ENROLLED
2023 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 166
BY REPRESENTATIVES BRASS, FISHER, JEFFERSON, TRAVIS JOHNSON, AND
PIERRE
A RESOLUTION
TToo commend Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, upon the celebration of its
upcoming one hundred seventeenth anniversary as an organization and to recognize
Thursday, May 18, 2023, as Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Day at the state capitol.
WHEREAS, in 2022, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, celebrated the one
hundred sixteenth anniversary of its founding as the first Intercollegiate Greek letter
fraternity established for African American men; and
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha was founded on December 4, 1906, at Cornell
University in Ithaca, New York, by seven college men, known as the "Jewels" of the
fraternity, who recognized the need for a sense of brotherhood among African descendants;
and
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha chapters were soon established at other colleges and
universities, many of them historically black institutions; and
WHEREAS, the mission of Alpha Phi Alpha is to develop leaders and promote
brotherhood and academic excellence, while providing service and advocacy for their
surrounding communities; and
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha initially served as a study and support group for
minority students who faced racial prejudice at Cornell University, and throughout its
history, members of the fraternity have recognized the need to help correct the educational,
economic, political, and social injustices faced by African Americans; and
WHEREAS, members of Alpha Phi Alpha have stood at the forefront of the civil
rights movement and have supplied voice and vision to the struggle of African Americans
and people of color around the world; and
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha has accepted men of all races since 1945, and the
fraternity's motto is: "First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All"; and
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WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha programs and charitable activities include the "Go-To-
High-School, Go-To-College" campaign, "A Voiceless People is a Hopeless People" voter
registration campaign, Project Alpha, and the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Memorial
project; and
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha has numerous chapters in the state of Louisiana, and
the members of its hundreds of chapters worldwide continue the legacy of their predecessors
by helping their fellow man, serving their communities, acting as mentors to youth, and
carrying on the tradition of one of their own, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by actively
discussing civil rights; 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 the state will assemble
in Baton Rouge in order to celebrate the contributions to the legislature of eighteen past
Alpha brothers and those currently serving: Representatives Ken Brass, Adrian Fisher,
Patrick O. Jefferson, Travis Johnson, and Vincent J. Pierre; and
WHEREAS, it is appropriate to set aside a special day to commend Alpha Phi Alpha
Fraternity, Incorporated, for its programs and activities, which exemplify the importance of
service to all mankind, and to recognize the positive impact the fraternity continues to have
on Louisiana.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated,
on celebrating its upcoming one hundred seventeen years of scholarship, fellowship, good
character, and the uplifting of humanity and does hereby recognize Thursday, May 18, 2023,
as Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Day at the state capitol.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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