STATEMENT OF ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC. ON BUFFALO, NY. MASS SHOOTING
Contact:
Eric Christopher Webb, DDiv., CPLC
Director of Communications/Editor of The Sphinx
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. ewebb@apa1906.net
Cell: 443-635-5911
May 16, 2022
For Immediate Release
BALTIMORE, MD. – The Men of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. are outraged and condemn the acts of self-proclaimed white supremacist and alleged mass shooter, Payton Gendron, who targeted African Americans at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York over the weekend.
Today, we mourn those lives lost in this violent tragedy and offer our deepest condolences to the families of the 10 victims. Unarmed Black people continue to be murdered in peaceful spaces or while living their everyday lives without any justice or accountability.
This must stop.
According to police, had the shooter’s carnage not been stopped, he planned to “shoot more Black people.”
Therefore, the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. urges law enforcement, particularly, the U.S. Attorney General and the Department of Justice, to classify this case as a federal hate crime. Crimes such as these should be fully prosecuted, whether on the state or federal level, and face the stiffest penalties.
We continue to stand with Alpha Brother and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, first responders, the Rho Lambda Chapter in Buffalo, and the community-at-large, as they work to heal their city. Since our founding, Alpha Phi Alpha has been at the forefront of civil rights and social justice issues, taking a stand against violence and white supremacy at every turn.
As a fraternity, we will do what we can to ensure that the Buffalo community receives the support it needs.
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About Alpha Phi Alpha
The 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, Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. Visit and follow on Twitter @apa1906network.
STATEMENT OF ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC. GENERAL PRESIDENT WILLIS L. LONZER, III, PH.D. ON THE ONE-MILLIONTH DEATH FROM COVID-19 TODAY
Contact:
Eric Christopher Webb, DDiv., CPLC
Director of Communications/Editor of The Sphinx
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Cell: 443-635-5911
May 12, 2022
For Immediate Release
We were deeply saddened to learn of the one-millionth death from COVID-19 today. One million seats are now empty at dinner tables, in church pews, and at desks across the country. We cannot bring our family members and friends back, but we can honor their lives. Unfortunately, over 230,000 people lost their lives because they could not, or would not, be vaccinated.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has partnered with Good Health Wins and the National Council of Negro Women, to join a network of national and local partners to raise awareness of the impact of timely immunizations. Through this joint-partnership, along with the other respective Fraternity and Sororities of the National Panhellenic Council, will seek to identify and implement strategies to reduce racial and/or ethnic disparities in adult vaccination coverage.
Why is Good Health WINs important? Of the 1M deaths, approximately 135,000 (or 13.5%) of them were among African Americans.
The real disparity comes in the rates of disease, hospitalization, and death. If you are African American, you are 1.1 times more likely to contract COVID, 2.4 times more likely to be hospitalized, and 1.7 times more likely to die than white people. (source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/investigations-discovery/hospitalization-death-by-race-ethnicity.html)
Good Health WINs will continue to increase the availability of vaccines and messaging to Black and Hispanic communities; increase our range of trusted community voices and most importantly implement strategies to reduce racial and or ethnic disparities in adult and child vaccination coverage. We believe that working collaboratively will decrease Covid-19 numbers significantly, especially in our communities.
We, therefore, choose to remember our loved ones by ensuring everyone has access to, and accurate information about, COVID-19 vaccines and boosters. Please join us in our efforts to build vaccine confidence to keep our families and communities safe through this continuing pandemic.
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About Alpha Phi Alpha
The 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, Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. Visit and follow on Twitter @apa1906network.
STATEMENT OF THE ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC. ON PRESIDENT JOSEPH R. BIDEN, JR.’S PARDON OF FORMER SECRET SERVICE AGENT AND OUR BROTHER, ABRAHAM W. BOLDEN, SR.
Contact:
Eric Christopher Webb, DDiv., CPLC
Director of Communications/Editor of The Sphinx
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. ewebb@apa1906.net
Cell: 443-635-5911
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. commends President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. for his pardon today of former Secret Service agent and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Brother, Abraham W. Bolden, Sr.
While a presidential pardon is not a vindication for the gross injustice Brother Bolden faced and endured, it is a long overdue acknowledgment and commendation of his character and his many contributions to the community following his release from prison.
Brother Bolden, who was appointed by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 as the first Black Secret Service agent to serve on a Presidential detail, was convicted on federal bribery charges after he claimed he was framed for attempting to expose gross misconduct within the agency. Some witnesses also admitted prosecutors pressured them into lying.
Brother Bolden, who has long maintained his innocence, was sentenced to six years in federal prison, but served 39 months with a 2 ½-year probation.
