December 4

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. is a historically African American fraternity that promotes leadership, academic excellence, and community service, with a deep commitment to uplifting Black communities and fostering social change. It is a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) collaborative umbrella composed of historically African American fraternities and sororities, commonly called the Divine Nine.

Alpha Phi Alpha was not only the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established by African American men but also a key force in the civil rights movement, producing influential figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Thurgood Marshall.

Alpha Phi Alpha was founded on December 4, 1906, at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY by seven pioneering men known as the “Seven Jewels”: Henry Arthur Callis, Charles Henry Chapman, Eugene Kinckle Jones, George Biddle Kelley, Nathaniel Allison Murray, Robert Harold Ogle, and Vertner Woodson Tandy. These founders, inspired by the challenges African American students faced at the time, sought to create a fraternity that would emphasize scholarship, brotherhood, and public service, laying the groundwork for future generations of leaders.

Some of the most famous members of Alpha Phi Alpha include:

• Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — the iconic civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate;
• Thurgood Marshall — the first African American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court;
• W.E.B. Du Bois — renowned scholar and co-founder of the NAACP;
• Adam Clayton Powell Jr. — influential congressman and civil rights advocate; and
• Paul Robeson — acclaimed actor, athlete, and activist known for his powerful voice both on stage and in social justice movements.

The fraternity’s mission is to develop leaders, promote unity and advocacy, and provide service to the community, particularly in areas of education, healthcare, and social justice.