"Finding the Good and Praising It"

[Professor]

VOL. 1, NO. 8 - APRIL 26, 1999
"Finding the Good and Praising It.

Revisionist Fraternities:
The Kappa, Omega, Sigma Conspiracy.
Why have you omitted Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity
from its rightful place in your history book?
by Skip Mason

After a review of the fratenity histories, I have a found a similar and quite disturbing pattern of
what is a blatant omission of an important historical fact. That fact is that Alpha Phi Alpha was the
first Greek letter fraternity for African-American college trained me to succeed. The second fact is
that not one of the three history books of those who came behind us (namely Kappa Alpha Psi,
Omega Psi Phi and Phi Beta Sigma) gives any credit to Alpha Phi Alpha in establishing the
fraternal movement Not a single one. As a historian who recognizes that laying a foundation for
any period of history, I find their omission inexcusable and without merit. Permit me to share some
a few statements (and of course my personal commentary in between) from their books:

KAPPA ALPHA PSI:
Before it was Kappa Alpha Psi, it was Kappa Alpha Nu and before that it was Kappa Alpha Nu
it was Alpha Omega

In the book The Story of Kappa Alpha Psi by William L. Crump(1983), the following statement
is made in the prologue:

xxi. ...In the summer of 1910, Irven Armstrong was such a student. His cousin, Byron K.
Armstrong, had attended Howard University during the 1909-1910 school year, and there had
formed a friendship with Elder Watson Diggs. Both were approached by a fraternity, and both
declined pledgeship because they disapproved the attitudes and actions of certain members.

(The only fraternity that could have approached these two men would have been Alpha Phi Alpha
(Beta Chapter). It was the only fraternity on the campus of Howard University in the fall of 1910.

The Kappa's have noted that their distinction is that they are the only national Greek Letter
organization with its Alpha Chapter on the Indiana campus. ( xxi)

The Kappa's history began in a very short lived organization called the Alpha Kappa Nu Greek
Society established in 1903 at Indiana University. It was formed at Indiana University to
"strengthen the black's voice."

In Chapter One, which is titled "The Beginning" it gives an overview of blacks who had graduated
from college since the early 1800s and goes directly into how Diggs and Armstrong met,
transferred to Indiana in the fall of 1910 and joined the small group of eight students. In its history
book, there is no reference made to the founding of Alpha Phi Alpha at Cornell, nor the
establishment of a chapter at Howard.

(What really happened between the two and Beta Chapter may be never known. Many rumors
have circulated over the years that they were denied admittance to the pledge club. Of course as it
is stated in their history book,"they were approached...and both declined pledgeship because they
disapproved the
attitudes and actions of certain members" My conjecture on this statement is that there were some
personality conflicts between one or the both of them and brothers of Beta. In the past, chapters
had the sole decision on who to admit or not. When I was in undergraduate, we had an old
familiar saying that we believed that person not to be" Alpha material." I must say we did a fairly
good job of selecting brothers for our chapter and Beta in the fall of 1910 had their reasons for
not selecting Diggs and Armstrong.)

As one continues to read the story of their founding there are obvious similarities to Alpha at
Cornell, i.e., black students attending a predominately white campus, being denied use of
entertainment and recreational facilities. Like the founders of Alpha who gathered at the homes of
the black residents, the founders of Kappa gathered at the home of Mrs. Mollie Spaulding, a
lodging place near the school. They met in her home for
fellowship and gave themselves a temporary name of "Alpha Omega." Several of their founders
worked as waiters.

The writer of the Kappa History book does not succeed in making indirect statements about
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. For example, in the book it is stated:
"It was made clear at the outset that the new Fraternity (Kappa Alpha Nu) would not warm over
principles or practices of other organizations. (WHAT ORGANIZATION COULD HE
POSSIBLY BE REFERRING TO OTHER THAN ALPHA PHI ALPHA.) Nor, indeed, would
or could the new Fraternity seek its members in the manner of better known Greek letter
organizations-from among the sons of wealthy families, or families whose social positions were
such as vicariously would give prestige. (ANOTHER POOR ATTEMPT AT MAKING AN
INDIRECT REFERENCE TO ALPHA)

I am reminded of what Alpha founder George Biddle Kelley stated that we didn't find......)

