AJC Sepia Greek Spotlight: The Men of Alpha Phi Alpha

Education

AJC Sepia Greek Spotlight: The Men of Alpha Phi Alpha

In 1906, seven students at Cornell University, recognizing a need to build an organization to nurture and protect the black students on campus, formed Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the first of all black Greek-letter organizations.

From those men, known as the “Seven Jewels,” the fraternity has since initiated more than 250,000 brothers across 700-plus chapters worldwide -- including the eight brother's pledging above in 1952 including a young Martin Luther King Jr. The fraternity’s aims are "manly deeds, scholarship, and love for all mankind," and its motto is “First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All.” Here are a few of their brightest members.(Research conducted by the Membership Committee of Alpha Phi Alpha and Brother Thomas Griffin, a Spring 1997 initiate of the Alpha Delta Chapter at the University of Southern California. Unless otherwise noted, photographs provided by Alpha Phi Alpha and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution archives).

W. E. B. Du Bois was a prominent sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, author and editor. A former professor at Atlanta University, he was the first African-American to receive a Ph.D from Harvard University, was a co-founder of the NAACP and his 1903 classic, “The Souls of Black Folk,” is considered a seminal work in the African-American canon. He died in 1963.

Garrett Morgan was an American inventor. Among his inventions were a safety hood smoke protection device used by fireman. Garrett also invented the three-position traffic signal, which offered a simple “warning” light. He died in 1963.

Paul Robeson was an athlete, singer and actor who made the transition into becoming a major civil rights figure. Roberson played football at Rutgers University, but was also elected Phi Beta Kappa and became his class valedictorian. He starred in both stage and film versions of “The Emperor Jones” and “Show Boat.” When Robeson ventured out to speak out against racism, he was labeled a communist and blacklisted. He died in Pennsylvania in 1976.

Charles Hamilton Houston was a prominent lawyer, former dean of the Howard University Law School and the litigation director of the NAACP, who played a significant role in dismantling Jim Crow laws. He was also a mentor of future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. He died in 1950.

Thurgood Marshall in 1967 became the first African-American appointed to the United States Supreme Court, serving for 24 years. Before joining the high court, he established himself as the counsel for the NAACP. In 1954, he won the Brown v. Board of Education case, which ended racial segregation in public schools. He died in 1993.

Adam Clayton Powell Jr. was a Baptist minister and politician, representing Harlem from 1945 to 1971 in the United States House of Representatives. He died in 1972.

John Hope Franklin was a historian, best known for his 1947 tome, “From Slavery to Freedom.” A graduate of Fisk University, Franklin taught at several colleges, including N.C. Central University, Howard University, the University of Chicago, Brooklyn College and Duke University. In 1995, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. He died in 2009.

Jesse Owens was one of the greatest athletes in American history. Owens made his mark in 1936 when he won four gold medals at the Olympic Games in Berlin. In his dominance, he embarrassed Adolph Hitler, who was trying to use the games to showcase Aryan supremacy. Owens died from cancer on March 31, 1980.

Edward Brooke. Representing Massachusetts, in 1966 Brooke become the first African-American to be popularly elected to the United States Senate. Brooke, a Republican, served two terms.

John H. Johnson was the founder of the Johnson Publishing Company, best known for putting out Ebony and Jet magazines. In 1982, he became the first African American to appear on the Forbes 400. He died in 2005.

Whitney Moore Young was a civil rights leader who fought to end employment discrimination through his position as executive director of the National Urban League. He died in 1971.

David Dinkins is the first and only African-American ever elected mayor of New York City.

Eddie Robinson is the second winningest football coach in NCAA Division I history with 408 wins at Grambling State University between 1941 and 1997. During much of that period, black players were not allowed to play for major college programs. Robinson compiled 45 winning seasons, including winning or sharing 17 SWAC titles and nine mythical black college championships. (Jose R. Lopez/The New York Times)

Andrew Young is a civil rights icon who worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr. But civil rights now seem like a small chapter in the Atlanta residents life. He is also a former United States ambassador, the former mayor of Atlanta and a served four years in the United States House of Representatives. He is still a major voice in all things Atlanta. When Young pledged Alpha at Howard University, David Dinkins was his dean of pledgees.

Louis Wade Sullivan is the former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the founding dean of the Morehouse School of Medicine.

Dick Gregory is a civil rights activist, social critic and writer. Gregory began his career as a comedian, but was always active in civil rights, becoming allies with several major figures, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Andrew Young. Gregory is also a health and nutrition advocate. JESSICA MCGOWAN / jmcgowan@ajc.com

Martin Luther King Jr. was a major civil rights leader, who used the concept of nonviolence in his fight for equal rights. He led the Montgomery Bus Boycotts, delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington, and won the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in in Washington, D.C., was dedicated in 2011.

Duke Ellington was an American composer, pianist and bandleader, and one of the pioneers of jazz music. Known for tunes like, “Take the A Train,” “Mood Indigo,” and “Black and Tan Fantasy,” he won 12 Grammys and a special Pulitzer Prize for music in 1999. He died in 1974.

Julius Chambers was a North Carolina-based civil rights attorney who opened the first integrated law firm in the state. Chambers litigated several key cases before the U.S. Supreme Court that helped shape civil rights laws, including school busing in Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education; Griggs v. Duke Power Co. and Albemarle Paper Co. v. Moody. In 1984, he left the firm to become Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. He returned to North Carolina in 1993 to become chancellor of his alma mater, N.C. Central University. He died in 2013.

Maynard Jackson was the first African American mayor of Atlanta, initially serving from 1974 until 1982. He was elected for a third non-consecutive term in 1990. A graduate of Morehouse College, Jackson was the grandson of John Wesley Dobbs. He died in 2003.

Marc Morial is the current president of the National Urban League and the former mayor of New Orleans. His father, Ernest N. "Dutch" Morial, was New Orleans’ first black mayor and is also an Alpha.

Keenan Ivory Wayans is an actor, comedian, film director, producer and screenwriter. He created the landmark comedy sketch show, “In Living Color,” and co-wrote “The Hollywood Shuffle.” His “Scary Movie" is one of the highest grossing films directed by an African-American. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision)

Cornell William Brooks is the current president of the NAACP.

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In 1906, seven students at Cornell University, recognizing a need to build an organization to nurture and protect the black students on campus, formed Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the first of all black Greek-letter organizations.

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