At its core, the word fraternity simply refers to a group of people sharing a common profession or interests, or the state or feeling of friendship and mutual support within a group.
At times, this meaning has some negative connotations, as evidenced in the movie “Animal House,” or how it is freely used when describing people who play a sport (as consistently on ESPN, the term is freely bandied about). And while there may be some credence to these meanings, a fraternity can be more than this.
When I did my initial research on Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, it immediately stood out for reasons beyond the aforementioned.
Considering its origins on the campus of Cornell University on Dec. 4, 1906, a more meaningful definition comes about: given how black students on campus were leaving Cornell, not due to the academic rigor, but the lower than second class citizenship (let alone any degree of citizenship) status and treatment administered from students, faculty, staff, and administration, seven young college-aged students realized the need to come together, but for the immediate need of providing a system of survival and support in order to navigate through the divisive and arduous campus climate.
As a by-product of these humble beginnings, the fraternity grew into more than a support system, but a meaningful agent of social change that other predominantly Black Greek-lettered organizations followed in their own way, shape, and form.
When you consider the advent of civic and social entities such as the NAACP or National Urban League, along with key figures in the civil rights and other related movements and social causes, members of the fraternity aren’t just sitting around -- they are being proactive in identifying areas of concern and utilizing their time, talents, and resources for the greater good embodied in the uplifting and empowerment of people of color.
Ranging from figures such as Martin Luther King Jr, Adam Clayton Powell, Thurgood Marshall, John Hope Franklin, Andrew Young, Maynard Jackson, David Dinkins and countless others, men of Alpha are synonymous with providing a measure of service, leadership, and advocacy in our communities.
This is more than evident from a historical standpoint, but from an immediate standpoint when I think of my father, Andrew W. Snorton II, as well as my uncles, Claude Snorton and Edward Snorton.
While my uncles are with me in spirit, the old Alpha Spirit in regards to being leaders at home and in the community, cultivated via the Beta Mu Chapter at Kentucky State University, is evident in their thoughts, words, and deeds.
Given the familial examples, in the spring semester of my sophomore year at Wake Forest University, I am initiated via the Xi Eta Chapter.
Those examples, combined with the leadership examples of members of the chapter on campus, ranging from the marching band, student government, and other campus entities, made it clear to me that Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity can provide me an even more engrained sense of community leadership and service, along with being a voice for the voiceless.
While I may not ever approach the levels attained by my family members or other great men of Alpha, it can provide me with a target to relentlessly pursue and in doing so, not only am I focused on my holistic development, but that of others I am blessed to be engaged and connected with.
Given my involvement with the LEAD Foundation, Inc., or recently concluding four years as the president of the Association of Black Alumni at Wake Forest University, or being part of the charter membership of two graduate chapters in the Atlanta area (Rho Kappa Lambda in Duluth and Sigma Eta Lambda in Loganville-Conyers), it is evident the motto of “Manly Deeds, Scholarship, and Love for All Mankind” is more than just a saying, but a way of life.
The blessings bestowed upon me -- given the people I am blessed to meet, along with the things I’ve been able to do and have yet to do -- are more than reason enough that as a 24-year member of the fraternity, it is more than just something I did in college.
It’s something that accentuates and serves as an extension of who I am, along with whose I am.
I look back fondly upon my membership in the fraternity that is first and foremost focused on being “First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All.”
All of us make decisions we feel can put us in a better position and a better place, therefore making us better stewards and resources for the needed changes within our families, communities, and anywhere we are blessed to be.
While “College Days Swiftly Pass,” one thing that does not pass me by is the meaning, mission, and merit that comes with being a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.
Let’s continue moving onward and upward toward the light.
Andrew Snorton is a small-business owner (Creative Community Solutions, LLC) and board member of The LEAD Foundation, Inc. He pledged Alpha in the Spring of 1991 via the Xi Eta Chapter at Wake Forest University. He is a charter member of both graduate chapters in Duluth and Loganville-Conyers.
