HLS 23RS-2837 ORIGINAL
2023 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 166
BY REPRESENTATIVES BRASS, FISHER, JEFFERSON, TRAVIS JOHNSON, AND
PIERRE
SPECIAL DAY/WEEK/MONTH: Recognizes May 18, 2023, as Alpha Phi Alpha
Fraternity Day at the state capitol
1 A RESOLUTION
2TToo commend Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, upon the celebration of its
3 upcoming one hundred seventeenth anniversary as an organization and to recognize
4 Thursday, May 18, 2023, as Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Day at the state capitol.
5 WHEREAS, in 2022, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, celebrated the one
6hundred sixteenth anniversary of its founding as the first Intercollegiate Greek letter
7fraternity established for African American men; and
8 WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha was founded on December 4, 1906, at Cornell
9University in Ithaca, New York, by seven college men, known as the "Jewels" of the
10fraternity, who recognized the need for a sense of brotherhood among African descendants;
11and
12 WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha chapters were soon established at other colleges and
13universities, many of them historically black institutions; and
14 WHEREAS, the mission of Alpha Phi Alpha is to develop leaders and promote
15brotherhood and academic excellence, while providing service and advocacy for their
16surrounding communities; and
17 WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha initially served as a study and support group for
18minority students who faced racial prejudice at Cornell University, and throughout its
19history, members of the fraternity have recognized the need to help correct the educational,
20economic, political, and social injustices faced by African Americans; and
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HR NO. 166
1 WHEREAS, members of Alpha Phi Alpha have stood at the forefront of the civil
2rights movement and have supplied voice and vision to the struggle of African Americans
3and people of color around the world; and
4 WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha has accepted men of all races since 1945, and the
5fraternity's motto is: "First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All"; and
6 WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha programs and charitable activities include the "Go-To-
7High-School, Go-To-College" campaign, "A Voiceless People is a Hopeless People" voter
8registration campaign, Project Alpha, and the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Memorial
9project; and
10 WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha has numerous chapters in the state of Louisiana, and
11the members of its hundreds of chapters worldwide continue the legacy of their predecessors
12by helping their fellow man, serving their communities, acting as mentors to youth, and
13carrying on the tradition of one of their own, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by actively
14discussing civil rights; and
15 WHEREAS, other notable members of Alpha Phi Alpha include W.E.B. Dubois,
16Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Edward Brooke, Thurgood Marshall, Paul Robeson, William
17Gray, and Andrew Young; and
18 WHEREAS, this year, Alpha Phi Alpha members from across the state will assemble
19in Baton Rouge in order to celebrate the contributions to the legislature of eighteen past
20Alpha brothers and those currently serving: Representatives Ken Brass, Adrian Fisher,
21Patrick O. Jefferson, Travis Johnson, and Vincent J. Pierre; and
22 WHEREAS, it is appropriate to set aside a special day to commend Alpha Phi Alpha
23Fraternity, Incorporated, for its programs and activities, which exemplify the importance of
24service to all mankind, and to recognize the positive impact the fraternity continues to have
25on Louisiana.
26 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
27Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated,
28on celebrating its upcoming one hundred seventeen years of scholarship, fellowship, good
29character, and the uplifting of humanity and does hereby recognize Thursday, May 18, 2023,
30as Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Day at the state capitol.
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HR NO. 166
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 166 Original 2023 Regular Session Brass
Commends Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., on the celebration of its upcoming 117th
anniversary as an organization and recognizes May 18, 2023, as Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity
Day at the state capitol.
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