Since then, Brother Bolden, a 1953 Alpha Psi Chapter initiate at Lincoln University, MO, and member of the Xi Lambda Chapter in Chicago, IL., has received numerous awards and honors for his continued efforts speaking out against racism he faced in the Secret Service and his courage for standing against injustice. In 2008, Brother Bolden also published his memoir, The Echo From Dealey Plaza, whose title is references site of JFK’s November 1963 assassination. In it, he writes about both the racism he
encountered from his fellow agents, including his supervisors, and their recklessness while protecting the President.
We, as men of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., have long stood against injustice, and some have suffered for it. We congratulate Brother Bolden on this presidential pardon, and his ongoing efforts to maintain his integrity and fight for what is right no matter the cost.
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About Alpha Phi Alpha
The 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, Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. Visit and follow on Twitter @apa1906network.
FRATERNITY HIGHLIGHTS OUTSTANDING 40 UNDER 40 BROTHERS IN 7 TOP INDUSTRIES
FRATERNITY HIGHLIGHTS OUTSTANDING 40 UNDER 40
BROTHERS IN 7 TOP INDUSTRIES
Nominate An Eligible Brother Today!
We are now accepting nominations for the Fraternity's first 40 under 40 Initiative that will recognize 40 influential Alpha Brothers in each of the following seven categories, including: finance, healthcare, civic engagement, education, media, technology, and entertainment.
To be eligible for consideration in the 40 Under 40, nominees must meet the following criteria:
- Must be under the age of 40 years old as of Sunday, December 4, 2022.
The Nominee and Nominator must be currently in good standing and financially active with the General Organization of the Fraternity. - The Nominee CAN NOT nominate himself.
- Nomination submission must include a 300-word or less essay describing why the Nominee should be honored among the 40 Under 40.
- Deadline for nominations is Thursday, March 31, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. EST
All nominations must be sent to Committee Co-Chairmen, Brothers Matthew S. Bradford and Denny N. Johnson at: 40under40@apa1906.net.
ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC. MOURNS THE PASSING OF DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY, INC. NATIONAL PRESIDENT & CEO CHERYL A. HICKMON
ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC. MOURNS THE PASSING OF DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY, INC. NATIONAL PRESIDENT & CEO CHERYL A. HICKMON
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. joins Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in mourning the passing of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. National President and CEO, Cheryl A. Hickmon.
Ms. Hickmon, who was recently installed as national president, transitioned this morning after a recent illness.
During this difficult time, we offer the family, the sorority, and friends, our deepest condolences and want them to know they remain in our prayers.
ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC. ANNOUNCES OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SEARCH FOR FRATERNITY
Greetings Brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.,
As the Chairman of the Fraternity’s Committee on Human Resources, I am announcing the official launch of the Executive Director search process for our beloved fraternity.
We have engaged the firm of James & Jordan, LLC in Sugar Land, TX to conduct our search. James & Jordan, LLC is a highly regarded minority owned and operated recruiting and inclusion advisory firm that specializes in executive & professional search and pipeline development. James & Jordan has a successful record of filling executive level roles in the non-profit and corporate sectors.
James & Jordan’s co-founder, Brother Darrell James will act as our relationship manager for the search. Brother James brings more than 25 years of experience in recruitment, human resources, and diversity. James & Jordan will manage the overall candidate identification and sourcing process. They will receive all inquiries and resumes as well as communicate with the applicants. All interested members must apply online via the website of James & Jordan.
General President Dr. Willis L. Lonzer, III also recently appointed an Executive Director Search Committee that is charged with providing oversight of James & Jordan, LLC. The search committee, which is chaired by Brother Dean Burrell of the Committee on Human Resources, consists of members of the Fraternity’s Board of Directors and members of the Committee on Human Resources
James & Jordan will forward the vetted candidates to the Executive Director Search Committee for review and consideration. The Search Committee will be responsible for selecting the 2-3 finalists to complete a leadership assessment. Upon review of the assessment, the final candidates will be presented to the Fraternity’s Board of Directors. The Board of Directors will conduct final interviews.
Below you will find the job description and instructions for applying:
All interested members who meet the skills and qualifications highlighted in the job description, please submit your resume to resumes@jamesjordanllc.com by January 31, 2022. If you have further questions, please call James & Jordan at 281-410-8266.
Submission Deadline: Monday, January 31, 2022
I thank you in advance for your support.
Fraternally,
Brother Darryl Farrow
Chairman – Committee on Human Resources
ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC., LAUNCHES ‘GIVE AND GO TO FIGHT CANCER’ AWARENESS CAMPAIGN TOMORROW WITH ESPN AND V FOUNDATION
BALTIMORE, MD – Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the world’s oldest intercollegiate Fraternity founded by African American men, along with ESPN and the V Foundation begins its “Give and Go To Fight Cancer” campaign tomorrow, the Fraternity’s Dec. 4th Founders’ Day, and encourages the public to GIVE by making a donation to cancer research and reminds them to GO schedule a cancer screening. The campaign ends on Jan. 4, 2022, the anniversary of the passing of beloved ESPN sportscaster and Alpha Brother Stuart Scott.
