WINNING AWARDS BY BEING MISSION FOCUSED

On Monday, August 24, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) announced the honorees for the Phoenix Awards Dinner, the culminating event of the 45th Annual Legislative Conference (ALC). Among the shortlist of honorees, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity will be presented with the Phoenix Award at the foundations’s black-tie dinner, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. on September 19, 2015 at 6pm.

We are also proud to announce the 2015 Charlotte General Convention presidential citation recipient, Brother William Barber, II (Gamma Beta ’82), will be honored with the CBC Chair’s Award. As described by the CBCF, Brother Barber was instrumental in the release of the Wilmington Ten and has been a mainstay in the national grassroots movement for educational, economic and equal justice for more than 19 years. Brother Barber continues to lead the fight for voter rights in North Carolina and health care reform, labor and worker rights, protection of immigration rights, and reparation for women survivors of Eugenics.

The CBCF ALC is the leading policy conference on issues impacting African Americans and the global black community. The ALC features more than 70 public policy forums on health, education, economic empowerment, environmental concerns, civic engagement, and the Exhibit Showcase. Signature events include the National Town Hall, Celebration of Leadership in Fine Arts, Gospel Extravaganza, Black Party, Prayer Breakfast, and the culminating event, the Phoenix Awards Dinner.

“It is truly an honor to be recognized for a century of developing leaders, service and advocacy for our communities by such a prominent and august body such as the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation,” said Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity General President Mark S. Tillman.

As stated by the CBCF, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity will receive the CBCF Chair’s Award for its diligence in cementing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy with a memorial on the National Mall in Washington D.C. Alpha Phi Alpha, of which Dr. King was a member, is also being recognized for its national programs to mentor black children and mobilize minority voters.

“I encourage all brothers to join me,” General President Tillman continued, “in registering for this year’s 45th Annual Legislative Conference and purchasing tickets to the Phoenix Awards Dinner so that we can paint the event black and old gold.”

DON’T JUST STOP HAZING, PREVENT IT.

Brothers, as a proud platinum-level sponsor of HazingPrevention.Org™, we are pleased to provide you with a valuable resource guide you can use as you plan and develop initiatives for National Hazing Prevention Week 2015. View the guide by clicking this link filling in the general information on the landing page. This guide is free, and you can print and save the file to your desktop. Thank you for supporting NHPW!

Alpha Men are helping to find cures, save children.

Brothers, we are proud to announce Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity will join the St. Jude family as a National Team Partner for the 2015 St. Jude Walk/Run to End Childhood Cancer. In the webinar tonight, you will hear the story of one of St. Jude’s Little Warriors and their Big Fight along with getting hands-on expertise to becoming a Fierce Fundraiser this September. We look forward to talking to you tonight!

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to Host Sickle Cell Blood Drive and Health Fair during National Convention in Charlotte

WHAT: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, in conjunction with the Community Blood Center of the Carolinas, will host a blood drive to help Sickle Cell patients during its 93rd General Convention in Charlotte, N.C. on August 8, 2015. Sickle Cell disease is an inherited disease that primarily affects African-Americans. To date, there is no cure. According to the Community Blood Center of the Carolinas, it takes 25 units of blood from the African American population to find one unit of sickle cell compatible blood. However, only one in 100 African Americans donate blood. Alpha Phi Alpha is looking to be change agents and encourage the community to help them. This event, and the Alpha Health Fair located in the Charlotte Convention Center Hall C, is free and open to the public.

Over 6,000 fraternity members, partners, and guests are expected to attend this year’s convention in Charlotte, N.C. from August 5–9, 2015. The theme for the convention is “Focused on the Future: Investing in Our Community, Health, Wealth, and Self.”

WHEN: Saturday, August 8, 2015
11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: Charlotte Convention Center
501 S. College St
Charlotte, N.C.
Health Pavilion (behind the vendor area)

WHO: Mark S. Tillman, General President, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Alpha Phi Alpha Members
Community Blood Center of the Carolinas

CONTACT: Kia Green Anderson
Kia Green Public Relations
443-691-5117
kia.green@gmail.com

Bryan Kelly
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Director of Communications
410-926-5333
pr@apa1906.net

ALPHA MEMBERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD WILL MEET AUGUST 5–9, 2015 IN CHARLOTTE

Baltimore, MD (July 31, 2015)—The world’s oldest intercollegiate fraternity founded by African-American men—Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity—will be heading to the “Queen City,” Charlotte, North Carolina. Alpha Phi Alpha will host its 109th anniversary convention at the Charlotte Convention Center. The Queen City will welcome Alpha and its more than 700 chapters from four continents, who will take part in five days of leadership development and service projects. “We look forward to holding our first convention in Charlotte and having a positive impact on the local community,” explained 34th general president of Alpha Phi Alpha, Mark S. Tillman.

