*ADF180* 03/18/2025 10:36:32 AM ADF180
State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly 2
Regular Session, 2025 SR 50 3
4
By: Senator R. Murdock 5
6
7
SENATE RESOLUTION 8
TO COMMEND ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC., FOR ONE 9
HUNDRED EIGHTEEN (118) YEARS OF OUTSTANDING SERVICE 10
AND LEADERSHIP IN ITS COMMUNITIES. 11
12
13
Subtitle 14
TO COMMEND ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, 15
INC., FOR ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEEN (118) 16
YEARS OF OUTSTANDING SERVICE AND 17
LEADERSHIP IN ITS COMMUNITIES. 18
19
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., is the first and oldest 20
intercollegiate Greek -letter fraternity established for African Americans; 21
and 22
23
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., was founded on December 4, 24
1906, on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, by students 25
who recognized the need for a strong bond of brotherhood among African 26
descendants in this country; and 27
28
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., was founded by visionaries, 29
known as the "jewels" of the fraternity, including Henry Arthur Callis, 30
Charles Henry Chapman, Eugene Kinckle Jones, George Biddle Kelley, Nathaniel 31
Allison Murray, Robert Harold Ogle, and Vertner Woodson Tandy; and 32
33
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., initially served as a study 34
and support group for minority students who faced racial prejudice both 35
educationally and socially; and 36 SR50
2 03/18/2025 10:36:32 AM ADF180
1
WHEREAS, the Jewel founders and early leaders of Alpha Phi Alpha 2
Fraternity, Inc., succeeded in laying a firm foundation for the fraternity's 3
principles of scholarship, fellowship, good character, and the uplifting of 4
humanity; and 5
6
WHEREAS, chapters of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., have served 7
communities and campuses throughout Arkansas since 1926; and 8
9
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., continues to proliferate, 10
spanning the globe with nearly eight hundred (800) chapters and two hundred 11
thousand (200,000) members located throughout the United States, Canada, 12
various Caribbean islands, Africa, the West Indies, Europe, and Asia; and 13
14
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., continues to stress academic 15
excellence among its members and recognizes the educational, economic, 16
political, and social challenges faced by African Americans nationally and 17
internationally; and 18
19
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., participates in Project 20
Alpha, Go-To-High-School, Go-To-College, Scouting America, and A Voteless 21
People is a Hopeless People programs in response to those challenges; and 22
23
WHEREAS, the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., motto is "First of All, 24
Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All"; and 25
26
WHEREAS, members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., include many 27
legendary civil rights leaders such as the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, 28
Jr., National Association for the Advancement of Colored People founder 29
W.E.B. DuBois, civic leader John Mack, Reverend Joseph E. Lowery, and 30
Reverend C.T. Vivian; and 31
32
WHEREAS, the national legacy of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., 33
includes musician and actor Paul Robeson, actor and comedian Dick Gregory, 34
Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, United States Congressman Adam 35
Clayton Powell, Jr., political scientist T.E. Patterson, jazz musician Duke 36 SR50
3 03/18/2025 10:36:32 AM ADF180
Ellington, Olympian Jesse Owens, and National Urban League President Marc 1
Morial; and 2
3
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., was directly responsible for 4
the conception, funding, and construction of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther 5
King, Jr., Memorial next to the National Mall in Washington, D.C.; and 6
7
WHEREAS, the legacy of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and its 8
statewide network of Arkansas Alphamen includes among its membership the 9
former President of AT&T Arkansas Ronnie Dedman, Chancellor of the University 10
of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Laurence B. Alexander, Ph.D., former Superintendent 11
of the Fayetteville School District Dr. John Colbert, former Mayor of Forrest 12
City Cedric Williams, Mayor of Little Rock Frank D. Scott, Jr., Senator 13
Reginald Murdock, Representative Jay Richardson, Representative Tracy Steele, 14
former Representative John W. Walker, former Representative Monte Hodges, 15
former Senator Jack Crumbly, former Representative Earnest Brown, former 16
Representative Tommy Baker, former Representative Booker T. Clemmons, former 17
Representative John Lewellen, former Representative William H. Townsend, and 18
former Senator Jerry Jewell; and 19
20
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., under the leadership of its 21
General President Brother Lucien J. Metellus, Jr., is focused on addressing 22
the fraternity's past, current, and future role in shaping policy that 23
impacts its communities, 24
25
NOW THEREFORE, 26
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY -FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE 27
STATE OF ARKANSAS: 28
29
THAT the Senate commend Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., for one 30
hundred eighteen (118) years of outstanding service and leadership in its 31
communities. 32
33
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT upon adoption, a copy of this resolution be 34
provided to Jermaine O. Netherly, Southwestern Region Vice President of Alpha 35
Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and Terence T. Cox, Arkansas District Director, 36 SR50
4 03/18/2025 10:36:32 AM ADF180
by the Secretary of the Senate. 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36