The partnership and campaign, in it’s a second year, is part of a continued effort to drive cancer awareness within communities of color and to raise funds for the Stuart Scott Cancer Research Fund. The V Foundation and ESPN established the Stuart Scott Memorial Cancer Research Fund in memory of Brother Stuart Scott after he passed away in 2015. Prior to his death, he was a champion for cancer research and was especially driven to improve outcomes for African Americans and other minorities disproportionately affected by the disease.
Last year’s campaign raised more than $41,000, with this year’s goal is set at $100,000.
The “Give and Go to Fight Cancer” campaign encourages donations of $19.06, to highlight the 1906 establishment of Alpha Phi Alpha. Additionally, a special Alpha Phi Alpha branded t-shirt is available to commemorate this partnership, with $25 of every shirt sale benefiting the Stuart Scott Fund, which also supports minority scientists and research dedicated to cancer disparities experienced by minority populations.
To donate, please visit: v.org/aphia
In keeping with our efforts to support Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) and health disparities within the African American Community, funds raised will go towards supporting research projects and emerging minority scientists conducting significant cancer research at HBCUs.
On Dec. 7th, the Fraternity, will also be participating in a “Day of Caring,” a 24-hour fundraising challenge that aims to rally Brothers and chapters around supporting the Stuart Scott Cancer Memorial Fund.
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About Alpha Phi Alpha
The 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, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. Visit and follow on Twitter @apa1906network.
STATEMENT OF ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC. SEEKING A STAY OF EXECUTION AND A GRANT OF CLEMENCY FOR DEATH ROW INMATE JULIUS JONES
STATEMENT OF ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC. SEEKING A STAY OF EXECUTION AND A GRANT OF CLEMENCY FOR DEATH ROW INMATE
JULIUS JONES
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. urges Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt to grant a stay of execution and clemency for death row inmate Julius Jones, who is set to be executed on tomorrow, Nov. 18.
We ask that Governor Stitt heed the recommendation of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board that sufficient doubt exists regarding Mr. Jones’ alleged guilt in the 1999 murder conviction and that his death sentence should be commuted to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole.
The Fraternity is also asking its nearly 100,000 members in its more than 720 college and alumni chapters as well as among our general organization and unaffiliated membership to contact Governor Stitt at (405) 521-2342, select option 0, and urge him to grant Mr. Jones clemency.
We are aware of the inconsistencies and the impact of racial bias associated with this case along with the impact of racial bias on death penalty cases, in general.
Like the more than 6.3 million supporters nationwide, who signed a petition supporting Mr. Jones in his fight to prove his innocence, the Fraternity in good conscience cannot stand idly by and allow a miscarriage of justice from a wrongful execution.
Since the historic Scottsboro Boys case and others, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the world’s first intercollegiate fraternity founded by African American men, has stood at the forefront in the fight for justice and Civil Rights for African Americans and the wrongly accused and convicted for more than a century.
This is no different.
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About Alpha Phi Alpha
The 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, Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. Visit and follow on Twitter @apa1906network.
ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC. PARTNERS WITH NATIONAL DISABILITY INSTITUTE
ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC. PARTNERS WITH NATIONAL DISABILITY INSTITUTE
Baltimore, M.D. – Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the nation’s oldest intercollegiate fraternity for African-American college men, has established a partnership with National Disability Institute (NDI) – the first and only national organization exclusively focused on the financial health and well-being of people with disabilities this month. Notably, October is National Employment Disability Awareness Month.
The partnership, which aims to raise awareness of the social, economic, and attitudinal barriers faced by those with disabilities and their families, will help to advance the financial, physical, and mental health for members of the fraternity as well as for students, family members, coworkers, and other individuals through social and community relationships. It also hopes to institute concrete methods and initiatives to combat and alter the stigma around disability and those it affects.
“Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. is excited to partner with National Disability Institute,” said Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. General President Dr. Willis L. Lonzer, III. “This partnership leverages our collective power to increase awareness, create opportunities, and combat the stigma surrounding disabilities for our members, their families, and the communities we serve.”
Members of the fraternity will also be given exclusive opportunities to engage and advance their education and outreach of National Disability Institute and its mission. This includes competitive invitations each summer for members to participate in NDI internships to learn about policy development and implementation with executive and legislative branches of the federal government to develop and increase leadership skills as well as expand opportunities to Alpha Phi Alpha places of employment for talented African-American youth and young adults with disabilities identified with NDI support.
“National Disability Institute is honored and thrilled to announce our strategic partnership with Alpha Phi Alpha,” said Thomas Foley, National Disability Institute Executive Director. “There is tremendous synergy between our organizations, especially our shared advocacy and commitment to economic reform and social justice. The partnership, through APA’s Leadership Development Institute, will deliver an increased awareness and understanding of the societal, economic and attitudinal barriers faced by people with disabilities and their families.”
