Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (ΑΦΑ)
Founded: December 4, 1906
Location: Cornell University
Historical distinction: First intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African American men
Fraternity colors: Black and Old Gold
Motto: "First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All"
The Birth of a Historic Brotherhood
In 1906, seven young Black college students at Cornell University confronted an America defined by racial segregation, discrimination, and restricted educational opportunities.
Rather than accept isolation, they organized.
On December 4, 1906, they formally established Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., creating a brotherhood dedicated to scholarship, mutual support, leadership, and service.
The fraternity emerged from a study and social support group at Cornell. Its founders recognized that education alone was not enough: Black students also needed networks of solidarity and professional opportunity.
Their vision would eventually extend far beyond Cornell, helping shape generations of African American leadership.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.+1
The Seven Jewels: Founders of Alpha Phi Alpha
The seven founders became known as the Seven Jewels:
1. Henry Arthur Callis — Physician, medical educator, and influential fraternity leader.
2. Charles Henry Chapman — Educator who devoted his career to teaching and scholarship.
3. Eugene Kinckle Jones — Social worker and prominent leader in the National Urban League.
4. George Biddle Kelley — Civil engineer and pioneering Black professional.
5. Nathaniel Allison Murray — Educator and advocate for educational opportunity.
6. Robert Harold Ogle — Early organizer who helped establish the fraternity's identity.
7. Vertner Woodson Tandy — Architect and pioneering Black professional in New York.
Their accomplishments demonstrated that African Americans could excel in medicine, engineering, architecture, education, and civic leadership despite institutional barriers.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.+1
From Brotherhood to Civil Rights Leadership
Alpha Phi Alpha expanded to Howard University in 1907, establishing its Beta Chapter. Its first alumni chapter was established in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1911. The fraternity increasingly linked educational achievement with political advocacy, civil rights, and community service.
Its distinguished members have included:
• Martin Luther King Jr. — Civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
• Thurgood Marshall — First Black U.S. Supreme Court justice.
• W. E. B. Du Bois — Scholar, historian, and civil rights advocate.
• Paul Robeson — Singer, actor, and political activist.
• Adam Clayton Powell Jr. — Influential congressman and civil rights advocate.
These men were members, not original founders. Their contributions illustrate how the fraternity became linked to national struggles for racial equality. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
A Legacy That Endures
The fraternity's historic contributions include expanding educational access, advancing Black professional development, supporting voter participation, and strengthening community organizations. Its educational initiative, Go-to-High-School, Go-to-College, began in 1911 and reflected the founders' conviction that education could transform individual lives and entire communities. The significance of Alpha Phi Alpha extends beyond Greek-letter organizations. It helped establish a model of organized Black leadership that linked academic excellence, collective responsibility, and civic action.
The story of Alpha Phi Alpha is not merely about seven college students founding a fraternity. It is about seven Black men who recognized that collective organization could challenge the limitations imposed by a discriminatory society. What began as a small brotherhood at Cornell grew into an enduring institution associated with scholarship, achievement, and civil rights.
Descendants of the Taken Ones: Preserving the history, achievements, and legacy of African descendants. The Seven Jewels did not merely create a place to belong. They helped build an institution that would enable future generations to lead.
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Hashtags: #dtoa #descendantsofthetakenones #alkebulan #alphaphialpha #alphaphialpha1906 #sevenjewels #blackhistory #blackexcellence #blackgreekhistory #divinenine #hbcuhistory #africanamericanhistory #blackleadership primary source: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity — Official History
The Seven Jewels Who Built a Brotherhood and Changed Black American History
Nu Omicron Lamda - THE FRATERNITY
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1907, Six members of the Alpha Chapter of Alph Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., founded in1906 on the ca… | Alpha fraternity, Alpha phi alpha fraternity, Alpha phi alpha