 }}</ref> Four other BGLOs were in quick succession founded at Howard: [[Omega Psi Phi]] (1911), [[Delta Sigma Theta]] (1913), [[Phi Beta Sigma]] (1914) and [[Zeta Phi Beta]] (1920). [[Kappa Alpha Psi]] was founded at [[Indiana University]] in 1911. [[Sigma Gamma Rho]] (1922) and [[Iota Phi Theta]] (1963) were founded at [[Butler University]] and [[Morgan State University]], respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nphchq.org/about.htm |title=National PanHellenic Council Aboutpage |publisher=NPHC |access-date=December 23, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091222135422/http://www.nphchq.org/about.htm |archive-date=December 22, 2009 }}</ref>

In 1940, Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and Kappa Alpha Psi hosted conventions in the Municipal Auditorium of [[Kansas City, Missori]] and held a historic joint BGLO session.<ref>{{harvnb|Wesley|1950|p=241}}</ref>

== Embezzlement and hazing controversies ==

===Embezzlement===

In 2020, Guy Bell, fraternity member and treasurer of the Baltimore City-Wide graduate chapter, was sentenced for stealing $56,678.93 from the chapter between 2013 and 2016 to help cover personal debts. The chapter was behind on rent payments and other important financial obligations. Bell was sentenced to six months of home detention, five years of probation, and must pay back $51,834 in restitution.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/former-fraternity-treasurer-gets-6-months-in-jail-for-stealing-56k | title=Former fraternity treasurer gets 6 months home detention for stealing $56K+ | date=20 November 2020 }}</ref>

In 2012, the 33rd General President of the fraternity, Reverend Herman '"Skip" Mason, admitted to misappropriating fraternity funds, resulting in his immediate removal by the board of the fraternity. He admitted using unsanctioned fraternity funds to cover personal expenses, including paying for his children's private school tuition. Mason sued the board of the fraternity for violating organization by-laws and harming his reputation. Mason's lawsuit was denied.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.onlineathens.com/story/news/state/2012/07/24/athens-pastor-claims-fraternity-ruined-reputation-after-he-took-funds/15603059007/ | title=Athens pastor claims fraternity ruined reputation after he took funds }}</ref>

In 2012, fraternity member Curtiss Stanford was arrested and charged with three counts of embezzlement. He illegally wrote 10 checks totaling about $1,200 from the Appalachian State University chapter's bank account.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://journalnow.com/former-asu-student-accused-of-embezzling-from-his-fraternity/article_4f97738f-2d98-55ef-bc38-7e90b4df6b92.html | title=Former ASU student accused of embezzling from his fraternity }}</ref>

===Hazing===

In 1989, Joel Harris, an eighteen-year-old Alpha Phi Alpha aspirant and student at Morehouse College, died following suspected hazing. The [[Cobb County, Georgia|Cobb County]] medical examiners report "didn't declare the hazing to be a "direct cause" of Joel's death, but it stated that he was "under an intensive amount of anxiety and stress" that night. It was reported that Harris had been punched in the chest and slapped in the face multiple times as part of a so-called "thunder and lightning" ritual hours before his death.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Mills|first=David|date=1990-07-24|title=Fraternity Violence: The Pledging Debate : The Greeks: There is a move afoot to do away with hazing, but the traditionalists are outraged and vow to fight.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-07-24-vw-868-story.html|access-date=2023-02-08|newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 1992, Gregory R. Batipps, age 20, a student at the University of Virginia, died in a car accident after falling asleep at the wheel. Hazing was investigated as a factor in his death as he was pledging Alpha Phi Alpha.<ref>[https://www.dailypress.com/1992/04/04/hazing-suspected-in-uva-students-death/ Hazing Suspected In U.Va Student's Death: Roommate Cites Sleep Deprivation], ''[[Daily Press (Virginia)|Daily Press]]'' (April 4, 1992).</ref>