As their organization took shape, several founders of Kappa took a course in Greek Heraldry and
other studied Greek mythology.

SKIP-We can say that the Alpha founders were versed on Greek (Eugene Kinckle Jones' father
taught Greek at Virginia Union). But a great deal of time was not spent on understanding the
Greek's culture and history but studying and connection ancient African history to the foundation
of Alpha. Callis spent his time trying to find out what the Greeks called Africans (Wesley, p. 23
Life and Legacy of Henry Arthur Callis) The only thing Greek about Alpha are our letters). Even
the word frater is latin meaning brother. They chose names such as Polemarch for President,
Grand Keeper of Records(Secretary), Grand Keeper of the Records and Exchequer(Treasurer)
Grand Strategus. We say National Organization, they refer to it as Grand Chapter.

Their name was changed from Kappa Alpha Nu to Kappa Alpha Psi in 1915 due to racial slurs
and the use of Nig(instead of Nu) by racist factions on the campus of Indiana University.

I noticed a few similarities between the shield of Kappa and Sigma:

Kappa Shield - Three stars, a hand shake gesture
Sigma's Shield- Three stars, a hand shake gesture, Fasces, Dove
(the Sigma's fasces is in the opposite direction of the Alpha's

ANOTHER OBSERVATION:
Kappa Hymn- "O Noble Kappa Alpha Psi, The Pride of all our hearts
Alpha Hymn - "Alpha Phi Alpha, the pride of our hearts

Kappa Hymn (First line of third stanza)- "When all our students days are done, And we from
school must go."
Alpha hymn: "College days swiftly pass, imbued with mem'ries fond"

THE OMEGA PHI PSI CONSPIRACY:
Why did you exclude us from your history? We were your campus model!

In chapter one of the book "The History of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, A Brotherhood of
Negro College Men 1911-1939 by Herman Dreer, the following statement is made:

The founders of Omega Psi Phi had impressive credentials. They were a close band of three
known as the "Three Musketeers" In the introduction of the book, the chapter titled "The Rise of
College Presidents, " a history of fraternities is presented from the establishment of Phi Beta
Kappa Society the establishment of Kappa Alpha at Union in 1825, which as the author states
"was established with Phi Beta Kappa as a model." There is no mentioned of the establishment of
Alpha Phi Alpha at Cornell. The writer goes on to say:

"The idea of Greek-letter fraternities at Negro institution of learning followed the same tendencies
as indicated for students at other institutions of higher learning.. These organizations were purely
social and had as their big objective the giving of an annual banquet...the general life span of these
organizations was about two years. It was not until the early part of the twentieth century that
Negro youth at Negro institution of higher learning seized upon the cultural heritage of the human
race and especially upon the heritage of their forefathers...and established the national Greek letter
fraternity, the Omega Psi Phi. In thus founding the first national Greek-letter fraternity to be
organized at a Negro institution of higher learning, the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity pioneered and
blazed the way for other fraternities that have followed.

Skip- What other fraternities? Kappa was charted May 15, 1911, (so they preceded Omega).
The only other one was Phi Beta Sigma and maybe Iota Phi Theta, but that was in the sixties. No
mention of Alpha Phi Alpha at all!!

In Chapter One of the Omega History book, the following statement is made: "Though the Greek
letter fraternity was born in the South, in 1911, the South was the stronghold of greatest
opposition...the Howard faculty had read articles on the untoward aspects of college fraternities;
however, there were no available data to prove that college fraternities were subversive of good
morals. The faculty wondered if it were not dangerous to trust young men with a secret
organization to operate along national lines..."

