Eric Christopher Webb, DDiv., CPLC

Director of Communications

/Editor of The Sphinx

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

ewebb@apa1906.net

Cell: 443-635-5911

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC. SHOWCASES  SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY DURING 98TH GENERAL CONVENITON I 119TH ANNIVERSARY CONVENTION IN PHILADELPHIA, PA

Fraternity Donates $50,000 To Education Non-Profit and $25,000 To Sneaker and Clothing Relief Charity; Awards 35 Scholarships, Recognizes Educators of the Year and Endorses Brother Congressman Al Green’s Resolution On Slavery Remembrance

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. donated $50,000 to Philadelphia Academies, Inc. – a local non-profit initially founded in 1969 to combat Philadelphia’s dropout crisis whose programming prepares students for both college and careers as well as presented 35 scholarships to its College Brothers during its 98thGeneral Convention I 119th Anniversary Convention, “Reimagining Alpha for the Future” from July 16 – July 20 in Philadelphia, PA.

The local non-profit, which pioneered the Career Academy Model now adopted by over 8,000 schools nationwide, continues its mission with its Middle School Programming, Workforce Development Initiatives, and the 9th Grade Success Network, equipping students, particularly Black and Brown youth, with the training, credentials, and mentorship needed to access life-sustaining careers.

“Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.’s commitment and support of education and academic excellence, particularly for the communities we serve, is consistent and undeniable,” said Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. General President Brother Lucien J. Metellus, Jr. “The Fraternity support of these initiatives remains true to our origins as a ‘social study club’ assembled to address the crisis of Black students struggling to remain at Cornell University in the early 1900s, our Fraternal emphasis on scholarship and academic excellence as well as our first General Program, ‘Go-To-High-School, Go-To-College.’”

The Fraternity also awarded 35 College Brother Scholarships as well as on Wednesday, during the Fraternity’s public program, Advocacy in Education: Empowering Black Men for College and Beyond, the Alpha Community Education Initiative, in conjunction with the Fraternity recognized the Nathanial A. Murray Educator of the Year Awards to both Ms. Kristyn Andrea Waters and Ms. Tamarra Henry.

In addition, the Fraternity donated more than $25,000 to Soles 4 Souls, a sneaker and clothing relief charity partnering with our chapters in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The Fraternity raised the money through its ‘Suits & Sneakers’ convention promotion, which allowed contributors of $19.06 or more to wear sneakers during its Saturday convention business sessions.

Through the Fraternity’s advocacy, it has also endorsed and supports Alpha Brother Congressman Al Green’s resolution on Slavery Remembrance and Freedom – The Conscience Agenda, which expands Slavery Remembrance Day – August 20, awards a Congressional Gold Medal to the American enslaved (similar to Congress honor of Confederate soldiers in 1956), investigates the extent of financial companies’ historical connections to slavery and to facilitate atonement from those companies, establishes a cabinet level department tasked with creating a national comprehensive strategy to eliminate racism an invidious discrimination, removes the name of Richard B. Russell, “a racist and self-proclaimed white supremacist” from the Russell Senate Office building and recognizes the late former Texas State Representative, Alpha Brother, Al Edwards as the father of Juneteenth.

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About Alpha Phi Alpha

The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African American men, was founded on December 4, 1906, at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY and is headquartered in Baltimore, MD.  The Fraternity has long stood at the forefront of the African American community’s fight for civil rights through Alpha men such as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; late former Congressman Adam Clayton Powell; late former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall; legendary activist, actor and performer, Paul Robeson, former Ambassador Andrew Young; late former Senator Edward Brooke; scholar, Cornel West; Senator Raphael Warnock; Congressman Steven Horsford, chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus; General CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; six other members of the U.S. Congress, numerous state, and local lawmakers across the United States, as well as President of Liberia, His Excellency Joseph Boakai, Sr. The fraternity, through its more than 720 college and alumni chapters and general-organization members, serves communities in the United States, and other parts of North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.