In 1995, a pledge seeking to join the fraternity's founding chapter, the Alpha chapter at Cornell University, developed a "life-threatening infection in his buttocks" after being paddled repeatedly. He sued the fraternity for $2 million, and the fraternity was banned from campus for several years for violating the school's code of conduct.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ruffins|first=Paul|date=1999-06-18|title=Greek Tragedy|url=http://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/272556/greek-tragedy/|access-date=2023-02-08|website=Washington City Paper|language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2003, a 21-year-old pledge at Southern Methodist University (SMU) went into a coma after being coerced to [[Water intoxication|drink large amounts of water]] in an Alpha Phi Alpha initiation ritual. The chapter was temporarily expelled from campus, and eight Alpha Phi Alpha members were indicted on felony [[aggravated assault]] charges.<ref>{{cite news|first=Robert |last=Tharp |url=http://www.thedeltanet.com/hazenews/haze48.ht |title=8 indicted in SMU fraternity hazing: Prosecutor says victim's injuries warranted felony assault charges |work=Dallas Morning News |date=January 17, 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726135433/http://www.thedeltanet.com/hazenews/haze48.ht |archive-date=2018-07-26 }}</ref> In 2006, the first trial in the case, of Raymond Lee (SMU fraternity member), resulted in a conviction and a sentence to 180 days in jail, ten years of probation, and a $10,000 fine.<ref>Austin Kilgore [Lee receives probation in Alpha case], ''Daily Campus'' (July 3, 2006).</ref>

In 2008, Mcandy Douarin, age 26, a student at the University of Central Florida (UCF), died from "heart-related failure less than 12 hours after a punch to his chest".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hanknuwer.com/ucf-update-school-says-death-was-not-hazing-related-family-wants-answers-to-cause-of-death/|title=UCF update: school says death was not hazing-related; family wants answers to cause of death|website=www.hanknuwer.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-08-31}}</ref> Douarin shared with his family that he was frequently punched in the chest by members of Alpha Phi Alpha as part of the pledging process, and his family released photos of bruises on his chest to validate that was the reason why he died. UCF students released photos and statements substantiating that Douarin was pledging to the fraternity, but the university refused to launch an investigation on any allegations against them after the fraternity stated Douarin had not officially applied for membership. The family hired an attorney to help hold the fraternity accountable for his death.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wftv.com/news/news/two-ucf-frats-accused-of-hazing-pledges-death-not-/nFCKR/|title=Two UCF Frats Accused Of Hazing; Pledge's Death Not Investigated &#124; www.wftv.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208190820/http://www.wftv.com/news/news/two-ucf-frats-accused-of-hazing-pledges-death-not-/nFCKR/|archive-date=December 8, 2015|url-status=dead|access-date=2015-11-27|df=mdy}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hanknuwer.com/ucf-update-school-says-death-was-not-hazing-related-family-wants-answers-to-cause-of-death/|title=UCF update: school says death was not hazing-related; family wants answers to cause of death|author=Hank Nuwer}}</ref>

In 2009, a fraternity member at Fort Valley State University was arrested and charged with felony aggravated battery for hospitalizing a pledge with acute renal failure.<ref name="macon.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.macon.com/news/article28579687.html|title=Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity at Mercer suspended for hazing|work=macon}}</ref>

In 2010, the fraternity was banned from the campus of Mercer University for three years for hazing. Pledges were sleep-deprived, paddled, and forced into a strict diet.<ref name="macon.com"/>

In 2010, Alpha Phi Alpha suspended membership intake "after decades of hazing-related controversies plaguing Black Greek Letter Organizations despite their anti-hazing/anti-pledging policies."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://newsone.com/403582/after-hazing-incident-alpha-phi-alpha-halts-member-intake-nationwide/|title=Amid Hazing Issues, Alpha Phi Alpha Halts Membership Intake Nationwide|work=News One|date=5 January 2010}}</ref>

In 2011, Emory University suspended the fraternity for four years due to several hazing violations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://progressivegreek.com/college-life/undegrad/alpha-phi-alpha-delta-sigma-theta-removed-from-emory-university-campus-for-hazing-violations/|title=Alpha Phi Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta Removed From Emory University Campus For Hazing Violations|work=Progressive Greek}}</ref>

In 2013, 15 Alpha Phi Alpha members pleaded guilty to [[reckless endangerment]] charges arising from off-campus hazing at Jacksonville State University in 2011, in which pledges were beaten, humiliated, hospitalized, and forced to drink toxic drinks until they vomited. The members involved were all sentenced to 365 days in jail. One of the pledges filed a [[civil suit]] against the fraternity.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Paige|last=Rentz|date=June 10, 2013 |title=With 11 more guilty pleas, JSU hazing charges resolved|url=https://www.annistonstar.com/news/with-11-more-guilty-pleas-jsu-hazing-charges-resolved/article_e7962567-ed98-5733-9dec-8dde4b64f4e3.html|access-date=2023-02-08|website=The Anniston Star|language=en}}</ref>

