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.
STATEMENT OF ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC. ON PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN SIGNING HISTORIC LEGISLATION MAKING LYNCHING A FEDERAL HATE CRIME
STATEMENT OF ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC. ON PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN SIGNING HISTORIC LEGISLATION MAKING LYNCHING A FEDERAL HATE CRIME
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. congratulates President Joe Biden on signing historic legislation into law named for the late Emmett Till today making lynching a federal hate crime after a century of failed attempts.
Alpha Phi Alpha, which is the world’s first intercollegiate Fraternity founded by African American men in 1906, has stood at the forefront in the fight for social justice and civil rights for African Americans as well as has lobbied against lynching for more than a century.
The Emmett Till Anti-lynching Act, which was named for the 14-year-old Black boy whose brutal torture and murder after a white woman lied that he grabbed and verbally threatened her in Mississippi in 1955, was introduced by Rep. Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill.) in the House and Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) in the Senate.
Since 1900, lawmakers have failed to pass anti-lynching bills nearly 200 times. This new law allows the country to take a giant step towards equal protection, and finally affords justice for lynching victims and their families.
Lynching is not a relic of the past. And as we have seen with the recent murder of Ahmaud Arbery, lynchings continue to be used to terrorize and murder members of the Black community. Under this new law, anyone who commits a hate crime that results in someone's death or serious bodily injury can be prosecuted including kidnapping, aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kidnap, abuse, or kill.
As an organization, which was “born in the shadows of slavery and on the lap of disenfranchisement” according to our Jewel Founder Dr. Henry Arthur Callis, we challenge this country to continue take even bolder steps towards ensuring equality and social justice.
Alpha Phi Alpha will always remain vigilant and committed advocates of such.
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STATEMENT OF ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC. ENDORSING THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT NOMINATION OF JUDGE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON
STATEMENT OF ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC. ENDORSING THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT NOMINATION OF JUDGE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. is the oldest fraternity for African American college men, founded by seven visionary men in 1906 at Cornell University. The fraternity currently has over 200,000 members in its collegiate and alumni ranks and includes in its illustrious history such visionary leaders as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and United States Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. For over 115 years, we have provided impactful service and advocacy for our communities. Therefore, we are proud to endorse the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the United States Supreme Court.
On February 25, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to become the 116th Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court and the first African American woman to hold that position. The historical significance of this nomination cannot be overstated.
The United States Supreme Court was established by the United States Constitution, but began to take shape with the passage of the Judiciary Act of 1789 and the first assembly in 1790. Since that time, the Court has been centerstage for some of the most consequential decisions that impact all aspects of American life. The Court has evolved over the years, in part as a reflection of cultural norms. In 1857, the Supreme Court in Dred Scott v. Sanford stated that African Americans "had no rights which the white man was bound to respect." In 1896, the Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine. In 1954, the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ruled that racial segregation in public schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibits the states from denying equal protection of the laws to any person within their jurisdictions.
These highlighted decisions underscore the impact of the Supreme Court to either reinforce injustice or to ensure that all Americans (no matter their color, sex, or other status) enjoy all the freedoms that the United States Constitution guarantees her citizens. We believe that a United States Supreme Court that reflects the full diversity of America is best positioned to appreciate all perspectives of its citizens, render judgements on questions of constitutionality with a full lens, and safeguards the progress achieved to date.
The men of Alpha Phi Alpha believe that Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination to the United States Supreme Court properly reflects the reality that there are scores of African American women who have the requisite knowledge and expertise to sit on the highest court in the land. Judge Jackson's qualifications to serve as a Justice of the Supreme Court are undeniable. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College, then attended Harvard Law School, where she graduated cum laude and was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. After law school, Judge Jackson served in Justice Breyer’s chambers as a law clerk. Professionally, Judge Jackson has broad experience across the legal profession – as a federal appellate judge, a federal district court judge, a member of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, an attorney in private practice, and as a federal public defender.
As one of the premier fraternal organizations in the United States with a long history of advocacy, we express our unequivocal support for this historic nomination and confirmation. We will collaborate with other groups that also believe that the United States Supreme Court should represent the talent that exists in all corners of America. The Supreme Court has been in existence for over 230 years, and the nomination and confirmation of Judge Jackson are long overdue. We remain steadfast in our conviction that we are on the right side of history and will mobilize our Brothers to conduct direct advocacy that engages the United States Senate to confirm Judge Jackson to the United States Supreme Court without delay.
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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.