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2015 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 127
BY REPRESENTATIVES BURRELL, WESLEY BISHOP, JEFFERSON, AND PIERRE
AND SENATORS BROWN AND GUILLORY
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To commend Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, upon the celebration of its one
hundred ninth anniversary as an organization and designate Tuesday, May 19, 2015,
as Alpha Phi Alpha Day at the state capitol.
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, was founded on December
4, 1906, at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, as the first intercollegiate Greek-letter
organization established for African Americans; and
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha has provided voice, insight, inspiration, and direction
to African Americans and people of color around the world; and
WHEREAS, the visionary founders of Alpha Phi Alpha, known as the "Seven
Jewels" of the fraternity, were Henry Arthur Callis, Charles Henry Chapman, Eugene
Kinckle Jones, George Biddle Kelley, Nathaniel Allison Murray, Robert Harold Ogle, and
Vertner Woodson Tandy; and
WHEREAS, the fraternity initially served as a study and support group for minority
students who faced racial prejudice, both educationally and socially, at Cornell; and
WHEREAS, the 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; and
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha chapters were developed at other colleges and
universities soon after the founding at Cornell; and
WHEREAS, the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, has numerous chapters
in the state of Louisiana, and its hundreds of chapters worldwide continue the legacy of their
predecessors by helping their fellow man, serving their communities, acting as mentors to
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youth, and carrying on the tradition of one of their members, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by
actively discussing civil rights; and
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha spearheaded and oversaw the designing and building
of a monument in Dr. King's honor, which is the newest memorial on the National Mall in
Washington, D.C., the first to honor a nonpresident, and the first to honor a man of color;
and
WHEREAS, other notable members of Alpha Phi Alpha include W.E.B. Dubois,
Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Edward Brooke, Thurgood Marshall, Paul Robeson, William
Gray, and Andrew Young; and
WHEREAS, this year, Alpha Phi Alpha members from across Louisiana will travel
to Baton Rouge to celebrate the contributions and sacrifices in the legislature of fifteen past
Alpha brothers and those currently serving: Representatives Roy A. Burrell, Wesley T.
Bishop, Patrick O. Jefferson, and Vincent J. Pierre and Senators Troy R. Brown and Elbert
Guillory; and
WHEREAS, the members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, desire to
place on record their love and esteem for their fallen brothers who faithfully served the
citizens of the state of Louisiana in the Legislature and have now entered into the Omega
(deceased) Chapter; these brothers include Ernest "Dutch" Morial, Nick Connor, Charles
"Doc" Hudson, Henry "Hank" Braden, and most recently, Alphonse Jackson, Jr.; and
WHEREAS, Tuesday, May 19, 2015, is designated as Alpha Phi Alpha Day at the
state capitol in honor of the dedication and commitment exhibited by the members of this
outstanding fraternity; and
WHEREAS, it is appropriate to set aside a day to commend Alpha Phi Alpha
Fraternity, Incorporated, for its programs and activities that exemplify the importance of
service to all mankind and to recognize the positive impact the fraternity has on the state of
Louisiana.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
commend Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, upon the celebration of the one hundred
ninth anniversary of the organization; does hereby express gratitude to Alpha Phi Alpha
Fraternity, Incorporated, for the service of its members in promoting safety, health, culture,
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and education for the people of the state of Louisiana, the nation, and the world; and does
hereby designate Tuesday, May 19, 2015, as Alpha Phi Alpha Day at the state capitol.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to the Louisiana district director, southwestern regional vice president, executive director,
and general president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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