In 2013, four Alpha Phi Alpha members were arrested and pleaded guilty to severely beating pledges (a misdemeanor charge) and violating Virginia State University's code of conduct.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nbc12.com/story/21923811/vsu-students-arrest|title=VSU students arrests for hazing|date=April 9, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richmond.com/news/local/chesterfield/article_b05a4ebe-b3d9-5ff9-b683-790eb2485e84.html|title=Charges dismissed against 3 in VSU hazing case|work=Richmond Times-Dispatch}}</ref>

In 2014, a $3 million lawsuit was filed against the fraternity by a former pledge who was subject to humiliation and abuse. While pledging at Bowie State University, it was reported that he endured verbal assaults, punches, slaps, paddling, and body slams consistently.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://financialjuneteenth.com/student-slaps-alpha-phi-alpha-fraternity-inc-with-3m-lawsuit-for-hazing/|title=Student Slaps Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. With $3M Lawsuit For Hazing|first=Ashley|last=Naples|work=Financial Juneteenth|access-date=October 31, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118182817/http://financialjuneteenth.com/student-slaps-alpha-phi-alpha-fraternity-inc-with-3m-lawsuit-for-hazing/|archive-date=November 18, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2014, six Alpha Phi Alpha men at the University of Akron were arrested and charged with assault for severely beating pledges. One known pledge was hospitalized due to excessive bleeding.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/six-university-of-akron-frat-members-charged-in-hazing-incident/|title=Six University of Akron frat members charged in hazing of 21-year-old pledge|website=[[CBS News]]|date=February 28, 2014}}</ref>

In 2014, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville suspended the fraternity for paddling and pouring hot sauce on the genitals of pledges. The fraternity was placed on suspension until August 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.universityherald.com/articles/9571/20140523/university-of-tennessee-suspends-alpha-phi-alpha-fraternity-on-charges-of-hazing.htm|title=University of Tennessee Suspends Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity On Charges of Hazing|first=University|last=Herald|date=May 23, 2014}}</ref>

Bradley Doyley, a senior and basketball player at Buffalo State College, was pronounced dead allegedly of a hazing-related pledging ritual on January 29, 2016. Family and friends reported that Doyley was asked to drink an unidentified toxic cocktail off campus by members of Alpha Phi Alpha that caused him to suddenly vomit blood. Doyley was taken to a local hospital for emergency surgery, and he later died. The college suspended the chapter connected with the death of Doyley. A report published, citing a preliminary autopsy and unnamed police sources, stated that "there is no evidence of hazing in the death last week of a student at Buffalo State College in New York."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/college-students-bizarre-death-linked-to-frat-hazing_us_56c8b1e7e4b041136f173554|title=College Student's Bizarre Death Allegedly Linked To Frat Hazing|first=Andy|last=Campbell|date=February 20, 2016|via=Huff Post}}</ref> The family's attorney dismissed the claim hazing was not involved in Doyley's death.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.wbfo.org/post/attorney-dismisses-report-no-evidence-hazing-buff-state-students-death|title = Attorney dismisses report of 'no evidence of hazing' in Buff State student's death|date = 23 February 2016}}</ref>

In 2016, Virginia Tech University banned the fraternity until 2026 for misconduct and severely abusing pledges. One known pledge was hospitalized due to beatings he endured, although this decision was later reversed, and the fraternity was allowed to return to campus in 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.universityherald.com/articles/31669/20160613/fraternity-hazing-at-virginia-tech-alpha-phi-alpha-banned-for-10-years.htm|title=Fraternity Hazing at Virginia Tech: Alpha Phi Alpha Banned for 10 Years|first=University|last=Herald|date=June 13, 2016}}</ref>

