Careful consideration was given to ensure the organization established a firm foundation the first year before efforts to expand were attempted. On December 30, 1929, a charter was granted to the Alpha chapter at Butler University making the organization a national college sorority. This environment made day-to-day life for Blacks an arduous task and attempts to successfully achieve in school, nearly impossible. . Tweet. Kappa Alpha Psi is a college fraternity established by ten black college students at Indiana University in 1911. Kappa Alpha Nu began uniting college men of culture, patriotism and honor in a Bond of fraternity. These three Founders are credited with guiding the infant Fraternity through the most perilous years of its life. The Alpha Rho chapter of Chi Psi fraternity, founded at Rutgers College in 1879, was the first fraternity at Rutgers to own a fraternity house, or "Lodge", purchased in 1887. He served as Grand Polemarch for the first six consecutive years of the Fraternitys existence. Fifth Grand Polemarch Earl B. Dickerson changed the designation of "Region" to "Province" and "Regional Director" to "Province Polemarch" at the 15th Grand Chapter Meeting in 1925. Kappa Alpha Psi has been the official name since April 15, 1915. [5] The Journal is published four times a year in February, April, October and December. The inaugural edition of the Kappa Alpha Nu Journal debuted April 1914 and has printed uninterrupted since with the exception to 1918 and 1919, due to WWI. One of the 5 Objectives of the Fraternity is: To promote the spiritual, social, intellectual and moral welfare of members. Many aspects of the Fraternitys rites are engrained in Christianity ideals and contain excerpts from the Bible. Omega Psi Phi. When was the fraternity founded? The Kappa League was founded Thursday, February 12, 1970 by the Los Angeles (CA) Alumni chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi; under the direction of Leon W Steward. From left to right: Lee Burton, John Al Amin, George Blue, Rodney Hawkins. After leaving school, he pursued a Journalistic career in various cities throughout the country until World War I. Kappa Alpha Psi celebrated its 100th anniversary on January 5, 2011; one of four African American intercollegiate fraternities to do so. The History. One hundred years ago this year, 10 men matriculating at Indiana University came together to found Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. [9] The name of the organization was changed to its current name in 1915, shortly after its creation. It is a fact of which Kappa Alpha Psi is proud that the Constitution has never contained any clause which either excluded or suggested the exclusion of a man from membership merely because of his color, creed, or national origin. Through their combined labors, the fraternitys ritual and ceremonial forms, constitution, hymn and motto were created, and insignia and emblems were fashioned. [33][34] In 1990, Kappa Alpha Psi along with fellow NPHC organizations issued a joint statement announcing the elimination of pledging. While there, he majored in chemistry, graduating with the A.B. It is the nation's first Black Greek organization. He was a graduate student at the University of Minnesota in 1917. A few clouds. LSU will not consider reinstatement of the fraternity until at least 2020. Two of the founders were, Elder . The fraternity maintains dual membership in the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) and the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC). January 15th - Alpha Kappa Alpha. Marcus Peter Blakemore (1889-1959), born in Franklin, Indiana in 1889, attended common and high schools in Anderson, Indiana. Consequently, the few Blacks who took up residence in Bloomington in those early years were socially ostracized and encountered extreme acts of prejudice and discrimination. [52], Also in 2013, nine Kappas were charged with felony assault for severely beating pledges from Youngstown State University. Three organizations (Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi and Sigma Gamma Rho) were founded on predominately white college campuses. The first chapter in the West was established in 1923 at University of California, Los Angeles Upsilon chapter. degree in 1915. They found that through these close interactions, they had common interests and a close bond began to emerge. Kappa Alpha Psi, a college Fraternity, was born in an environment saturated in racism. The name was officially changed to Kappa Alpha Psi on a resolution adopted at the Grand Chapter Meeting in December 1914. These men of vision decided Kappa Alpha Nu would be more than another social organization. Careful consideration was given to ensure the organization established a firm foundation the first year before efforts to expand were attempted. [22], Kappa Alpha Psi offers undergraduate and graduate membership to potential aspirants, and its constitution has never contained any clause which either excluded or suggested the exclusion of a man from membership because of color, creed, or national origin. Other fraternity leaders were alerted by Santander Bank of many suspicious transactions which lead to his firing and arrest. More. There was an additional misunderstanding being attributed to the acronym of the Fraternitys Greek letters, KAN. Taking careful attention to detail and to ensure the fraternity was rooted in authenticity, these Founder Diggs took courses in Greek heraldry and mythology and applied their combined knowledge to the development of these articles. This environment made day-to-day life for Blacks an arduous task and attempts to successfully achieve in school, nearly impossible. January 5th - Kappa Alpha Psi. Local chapters of Kappa Alpha Psi participate in community outreach activities to feed the homeless, provide scholarships to young people matriculating to college, serve as mentors to young men, participate in blood drives and serve as hosts of seminars for public health awareness to name a few. Chartered and incorporated originally under the laws of the State of Indiana as Kappa Alpha Nu on May 