Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (ΑΦΑ) is the oldest intercollegiate historically African American fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the 1905–1906 school year at Cornell University but later evolved into a fraternity with a founding date of December 4, 1906. It employs an icon from Ancient Egypt, the Great Sphinx of Giza, as its symbol. Its aims are “Manly Deeds, Scholarship, and Love For All Mankind,” and its motto is “First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All.” Its archives are preserved at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center.
Chapters were chartered at Howard University and Virginia Union University in 1907. The fraternity has over 290,000 members and has been open to men of all races since 1945. Currently, there are more than 730 active chapters in the Americas, Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, and Asia. It is the largest predominantly African-American
Members of this fraternity include many historical civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., NAACP founder W. E. B. Du Bois, John Mack (civic leader), Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, Rev. C.T. Vivian, and Dick Gregory. Other world renowned-members include political activist Cornel West, musicians Duke Ellington, Donny Hathaway, and Lionel Richie, NBA legend Walt Frazier, NFL Player Charles Haley, Jamaican Prime Minister Norman Manley, Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens, Justice Thurgood Marshall, Investor and founder of Vista Equity Partners Robert F. Smith, United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young, Academy Award-winning director Barry Jenkins, six time MTV Video Music Awards – winning director/choreographer Frank Gatson Jr., and ESPN sportscasters Stuart Scott, Stan Verrett, Jay Harris and Donald Driver.