Tillman, a longtime mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, along with the local Charlotte convention activities committee members, leads efforts to participate in a community service project to donate 1,000 backpacks filled with school supplies to local Charlotte youth as part of Alpha Phi Alpha’s national “Go to High School, Go to College” program. The school supply drive will be held Saturday, August 8, 2015, and donations are currently being accepted. In conjunction with the school supply drive, the immediate past North Carolina teacher of the year, Brother James Ford, will facilitate a youth leadership development program. The fraternity will also participate in a week-long voter registration and education program as part of its “A Voteless People is a Hopeless People” program designed to increase civic engagement. On Friday, August 7, Alpha Phi Alpha will also be holding a community health fair at the Charlotte Convention Center that will feature resources for health awareness such as screenings for diabetes, blood pressure and obesity as well as a blood drive. The health fair will include games and other activities, giveaways and health care information. Alpha Phi Alpha looks forward to serving and empowering the community during this event.

As previously planned, this year’s recipients of the Alpha Award of Merit will be presented to North Carolina’s son and ESPN Sports anchor, Stuart Scott; former Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry and Warren M. Washington, world-renowned atmospheric scientist and climate researcher. Their outstanding accomplishments in their professional careers, impactful leadership and service to their community deems them worthy to be this year’s award recipients. It is because of members like these that the Alpha Award of Merit exists, to recognize extraordinary brothers who are contributing to the betterment of society in all walks of life. On Wednesday, August 5, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity will host a public program in the ballroom at the Charlotte Convention Center. The focus of the public program will mirror the theme of the convention “Focused on the Future: Investing in Community, Health, Wealth and Self.” The master of ceremonies will be ESPN anchor and member of Alpha Phi Alpha, Stan Verett. This event is open to everyone in the Charlotte community, including the media. Please be aware that space and seating is limited.

Roland Martin, host of TV One’s News One Now and also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, will facilitate a panel on School Choice in African-American Communities. Other special guests include Russlyn Ali, the former assistant secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education; Kevin Johnson, the 55th mayor of Sacramento, California, and Pamela Jolly, founder and CEO of Torch Enterprises.

“Since our last general convention, recent events across the country have required our presence and advocacy more than ever,” said Tillman. “In Charlotte, we are laying the groundwork for future Alpha men to stand upon as we remain focused on the future. We will gather to develop a plan to continue the work of Alpha nationally and internationally. Each member has a unique and vital role to play in the empowerment of our communities.”

Charlotte tourism officials project the convention will result in an economic impact of $5 million. Convention top-level partners include Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, Novant Health, Nationwide Insurance and AARP.

“The brothers of Beta Nu Lambda are very excited to welcome our brothers from all over the world to Charlotte. We have been working hard for over a year now to ensure that this is the biggest and best convention experience Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity has ever seen,” stated Jonathan Lindsay, president of Beta Nu Lambda Chapter of Charlotte, one of many local convention host chapters.

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s mission is to develop leaders, promote brotherhood and academic excellence, while providing service and advocacy to the community. Alpha has served the community in multiple facets including its members being outspoken political advocates for the African-American community. Prominent members include Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Cornel West, Hill Harper, Harry E. Johnson, John H. Johnson and many more. In-service efforts to the community, national programs and partnerships include Big Brothers Big Sisters of America; Boy Scouts of America; March of Dimes; A Voteless People is a Hopeless People; Go To High School, Go To College; and Project Alpha.

For more details or for press credentials, e-mail PR@apa1906.net.

About Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity

Founded on December 4, 1906, at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity has continued to supply voice and vision to the struggle of African Americans and people of color around the world. 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 600 college and alumni chapters and general organization members, serves communities in the United States, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. Visit http://www.apa1906.net and follow on Twitter @apa1906network.

About Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity in North Carolina

Alpha Phi Alpha serves the Charlotte area and surrounding cities/communities through 41 chapters. Of this total, 17 are alumni chapters, which are located in Charlotte, Winston Salem, Greensboro, Raleigh, Durham, Elizabeth City, Greenville, Goldsboro, Kinston, Jacksonville, Henderson, and Rocky Mount. Four chapters seated in North Carolina are also serving as host chapters. The remaining 24 college chapters are seated at Johnson C. Smith university, NC A&T State University, Elizabeth City State University, Winston-Salem State University, Shaw University, NC Central University, Livingstone College, St. Augustine’s College, Fayetteville State University, East Carolina University, NC State University, Duke University, University of NC – Chapel Hill, University of NC – Charlotte, West Carolina University, Wake Forest University, North Carolina Wesleyan College, University of NC – Wilmington, University of NC – Greensboro, Appalachian State University, Elon University, University of NC – Pembroke, Davidson College, and Chowan University. All of these chapters, both college and alumni, serve the communities through a wide range of programs including Go-To-Highschool, Go-To-College which concentrates on the importance of completing secondary and collegiate education as a road to advancement. Chapters also service the community through a host of other programs and initiatives including providing scholarships to college-bound students, mentoring young men, and promoting voter registration and education. ESPN sports anchor Stuart Scott is among the most notable brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha from North Carolina. The host chapters are part of Alpha Phi Alpha’s S

Yesterday, Brother Clementa Pinckney [Gamma Gamma, ’92], a South Carolina state senator and pastor of the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina–the oldest AME church in the South–was fatally shot while leading a prayer service. Brother Pinckney, 41, and several church members were shot in a mass shooting at the historic black church by a white gunman. According to some reports, the shooting has left nine people dead.

