The events in Charlottesville, VA amplify the “Urgency of Now” and further indicate that we must all take deliberate and decisive action to oppose all efforts that attempt to take our country backward. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity stands with all those who peacefully and lawfully protest any statues or monuments that seek to demean people of any race. Furthermore, we call on the elected leaders and citizens of the United States to hold the President accountable for his tacit participation in creating the environment where white supremacy is perpetuated and ultimately leads to violent confrontations. There is indeed an inextricable link between the symbols of the Confederacy, the hateful, divisive, anti-immigrant language that has become a common part of our lexicon and the violence in Charlottesville. Leadership at all levels should demand better from the President as he is expected to not only protect but sustain our union.

Our Alpha Brother Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”. On yesterday armed white nationalist gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia for a “Unite the Right” rally, which ultimately escalated into violence and led to several injuries and two fatalities. We join in solidarity and sympathy with the people who were terrorized and subjected to violence at the hands of white supremacists. Violence associated with white supremacy is a despicable but undeniable part of our nation’s historical narrative. Unfortunately, the hate and vitriol that characterized so much of America’s past have reemerged in various pervasive forms today.  The men of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. denounce the culture of racism and bigotry that seeks to divide our country and erode the progress achieved in moving our nation toward full democracy for all citizens. As men of Alpha, we will intensify our position against racism by establishing a team of Civil Rights attorneys to combat injustice in American courts. We also encourage everyone to use their social media platforms and join the #TakeDownHate social media campaign, which is an online movement being used to fight against acts such as those that took place in Charlottesville.  Furthermore, we are calling on citizens across the country to demand the removal of Confederate monuments, statues and symbols from communities within their respective cities.

National Pan-Hellenic Council, Inc.
Council of Presidents

NPHC is comprised of local councils drawn from the ranks of 1.5 million college and professional members of the nine historically African-American fraternities and sororities, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, and the Council of Presidents of these member organizations who come together on issues that promote the common purposes and general good for which these organizations were founded and still exist.

We, as the Council of Presidents, stand together with our membership against all forms of racism and discrimination. As anti-racism organizations, we are committed to purposefully identifying and challenging issues of race and color and their impact on our members and others.

We want to emphasize the urgency of the situation at American University where bananas were hung from trees on strings in the shape of nooses marked with the letters AKA which is a common reference to Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and call for the University’s administration to find effective means to help ensure that unwarranted attacks on our members will not be tolerated. We expect institutions of higher learning to be places where inclusion and diversity are celebrated and not attacked.

Brothers of Alpha:Racism has once again reared its ugly head — this time on a college campus in our nation’s Capital. As you may know, the American University community has just celebrated the election of its first African-American female student government president Ms. Taylor Dumpson, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Sadly, on Monday, May 1, 2017, bananas were found with the words “AKA” written on them and hanging from nooses on the campus.

The leadership of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., strongly condemns this act of hatred and racism. We stand in full support, with our brothers of the Nu Beta Chapter at American University in declaring that this type of violence has no place in our country. We are particularly disturbed that these actions occurred on the sacred grounds of a college campus where young minds and lives are shaped to be citizens who are making positive contributions to this great country of ours.

This is not a time for our brotherhood to be silent. Instead, we must stand up for our women and our fellow Greek-letter organization members. This is a time where we must put action to the words “we must fight on the ice!” Please join me in advocating for justice and fairness. Let us show the world that Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. stands on the front lines and will not stand for any backward steps.

Onward and Upward Always,

Everett B. Ward, Ph.D.
General President

“The city of Miami Beach is grateful to Florida International University’s Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity for leading the beach clean-up effort after a day filled with Spring Break activities. We hope all visitors follow suit by keeping Miami Beach clean when visiting our beautiful beaches.”

Brother Collier [Kappa Eta ’16], who was born in Gallaway, Tennessee, moved to Memphis when he was 6 years old, and his mother raised him alone. Being raised in a single-parent household created obstacles during his childhood.

