SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 199
WHEREAS, Proud members of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity
are gathering at the State Capitol on March 4, 2025, providing a
fitting opportunity to celebrate the fraternity's exceptional
legacy of civic engagement; and
WHEREAS, Launched at Cornell University on December 4,
1906, Alpha Phi Alpha was the first intercollegiate Greek-letter
fraternity established by African Americans; founded by seven
men who came to be known as the "Jewels" of the organization,
Alpha Phi Alpha initially served as a study and support group for
minority students who were struggling against racial prejudice;
these early leaders laid the foundation for the fraternity's
principles of scholarship, fellowship, character, and the
uplifting of humanity; and
WHEREAS, In the years that followed, Alpha Phi Alpha
chapters were formed at other colleges across the nation; while
the fraternity placed a strong emphasis on the academic
excellence of its members, it also expanded its focus to address
the educational, economic, political, and social injustices
faced by African Americans and people of color around the world;
over the decades, many former Alpha Phi Alpha members have stood
at the forefront of the fight for civil rights, including W. E. B.
Du Bois, Paul Robeson, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood
Marshall, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Edward Brooke, Andrew Young,
and William Gray; and
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha has been an interracial group
since 1945 and now encompasses chapters across the United States;
the fraternity has an especially rich history in the Lone Star
State, which has been home to three of the organization's general
presidents, and a number of prominent Texas leaders are Alpha Phi
Alpha alumni; and
WHEREAS, For more than a century, Alpha Phi Alpha has
worked to foster a brotherhood of concerned citizens who devote
themselves to the greater good, and its members may indeed
reflect with pride on their organization's noteworthy tradition
of activism and achievement; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 89th
Legislature, hereby recognize March 4, 2025, as Alpha Phi Alpha
Fraternity Day at the State Capitol and extend to all those
associated with the organization sincere best wishes for the
future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this Resolution be
prepared for the fraternity as an expression of high regard from
the Texas Senate.
Miles, Alvarado, Cook, Eckhardt, West
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Member, Texas Senate
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Member, Texas Senate Member, Texas Senate
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Member, Texas Senate Member, Texas Senate
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President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on March 4, 2025.
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Secretary of the Senate