Brothers of Alpha East:
On December 4, 1906, at Cornell University, seven visionary men dared to dream in the face of adversity. Henry Arthur Callis, Charles Henry Chapman, Eugene Kinckle Jones, George Biddle Kelley, Nathaniel Allison Murray, Robert Harold Ogle, and Vertner Woodson Tandy Alpha Phi Alpha —our beloved Seven Jewels—founded Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.®, creating a brotherhood that would transcend time and transform the world.
In a racially hostile environment, these pioneers bound themselves together to ensure each would survive Alpha Phi Alpha, establishing principles that would guide generations: Manly Deeds, Scholarship, and Love For All Mankind.
Our Jewels blazed trails in every direction:
• Kelley became the first African-American engineer registered in New York State Alpha Phi Alpha
• Tandy became New York’s first registered Black architect Alpha Phi Alpha
• Jones served as the first Executive Secretary of the National Urban League Alpha Phi Alpha
• Callis became a Howard University Professor of Medicine and the only Jewel to serve as General President Alpha Phi Alpha
Their legacy lives on through trailblazers like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, and W.E.B. Du Bois, who carried forward our commitment to justice, scholarship, and service. From the Montgomery Bus Boycott to the Supreme Court, from the NAACP to the National Urban League, Alpha men have shaped history.
Today, we stand on the shoulders of giants. First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All.
Happy 119th Founders’ Day, Brothers!
Bro. Rasheen Smith
Eastern Regional Vice President
Bro. Jeremy Henderson
Assistant Eastern Regional Vice President
