Alpha History 


Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African-Americans, was founded at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York by seven college men who recognized the need for a strong bond of Brotherhood among African descendants in this country. The visionary founders, known as the "Jewels" of the Fraternity, are Henry Arthur Callis, Charles Henry Chapman, Eugene Kinckle Jones, George Biddle Kelley, Nathaniel Allison Murray, Robert Harold Ogle, and Vertner Woodson Tandy.

The Fraternity initially served as a study and support group for minority students who faced racial prejudice, both educationally and socially, at Cornell. The Jewel founders and early leaders of the Fraternity succeeded in laying a firm foundation for Alpha Phi Alpha's principles of scholarship, fellowship, good character, and the uplifting of humanity.

Alpha Phi Alpha chapters were developed at other colleges and universities, many of them historically black institutions, soon after the founding at Cornell. While continuing to stress academic excellence among its members, Alpha also recognized the need to help correct the educational, economic, political, and social injustices faced by African-Americans.

Alpha Phi Alpha has long stood at the forefront of the African-American community's fight for civil rights through leaders such as: W.E.B. DuBois, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Edward Brooke, Martin Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Andrew Young, William Gray, Paul Robeson, and many others. 

-Taken from www.apa1906.org    

BNL Chapter History

Founded August 1, 1939 in Charlotte, N.C., the Beta Nu Lambda Chapter of The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has served as a major force in the community since it's inception. The founding members of Beta Nu Lambda were:

BNL's Chapter Founders:

  • Mr. Clifton Blake
  • Mr. Louis E. Levi
  • Mr. Charles Gilliard
  • Dr. Eugene Potts
  • Mr. Gedson Ladson
  • Dr. Thomas Watkins
  • Dr. W.R. Laney
  • Dr. A.J. Williams
These men began a legacy of service that we aspire to maintain in our daily dealings with the community.