In 2018, Tyler Hillard, a student at the University of California at Riverside, died while pledging the fraternity. Tyler went with other pledges and members of the fraternity to [[Mount Rubidoux]], where the ambulance was called to pick him up and take him to the hospital before his death. Authorities found convincing evidence that hazing was the reason for his death. Charges were expected to be filed against several members of the fraternity following an investigation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/fraternity-hazing-involved-uc-riverside-students-death-police/story?id=57903378|title=Fraternity hazing might be involved in UC Riverside student's death, police say|website=ABC News|language=en|access-date=2019-12-20}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-riverside-student-death-20180918-story.html|title=Death of UC Riverside student raises the question of fraternity hazing|date=2018-09-18|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-20}}</ref>

In 2018, the chapter at the University of Mississippi was suspended for three years due to university-wide investigations on Greek hazing.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://apnews.com/article/acef03024d0e4b429db97e5e7bec81a8 | title=Ole Miss suspends Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity for hazing | website=[[Associated Press]] | date=3 May 2018 }}</ref>

In 2021, the chapter at Southern University - Baton Rouge was placed on suspension after two students were hospitalized due to hazing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wafb.com/2021/03/26/investigators-alleged-hazing-reported-southern-university-alpha-phi-alpha-chapter-suspended-while-school-investigates/|title=THE INVESTIGATORS: Alleged hazing reported at Southern University, Alpha Phi Alpha chapter suspended while the school investigates|first=Scottie|last=Hunter|website=www.wifi.com|date=26 March 2021 }}</ref>

== Publications ==
The history, leadership, membership, activities, and continued progress of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated has been documented in several publications.
{| class="wikitable"
!Publication Year
!Title
!Author
|-
| 1925,1997
|''Henry Arthur Callis: Life & Legacy''
|Wesley, Charles H.
|-
| 1929, 2008
|''The History of Alpha Phi Alpha: A Development in College Life (History Book, Volume I)''
|Wesley, Charles H.
|-
|1997
|'' The Talented Tenth: Biographical Sketches of the Seven "Jewels" of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc''
|Mason, Herman
|-
|1999
|'' The Talented Tenth: The Founders and Presidents of Alpha''
|Mason, Herman
|-
|2006
|''Centennial Book of Essays and Letters: Excerpts from the Brotherhood of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc''
|Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity

|-
|2006
|''Jewels: The Story of the Founding of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity''
|Gourdine, Darrius J.
|-
|2012
|''Alpha Phi Alpha: A Legacy of Greatness, The Demands of Transcendence''
|Parks, Gregory and Stefan M. Bradley 
|-
|2014
|''The History of Alpha Phi Alpha: A Tradition of Leadership and Service (History Book, Volume II)''
|Harris, Robert L.

|-
|2016
|''Jewels: Town Hall Meeting''
|Gourdine, Darrius
|-
|2017
|''The History of Alpha Phi Alpha: Origins of the Eastern Region''
|Brown, Paul E., Dr. Matthews Jr., Lopez D., Nickens IV, Frederick, and Mills, R. Anthony
|-
|2019
|''The History of Alpha Phi Alpha Delta Lambda Chapter: A Century of Leadership''
|Matthews Jr., Lopez D., Mills, R. Anthony, and Durham, Joseph T.
|}

==Documentary films==
* ''Alpha Phi Alpha Men: A Century of Leadership'', 2006, producer/directors: Alamerica Bank/Rubicon Productions

==See also==
* [[Hancock House (Bluefield, West Virginia)]]
* [[List of African-American Greek and fraternal organizations]]
* [[List of Alpha Phi Alpha national conventions]]
* [[List of social fraternities]]
* [[List of hazing deaths]]
* [[Sphinx]]

==Notes==
* '''a.''' {{Note_label|a|a|none}} The NNA estimated that by 1940, the group had secured 5,106 jobs for blacks because businesses could not afford to lose sales during the Depression.<ref name=ctdcNNA/>
* '''b.''' {{Note_label|b|b|none}} South Africa formally excluded [[Walvis Bay]] from the mandate and annexed it as a South African [[Enclave and exclave|enclave]]. It took until after the date for the first fully democratic elections in South Africa in 1994 had been set before [[sovereignty]] over Walvis Bay was formally transferred to [[Namibia]] at midnight on February 28, 1994.
* '''c.''' {{Note_label|c|c|none}} Darryl R. Matthews Sr., 32nd General President of the fraternity, defined a pilgrimage as "a personal, spiritual, historic and significant journey, which one takes to a place and for a purpose that has profound meaning to that individual."<ref name=cornellnews/>
* '''d.''' {{Note_label|d|d|none}} President [[Ronald Reagan]] [[Veto#United States|vetoed]] The Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986; however, Congress' override of his veto was the first presidential [[Foreign relations of the United States|foreign policy]] veto in the 20th century.<ref name=ebony9408/>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

