Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. — Friendship, Scholarship and Uplift
On the evening of November 17, 1911, four Black scholars gathered in the office of biology professor Ernest Everett Just in Howard University’s Science Hall—now known as Thirkield Hall. Three were undergraduate students: Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper, and Frank Coleman. The fourth was their faculty adviser, Dr. Ernest Everett Just. Together, they founded Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., the first international fraternal organization established on the campus of a historically Black college. (thedig.howard.edu)
The fraternity’s name came from the initials of a Greek phrase meaning:
“Friendship is essential to the soul.” That declaration became Omega’s enduring motto. The founders adopted four Cardinal Principles to define the character expected of every Omega man: Manhood, Scholarship, Perseverance, and Uplift. (oppf.org)
The founders embodied those principles in their lives. Edgar Amos Love became a Methodist bishop and Omega’s first Grand Basileus. Oscar James Cooper became a physician who served Philadelphia’s Black community for more than fifty years. Frank Coleman became a physicist, Howard University professor, and World War I Army officer. Ernest Everett Just became an internationally respected biologist whose groundbreaking research advanced the scientific understanding of cells, fertilization, and embryonic development. (Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.)
Omega was founded during an era of entrenched segregation, racial violence and systemic exclusion. Its founders understood that Black men needed institutions that fostered intellectual excellence, disciplined leadership, genuine friendship and responsibility to the community. The fraternity expanded beyond Howard University, establishing chapters of college-educated Black men committed to service and social progress. Its members have become scientists, educators, physicians, attorneys, military leaders, artists, athletes, civil-rights advocates and public officials.
Omega’s work has included scholarships, youth mentoring, fatherhood programs, voter education, support for HBCUs, and community-service initiatives throughout the United States and abroad (oppf.org). The founders did not create Omega merely as a social organization. They created a brotherhood expected to convert education into service, perseverance into progress, and friendship into collective power.
Descendants of the Taken Ones. We honor the ancestors who transformed stolen freedom into permanent institutions. The lamp was lit at Howard in 1911. Generations of Omega men have carried its light into the world. Thank you for your time. To support the channel. Please like, share, and subscribe, and pass this along to your family and friends. Remember: information kept to yourself is lost over time, but shared information becomes enduring knowledge. People who lose control of their history can be led to believe they never contributed anything.