15, 1911, the name was changed to KAPPA ALPHA PSI on a resolution offered and adopted at the Grand . Copyright 2022 The Brooklyn-Long Island Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Lyle was inspired by . Kappa Alpha Psi was founded on the campus of Indiana University on January 5th, 1911. Errol W. ( Walton) Barrow Bro. Expert solutions. [20], The Kappa Alpha Psi Foundation was conceived by Dr. Oliver S. Gumbs, the 23rd Grand Polemarch. The 20 pearls indicate the nine original founders, seven sophomores who were invited a month later and four women who incorporated the sorority and expanded its influence on college campuses. [36], Kappa Alpha Psi seeks to remove any and all opportunities for pledging, hazing, antisocial and unlawful activity and seeks to promote in every phase of fraternity life only safe and wholesome activities which are consistent with the Code of Conduct of the colleges, universities and jurisdictions where chapters are chartered. The number of places where they might assemble was limited. One pledge was beaten so badly that many of the veins in his backside were broken and he developed a life-threatening gangrene infection. The name of Fraternity and the image it portrayed was of paramount importance. January 13th - Delta Sigma Theta. Kappa Alpha Psi, a college Fraternity, was born in an environment saturated in racism. In the latter, giving due attention to the needs of undergraduate Brothers. J5 refers to the day the fraternity was founded " 5 January. Expert solutions. Since the beginning, every endeavor was directed toward establishing the Fraternity upon a strong foundation before embarking on plans of expansion. We must realize and acknowledge that the first eight of what know makes up the bulk of the BGLO's were founded between 1906 and 1922. Alpha and Omega, the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet correlate to Christ and the Founders relationship and connection to the church. Reliance would be placed upon high Christian ideals and the purpose of ACHIEVEMENT. He entered Carver Elementary School and Clark High School in Evansville, graduating in 1910. members of some other fraternal lodges. These men of vision decided the Fraternity would be more than another social organization. TIES TO THE SEVEN JEWELS. He was a member of the Second Baptist Church in Indianapolis. If someone asks you "how long were you on line", how do you respond? Formidable barriers were put up to prevent the few who were enrolled from assimilating into co-curricular . George married the former Willa Mae Forte and settled in Stevenson, Indiana. Aside from his success as a Journalist, Brother Irvin was a pioneer in promoting basketball and track athletics in the small town schools of Indiana. KAPPA ALPHA (KA) ORDER: Kappa Alpha Order was founded on 21 December 1865 at Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) at Lexington, Virginia, by James Ward Wood and three others. The Past Polemarchs of the Hartsville Alumni Chapter of KAPPA ALPHA PSI FRATERNITY,INC. [42][43], In 2009, Louisiana State University (LSU) placed an eleven-year ban on the fraternity for repeated hazing violations and severe abuse of pledges. Diggs presided as president, while Irvin was assigned as temporary secretary of Alpha Omega. Nor would the new Fraternity seek its members in the manner of other Greek organizations from among the sons of wealthy families or families of social prestige. Born out of the vestiges of racism, Kappa Alpha Nu encountered another metamorphosis, partially related to action of bigotry. He was born in Hopkinsville, Christian County, Kentucky, on December 23, 1883, and was the eldest son of three children. at the Detroit College of Law in 1928. For this and other outstanding contributions to the Fraternity, he was awarded . [25], To be considered for membership, a candidate must have at least a 2.5 gpa on a 4.0 scale. [27], In February 2022, fraternity member and head financial director of the fraternity, Curtis Anderson, was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for embezzling $3 million from the fraternity over six years. Upgrade to remove ads. Why did the start their own organization? Consequently, eight other men met with Diggs and Armstrong for the purpose of organizing such a fraternity. degree. The charter members were Elder Watson Diggs, Byron K. Armstrong, John M. Lee, Henry T. Asher, Marcus P. Blakemore, Guy L. Grant, Paul W. Caine, George W. Edmonds, Ezra D. Alexander and Edward G. Irvin. These three Founders are credited with guiding the infant Fraternity through the most perilous years of its life. In addition to his activities with Kappa Alpha Psi, Brother Grant held memberships in several civic, professional, and business organizations. The organization was given the temporary name of Alpha Omega, while they further developed the formation of the organization. Some of these members include: Ralph Abernathy, Wilt Chamberlin, Montell Jordan, Benjamin Jealous, Oscar Robertson, Cedric the Entertainer, Arthur Ashe, Mike Tomlin, Gayle Sayers, Adrian Fenty, Robert S. Abbott, Bennie Thompson, Donald Byrd, Johnnie Cochran, Ed Gardner, Smokie Norful, John Singleton, Tom Bradley, Bob Johnson, John Conyers, Alcee Hastings, Lerone Bennett, Jr., Kwame Jackson, Bill Russell, Tavis Smiley, Marvin Sapp, and Colin Kaepernick to name a few. Alpha and Omega, the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet correlate to Christ and the Founders relationship and connection to the church. The Founders were God-fearing, and serious minded young men who possessed the imagination, ambition, courage and determination to defy custom in pursuit of a college education and careers. At the time of his death in October 1959, he was residing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he maintained his practice of dentistry. In March 2012, the University of Florida chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi was suspended because of thirteen misdemeanor-level sworn complaints involving striking and harassing pledges. The names of the college chapters consist of either one or two Greek letters.