Brother Pinckney was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1996 at age 23. In 2000, he was elected to the South Carolina State Senate at age 27. At that time, he was one of the youngest people to be elected to the South Carolina State Legislature. He represented Jasper, Beaufort, Charleston, Colleton and Hampton counties.

In 1999, Brother Pinckney spoke about his desire to lead in a profile by the Savannah Morning News, which named him one of its 20 Under 40, saying “In life, we are all faced with the opportunity to serve. It is at times a hard choice to make but those hard choices yield great rewards. Those rewards are mostly for others and not for ourselves. That’s what service is all about.”

The brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity ask that you keep Brother Clementa Pinckney and his family, and the families of those affected, in your thoughts as they navigate this difficult time in the aftermath of a hateful, heinous event. Brother Pinckney is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and their two children, Eliana and Malana.

It is because of members like Brother Clementa Pinckney that Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity remains the College of Friendship, the University of Brotherly Love and the School for the Better Making of Men.

Today, Americans in large numbers will visit our national cemeteries and places of worship to honor their loved ones, their friends, neighbors, colleagues, even the unknown-to-them men and women who gave their lives in defense of our nation. Memorial Day is a time to reflect on their service and their sacrifice, even as our men and women in the Armed Forces are completing dangerous missions in distant lands, putting their lives on the line for the “American Dream.”

We recall the ultimate price paid of all who have set their personal aspirations aside for the preservation of our society. Whether it is World War I, World War II, or conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan or countless other military engagements, we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the men and women who took arms against the enemies of the United States and the would-be tyrants of the world, laying down their lives to ensure a brighter future for the loved ones they left behind.

Alpha joins with all Americans in honoring military brothers who were called to serve and we offer prayers for those whose sacrifice is felt today by their families and friends.

Space in the 2015 Charlotte General Convention journal is going fast and we want you and your chapter to be a part of this historical celebration. Help us Focus on the Future by purchasing your advertisement today. Click here to download and complete the advertising rates form in the 2015 Charlotte General Convention Registration Packet. If you have any questions, please contact your General Office at (800) 373-3089 or email ads@apa1906.net.

Space in the 2015 Charlotte General Convention journal is going fast and we want you and your chapter to be a part of this historical celebration. Help us Focus on the Future by purchasing your advertisement today.  Click here to download and complete the advertising rates form in the 2015 Charlotte General Convention Registration Packet. If you have any questions, please contact your General Office at (800) 373-3089 or email ads@apa1906.net.

Brother *|LNAME|*,
Who are we? What do we do? Why does it matter? These are the three most important questions we should ask ourselves when we do anything in the name of Alpha Phi Alpha.

This magazine explores the underground culture of hazing as it is not an appropriate representation of what this organization was founded upon. It further explores the challenges hazing creates and what can be done to support efforts of HAZING PREVENTION.

Brother *|LNAME|*, as a member of the fraternity, living in *|CITY|*, you have experienced Alpha from a different perspective and life path than others. As such, we want to challenge you to evaluate whether or not your initial interactions with the fraternity are accurately reflective of: Who Alpha Phi Alpha is? What Alpha Phi Alpha does? And why the work Alpha Phi Alpha does matters to our communities?

Your actions on a personal level develop our organization on a national level. Because of this, we aim to get all brothers on the same page so that Alpha can move forward together on one accord being who we say we are and truly working to empower our communities.

We look forward to your feedback and hope to inspire you to submit an article to The Sphinx magazine.

An in-depth look at the founders’ thoughts on hazing as a condition of membership into the fraternity.

An Op-Ed by 2014–15 Eastern Region Assistant Vice President Julian Jackson on the importance of eliminating hazing from Alpha Phi Alpha.

Brother *|LNAME|*, we appreciate every submission we get for The Sphinx and ask that if you have something that fits in one of the following themes, then consider submitting a feature:

• The Black Family (being a good father, little girls learning from their fathers, making mentees part of your family)
• The Convention Issue (mission objectives after Charlotte, the importance of the business of Alpha, life outside the business sessions)
• The Race, Class, and Education Issue (the future of America in relation to race, class, and education)100 years of The Sphinx would not have been possible without all the contributions brothers have made to it over the years, and now, we need your support.

Brother *|LNAME|*,

Please join General President Mark S. Tillman and local Baltimore brothers in leadership for an Alpha Town Hall Meeting Wednesday, May 6, 2015 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM EDT (5:00 PM – 6:00pm PDT). We will speak on what’s happening on the ground in #Baltimore and General President Tillman will provide an update on what actions brothers can take. If you are unable to join us, the meeting will be recorded and posted on our website.

Town Hall Agenda

• Remarks from the General President
• Update from Baltimore
• Alpha’s Next Steps
• Closing Statements