Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Concludes its 95th General Convention
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
*Editor’s Note: Previously released media statement inadvertently omitted Washington D.C. Chamber of Commerce President Vincent Orange as a moderator.
ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC. THE NATION’S FIRST FRATERNITY FOUNDED BY AFRICAN AMERICAN COLLEGE MEN, CONCLUDES ITS 95TH GENERAL CONVENTION WITH CLARION CALL AGAINST INJUSTICE
General President Everett B. Ward offers support for U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings and condemns President Trump’s remarks about him and Baltimore city as “racist and insensitive”
LAS VEGAS, NV – Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.® and its General President Everett B. Ward, Ph.D. concluded its 113th Anniversary and 95th General Convention this past weekend with a pledge to aggressively fight against white supremacy and other issues targeting the African American community following a series of Fraternal business meetings, workshops, social activities, awards ceremony at the Bally’s Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Its convention with its theme, “Alpha Advocacy in Action: Silence Is Not An Option,” from Wednesday, July 24 through Sunday, July 28, trained, informed, and inspired members to actively pursue the Fraternity’s advocacy and social justice agenda, which encompasses voter engagement, census education and mobilization as well as a host of other issues through meetings, trainings, and workshops. Overall, an estimated 4,000 people attended or participated in the convention’s various meetings, events, and social activities that also included a slate of activities for Alpha wives and family members.
On Friday, the Fraternity issued a public statement defending U.S Representative Elijah Cummings and condemning President Donald Trump for racist, vile and insensitive remarks after the President lashed out at Congressman Cummings, calling him a “bully” and referring to Baltimore, the city he represents as being a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess” where “no human being would want to live.”
The Fraternity’s public program, entitled “All Politics Is Local,” and moderated by both Washington, D.C. Chamber of Commerce President Vincent Orange and Political commentator, Roland S. Martin, featured two panels, including Presidential candidate and Miramar, Florida mayor Wayne Messam, Little Rock, Arkansas mayor Frank Scott, Forrest City, Arkansas mayor Cedric Williams, and Birmingham, Alabama mayor Randall Woodfin. All are members of the Fraternity.
The second half of the program, featured Thomas Battles, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Grand Polemarch, State of Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi; Ricky L. Lewis, First Grand Basileus of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Kenneth C. Evans, President of the Las Vegas Urban Chamber of Commerce and a member of Omega Psi Phi; Chris Rey, International First Vice President of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and former Mayor of Spring Lake, North Carolina; Katina Semien, South Central Regional Director of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; Valarie Hollingsworth-Baker, International President, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.; and Tracy Aikens, Far West Regional Director and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
On Saturday Morning, several brothers competed in the inaugural John H. Johnson Alphapreneur Business Pitch Competition. The winner of the competition was Andrew Suggs, CEO of Live Chair. Suggs was the recipient of a $10,000 cash prize to push the business even further.
On Saturday evening, the Fraternity also recognized and honored members and notable non-members with the Alpha Award of Merit and the Alpha Award of Honor at its signature Black and Gold Gala. Fraternity National Historian Robert Harris, Vista Equity Partners Founder and Chairman and Philanthropist Robert F. Smith, University of Maryland Baltimore County President Freeman Hrabrowski, and U.S. Representative Robert “Bobby” Scott and Actor and Author Hill Harper, all Alpha brothers, received the Alpha Award of Merit. Documentary Filmmaker Stanley Lewis received the Alpha Award of Honor, which is the Fraternity’s highest recognition for a non-member.
Earlier in the week, along with Las Vegas City Councilman from Ward 5 Cedric Crear, the Fraternity donated $10,000 for a baseball scoreboard at the Doolittle Community Center and was recognized by the Las Vegas City Council for its many accomplishments and contributions. The Fraternity also hosted a concert featuring one of its members, eight-time Grammy Nominee and Saxophonist, Gerald Albright, and his daughter, vocalist, Selena Albright.
###
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., headquartered in Baltimore, MD, was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. The Fraternity has long stood at the forefront of the African-American community’s fight for civil rights through Alpha men such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Adam Clayton Powell, Thurgood Marshall, Paul Robeson, Andrew Young, Edward Brooke and Cornel West. The fraternity, through its more than 720 college and alumni chapters and general-organization members, serves communities in the United States, Canada, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. Visit http://www.apa1906.net and follow on Twitter @apa1906network.