A Business Administration major at Clark Atlanta University, Calvin Robinson [Alpha Phi ’13], a.k.a. youngcalimojo, knows that making it as a rapper is about more than just music.

Horace Alexander Davenport, the first African American judge in Montgomery County, died in his home on Tuesday, March 21, 2017. He was 98.

Judge Davenport was a first in many areas of his life. Though he never sought praise, his life was filled with professional accomplishments, community service and charitable giving well beyond what might have been predicted for a farmer’s son born on February 22, 1919 in Newberry, S.C.

Dear Brothers:

It’s with great excitement that I share some phenomenal news. Our good brother, Dr. Gregory J. Vincent [Alpha Rho Lambda ’87], national chairman of the Commission on Racial Justice, has been appointed as the new president of his alma mater, Hobart and William Smith Colleges located in Geneva, N.Y. Brother Vincent, a 1983 graduate of Hobart, will serve as the 27th president of Hobart College and the 16th of William Smith College. He is the first alumnus to lead the colleges.

As a national expert on civil rights, social justice, and campus culture, Brother Vincent has an extensive career as an attorney, campus leader, and professor. Throughout his career, he has displayed a fervent and unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and has made it his mission to remove systemic and institutional barriers to success and equality.

Early in his career, he served as Ohio’s assistant attorney general, where he successfully argued several civil rights cases before the state’s Supreme Court. He also served as the director of regional and legal affairs at the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and vice president and lead counsel for Bank One.

Later in his career, Brother Vincent was appointed as assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was then named vice provost for academic affairs and campus diversity and law professor at Louisiana State University (LSU). Following his time at LSU, Brother Vincent was appointed as the vice provost for Institutional Equity and Diversity at the University of Oregon where he also served as a professor of law.

In 2005, Brother Vincent began leading the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement (DDCE) at the University of Texas, Austin. He also serves as the W.K. Kellogg Professor of Community College Leadership and Professor of Law. Through Brother Vincent’s hard work, leadership, and fervent commitment to racial and social justice, the DDCE has grown to encompass a $50 million budget with more than 400 employees and 50 units, as well as 400 local and regional partners, and now serves as a national model. For his service and community engagement, Brother Vincent has received numerous awards and recognitions, notably the Educator of the Year Award from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. He is a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity (The Boulé) where he serves as the grand sire archon-elect (president-elect).

Brother Vincent attended public schools in New York City where he graduated from the Bronx High School of Science. A Statesman on both the Hobart basketball and cross-country teams, he majored in history and economics at Hobart, served as a resident advisor, and was presented the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award at graduation. He earned a law degree from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and his doctorate from The University of Pennsylvania.

I am confident in saying that this achievement is a great honor for both Brother Vincent and the fraternity. His hard work and commitment to diversity and inclusion have certainly been respected and admired and I am excited to see him take that same level of commitment with him as he leads Hobart and William Smith. Given our current climate as a society, his leadership is needed more now than ever before. As a fraternity, we share in his joy as he joins the legacy of Alpha men serving as college and university presidents.

The men of Alpha stand ready to support Brother Vincent as he moves forward in this new role. May he find all the resources needed to succeed on this journey from our proud organization. It is men like Brother Vincent who lift Alpha’s profile in the world and give us our reputation as the College of Friendship, the University of Brotherly Love and the School for the Better Making of Men.

Join me in congratulating our good brother, Dr. Gregory J. Vincent, on his new appointment. Well done, brother!

Onward and Upward Always,

Everett B. Ward, Ph.D.
General President

Remembering Brother King
49th Anniversary of MLK’s death

Members of Alabama State University student government and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity laid a wreath on campus to remember Martin Luther King Jr. on the 49th anniversary of his death.

King, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, studied for his doctorate on ASU’s campus during the civil rights movement. He also gave the commencement speech in 1954.

“I pray that (King’s) dream continue to live on through us,” said Shane Parks, SGA president.

King was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968.