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A RESOLUTION commending Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., for their impressive 1
history of community activism and their legacy of brotherhood, and recognizing February 2
15, 2024, as Omega Psi Phi Day in Kentucky. 3
WHEREAS, the men and brothers of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., have convened 4
at the Kentucky State Capitol on February 15, 2024, in celebration of Omega Psi Phi Day 5
in Kentucky in continuation of its legacy of occupying a progressive, cooperative and 6
constructive place in the civic and political life of communities throughout the state, the 7
nation and the world; and 8
WHEREAS, this fraternity was the first international fraternal organization founded 9
on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C., on November 17, 1911, by 10
three distinguished Howard University juniors, Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper 11
and Frank Coleman, with the assistance of their faculty advisor, Dr. Ernest Everett Just; 12
and 13
WHEREAS, from the initials of the Greek phrase "friendship is essential to the 14
soul," the name Omega Psi Phi was derived and the phrase was selected as the fraternity's 15
motto; and 16
WHEREAS, the organization's founders graduated from Howard University to 17
become distinguished professionals with stellar resumes and impressive lives; and 18
WHEREAS, Dr. Ernest E. Just became a world-renowned biologist who was the 19
first recipient of the prestigious Spingarn Medal from the National Association for the 20
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1915, with a distinguished legacy that 21
earned him the honor of being the 19th historic figure celebrated in the U.S. Postal 22
Service's Black Heritage Stamp Series on February 1, 1996; and 23
WHEREAS, Professor Frank Coleman became a beloved professor and head of the 24
Physics Department at Howard University and later an officer in the United States Army 25
in World War I; Dr. Oscar J. Cooper earned a doctor of medicine degree from Howard 26
University in 1917, and practiced medicine for over 50 years in Philadelphia, 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1688
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Pennsylvania; and Bishop Edgar A. Love was a United States Army Chaplain in World 1
War I and was a bishop in the Methodist Church for many years; and 2
WHEREAS, over 700 chapters of this distinguished fraternity have been 3
established in the United States and around the world since its inception, with 21 4
graduate chapters and nine undergraduate chapters in our great Commonwealth; and 5
WHEREAS, the astute men of Omega Psi Phi are tremendously involved in their 6
communities and organize many philanthropic programs, including the annual 7
Achievement Week program, scholarship program, voter registration program, education 8
and mobilization program, Talent Hunt program, National High School Essay Contest, 9
Assault on Illiteracy program, annual Charles Drew Blood Drive, College Endowment 10
Fund program, Domestic Abuse Awareness program, Fatherhood Initiative program, and 11
the National Social Action program; and 12
WHEREAS, the passionate Kentucky chapters of Omega Psi Phi have dedicated 13
over 5,000 hours of community service, and donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to 14
multiple projects with the purpose of uplifting and encouraging citizens of their 15
communities to achieve higher social, economic, and intellectual statuses; and 16
WHEREAS, in the mid-1930s, a group of exceptional Omega Psi Phi members, 17
Robert C. Weaver, Lawrence Oxley, Roscoe Brown, Frank Horne, William Hastie, J. 18
Arthur Weiseger, Ted Poston, Campbell C. Johnson, and William Trent were appointed 19
to the Federal Council of Negro Affairs, or "Black Cabinet," which was an informal 20
group created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and composed of African-American 21
public policy advisors whose mission was to help the country emerge out of the 22
depression; and 23
WHEREAS, other fascinating Omega Psi Phi men in our nation's history include 24
Charles Drew, who perfected the use of blood plasma as a life-saving tool; Spottswood 25
Robinson, Oliver Hill, and James Nabrit, who were an integral part of the inner 26
leadership circle for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and who 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1688
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coordinated the court battles for racial equality, in their work culminating with the 1
landmark decision outlawing segregated public schools in Brown v. Board of Education; 2
Wiley A. Branton, who served as the principal lawyer in the civil rights case that 3
desegregated the public schools in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957; and Bayard Rustin, an 4
outstanding activist and one of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s advisors, who helped 5
organize the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom that occurred in Washington, 6
D.C., on August 28, 1963, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his legendary "I 7
Have a Dream" speech; and 8
WHEREAS, numerous Omega Psi Phi men have been involved in various 9
influential and noteworthy professions, including Dr. Robert C. Weaver, the first African-10
American person appointed to a cabinet-level position in the United States as the first 11
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 1966; H. Carl Moultrie, who was 12
appointed as a judge to the Superior Court of Washington, D.C.; Clifford Alexander, who 13
was appointed Secretary of the Army in 1976; Ronald McNair, who tragically perished 14
during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986; Reverend Jesse 15
Jackson, Jr., who became a candidate for the Democratic Party presidential nomination in 16
1986; L. Douglas Wilder, the first African-American state governor elected in the history 17
of the United States, who became Virginia's 66th Governor on January 13, 1990; and 18
David Satcher, who was appointed the 16th Surgeon General of the United States in 19
1998; and 20
WHEREAS, with its long list of exceptional members who have made tremendous 21
contributions to the betterment of society through their extensive and outstanding 22
community service for more than 100 years, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., has become a 23
pinnacle of hope within the Commonwealth of Kentucky and across the globe; 24
NOW, THEREFORE, 25
Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of 26
Kentucky: 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1688
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Section 1. The members of the Senate hereby recognize February 15, 2024, as 1
Omega Psi Phi Day to highlight the brothers of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., for their 2
impressive history of community activism and their legacy of brotherhood. 3
Section 2. The Clerk of the Senate is directed to transmit a copy of this 4
Resolution to Senator Gerald Neal for presentation to the members of the Omega Psi Phi 5
Fraternity. 6