Skip's Note-Forgive me. Have I missed something? Was not Beta Chapter on the campus and
active in the fraternal life. Was not Kelly Miller, Dean of Men (honorary Alpha through Beta) also
on the campus. What exactly was the Omega historian trying to allude to. On April 11, President
Thirkield of Howard, a white man sanctioned the fraternity(Alpha). I would be safe in my
assumption that Beta Chapter from 1908 to 1911 attracted some of the most outstanding men on
the campus (even if it was the only organization). The writer's statement gives the impression that
Beta (though he makes no reference to the chapter or fraternity was virtually non existence on
Howard's campus. Though Wesley's history does not delve into individual chapter histories, I
know that several brothers Numa P.G. Adams, the Morrison Brothers, C. Benjamin Curley were
outstanding and decent men.)

The problem is that when Omega Psi Phi submitted its proposal and constitution to be established
as a fraternity, it was met with opposition. It was sent back, changes were requested and then the
faculty organization told the Omega's that it could only be a National organization. They placed
placards on trees announcing their arrival and were reprimanded in Chapel. Their subsequent
approval was made. Obviously, Ernest E. Just, the young scholar and biologist advised them but
from the text had very little to do with pushing the ratification through.

THE PHI BETA SIGMA CONSPIRACY: Why are we not included in your history?

The Sigma's history book is entitled "Our Cause Speeds On." It is a line taken from the National
hymn. It was written by W. Sherman Savage, professor of History at Lincoln University in
Missouri and Lawrence D. Reddick, professor of History at Alabama State College. It was
published in 1955.

In Chapter 1 of the Sigma's history no mention is made of the establishment of any other
African-American fraternities on the campus of Howard prior to 1914. Not Alpha, Not Omega,
Not even Kappa is mentioned in setting the historical foundation for their founding. Only one line is
mentioned when Sigma founder A. Langston Taylor remarks about the "Spark that lighted the
Sigma flame." He says: "If we are to be precise about it, the idea of the Fraternity had its origin not
at Howard University, as might be expected, but in my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee.....I
engaged in a conversation with a young man recently graduated from Howard University, and
since I had decided to go to Howard, I was very much interested in what he had to say about the
University. He dwelt at the length on the activities of Greek Letter fraternities. His talk gave me an
idea, and from that day on, Phi Beta Sigma was in the making. "

After the Board of Deans at Howard authorized Phi Beta Sigma, the author says...
"the news spread over the campus like wildfire. There was a rush of applicants. The charter
members, however, were not to be stampeded. They selected only a few of those came forward
to pledge themselves."

The Sigma's history gives vivid descriptions of its members:" I.L. Scruggs...Short and dumpy. W.
E. Tibbs..Brown skin, slight of build. Jacob E. Jones...handsome black boy; S.P. Massie. He was
dark-skinned with large feet. W.F.Vicent was tall, fair-skinned with bushy, straight brown hair."

(If Alpha has ever been accused of being color struck, the description of the Sigma Charter
members would lead one to believe that it was the only fraternity for "darker skinned" brothers
and that they were founded for that sole purpose according to the description given about its
charter members)

The writers of the Sigma history states" From the first, they thought of theirs as a national fraternity
with power to establish chapters from ocean to ocean and with the wit and will too add to it self
everything that any fraternity should ever need.

According to its history, Phi Beta Sigma received an invitation to merge with Kappa Alpha Psi.
Described in the Sigma's history as an "rather unusual bid, " the invitation came from Elder
Watson Diggs, founder of Kappa. The letter was dated December 11, 1915, and was typed on
official stationery with Diggs listed as Polemarch. After careful consideration, Sigma's General
Board turned down the offer. President A. Langston Taylor of Phi Beta Sigma made that point
clear in a "graceful" reply to the Diggs on December 18, 1915.

(Of course there is no mention of Diggs sending such a letter is included in the Kappa history
book. In fact there is only one reference to both Alpha, Sigma and Omega and that refers to the
establishment of the Pan Hellenic Council in 1929 in Indiana.)


NOTABLE KAPPAS: Tom Bradley, Johnnie Cochran, Arthur Ashe, Montell Jordan
NOTABLE OMEGAS-Carter G. Woodson, Langston Hughes, Charles Drew
NOTABLE SIGMAS- George Washington Carver, James Weldon Johnson, Alaine Locke,
Kwame Nkrumah, Emmitt Smith, Blair Underwood