* {{Cite book |last1=Davis |first1=Michael D. |first2=Hunter R.|last2=Clark |year=2001 |title=Thurgood Marshall: Warrior of the Bar, Rebel on the Bench |edition=Updated and rev. |location=Bridgewater, NJ |publisher=Replica Books |isbn=0-7351-0097-7 |oclc=50800603}}
* {{Cite book |last=Wesley |first=Charles H. |year=1981 |title=The History of Alpha Phi Alpha: A Development in College Life |edition=14th |location=Chicago |publisher=Foundation Publishers |id=ASIN: B000ESQ14W }}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |last=Gourdine |first=Darrius Jerome |date=July 2006 |title=Jewels: The Story of the Founding of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity |edition=2nd |location=Washington, D.C.? |publisher=Artisan House Publishing |isbn=0-9755660-0-8 |oclc=1312011767}}
* {{Cite book |last=Mason |first=Herman |year=1999 |title=The Talented Tenth: The Founders and Presidents of Alpha |edition=2nd |location=Winter Park, FL |publisher=Four-G |isbn=1-885066-63-5 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Wesley |first=Charles H. |year=1950 |author-link=Charles H. Wesley |title=The History of Alpha Phi Alpha: A Development in Negro College Life |edition=6th |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Foundation Publishers}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160403212400/http://www.apa1906.net/ Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160423163006/http://howard.university/alpha-phi-alpha/ Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity - Howard Archive]
* {{cite web|url=http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com/Resources/ImageFile/File/image/WPC06-WEB.pdf |title=The Centenary Report of the World Policy Council |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225132901/http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com/Resources/ImageFile/File/image/WPC06-WEB.pdf |archive-date=February 25, 2009 }}&nbsp;{{small|(806&nbsp;KB)}}
* [http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/alpha/ Alpha Phi Alpha: A Centennial Celebration, Cornell University]
* {{cite web|url= http://www.govtrack.us/data/us/bills.text/109/hc/hc384.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080228045628/http://www.govtrack.us/data/us/bills.text/109/hc/hc384.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= 2008-02-28 |title=H. Con. Res. 384: Recognizing and honoring the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity }}&nbsp;{{small|(31.2&nbsp;KB)}}

''A Century of Leadership'' PBS video
* {{YouTube|id=WizAq0EuDUk |title=''A Century of Leadership''—Part 1 of 7}} (16:03 mins)
* {{YouTube|id=vPGY7hj7yiE |title=''A Century of Leadership''—Part 2 of 7}} (17:25 mins)
* {{YouTube|id=PiMoMbV9H8E |title=''A Century of Leadership''—Part 3 of 7}} (17:52 mins)
* {{YouTube|id=F0lgfx5FcL0 |title=''A Century of Leadership''—Part 4 of 7}} (17:56 mins)
* {{YouTube|id=ql1ArinDCAc |title=''A Century of Leadership''—Part 5 of 7}} (18:25 mins)
* {{YouTube|id=a0irRWlbYUw |title=''A Century of Leadership''—Part 6 of 7}} (15:21 mins)
* {{YouTube|id=cPLyIvYE8YI |title=''A Century of Leadership''—Part 7 of 7}} (7:06 mins)

{{Alpha Phi Alpha Founders}}
{{Alpha Phi Alpha General Presidents}}
{{National Pan-Hellenic Council}}
{{North American Interfraternity Conference}}
{{Fraternities and Sororities |collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Alpha Phi Alpha| ]]
[[Category:Alpha Phi Alpha founders]]
[[Category:Cornell University]]
[[Category:International student societies]]
[[Category:National Pan-Hellenic Council]]
[[Category:North American Interfraternity Conference]]
[[Category:Student organizations established in 1906]]
[[Category:Student societies in the United States]]
[[Category:1906 establishments in New York (state)]]