NDI, which has been addressing issues impacting the financial futures of people with disabilities since 2005, has a unique and continually evolving approach to financial health allows for continued changed behavior and policy modifications at a local, state, and national level.
Most recently, the U.S. Small Business Administration has awarded the partners the newly funded Community Navigator grant to advance entrepreneurship and small business development by individuals with disabilities. Under the grant, Alpha Phi Alpha will help identify fraternity members and alumni to serve as mentors to Black entrepreneurs and small business owners with disabilities in the greater Washington, D.C. area.
“It is an honor to work closely with Alpha Phi Alpha, an organization whose members include civil rights leaders Martin Luther King, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall,
W.E.B. DuBois and Cornel West,” said William Gould, National Disability Institute Director of
Equity and Inclusion. “This partnership will further strengthen and sustain our organizations’ work at the intersection of race, ethnicity, and disability.”
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About Alpha Phi Alpha
The 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, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. Visit and follow on Twitter @apa1906network.
About National Disability Institute
National Disability Institute (NDI) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to building a better financial future for people with disabilities and their families. The first national organization committed exclusively to championing economic empowerment, financial education, asset development and financial stability for all persons with disabilities, NDI affects change through public education, policy development, training, technical assistance and innovative initiatives. To learn more, visit www.nationaldisabilityinstitute.org. Engage with NDI on Facebook: @NationalDisability or follow NDI on Twitter: @NatDisability.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. partners with Notre Dame business school
Contact:
Eric Christopher Webb, DDiv., CPLC
Director of Communications/Editor-of-The Sphinx
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
443-635-5911
ewebb@apa1906.net
Carol Elliott
Director of Communications
Mendoza College of Business
574-631-2627
celliot1@nd.edu
BALTIMORE, MD – The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the first intercollegiate Greek-lettered fraternity for African American men, and the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, announced a partnership today aimed at supporting the professional advancement and leadership of African American men through graduate business education.
Alpha Phi Alpha and Mendoza will collaboratively support members seeking to develop as leaders through a business education. Mendoza will offer a designated fellowship program; waive application fees to its graduate programs including the Notre Dame MBA; waive fees for the Graduate Records Examination (GRE) and the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT); as well as provide test preparation programming, early access to Mendoza Graduate Business Career Development coaching and alumni mentoring.
“Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. is excited to partner with the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business,” said Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. General President Dr. Willis L. Lonzer, III. “Our Fraternity’s mission places strong emphasis on developing leaders, and thanks to partnerships like this one will provide our members educational opportunities that are key to furthering that development.”
The College also plans to hold a two-day Alpha Phi Alpha Inclusive Leadership Immersion in mid-October on the Notre Dame campus that will focus on career development and professional degree opportunities at Mendoza. Students will hear from a diverse panel of students, alumni, and staff about the Notre Dame experience and participate in a "Demystifying the Business Case" session.
“The partnership with Alpha Phi Alpha allows us to directly support members of the fraternity interested in furthering their impact through a graduate business education while providing us with the opportunity to attract an increased number of talented, diverse candidates to our programs,” said Martin Cremers, Martin J. Gillen Dean of Mendoza College of Business. “We are honored to start this partnership with this venerable organization.”
The Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame is a premier Catholic business school whose mission is to develop leaders who contribute to human flourishing, cooperate with others in solidarity and compete toward becoming the best version of themselves through serving others. A leader in values-based education with the message of “Grow the Good in Business,” the College offers an academic experience that integrates experiential learning, integral leadership development and a community of mutual advancement.
In addition to its top-ranked Undergraduate Studies program and doctoral programs in management and in analytics, Mendoza offers 11 graduate business degree programs: the Notre Dame MBA (in a one- and a two-year format), Executive MBA-South Bend, Executive MBA-Chicago, Master of Science in Business Analytics-Residential, Master of Science in Business Analytics-Chicago, Master of Science in FinanceResidential, Master of Science in Finance-Chicago, Master of Science in Management, Master of Science in Accountancy, Executive Master of Nonprofit Administration and the Master of Nonprofit Administration-Residential. Learn more at Mendoza.nd.edu.
For more information about Mendoza Graduate Programs, including the Alpha Phi Alpha, Fraternity, Inc. partnership, contact María Stutsman y Márquez at mstutsma@nd.edu or Martin Johnson at mjohns69@nd.edu
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About Alpha Phi Alpha 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 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock, Adam Clayton Powell, Thurgood Marshall, Paul Robeson, The Honorable Andrew Young, Edward Brooke, and Dr. 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. For more information, visit: apa1906.net and follow Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. on Twitter and Instagram @apa1906network or on LinkedIn as “Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.