Fraternity Mission Statement
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. develops leaders, promotes brotherhood and academic excellence, while providing service and advocacy for our communities.

Fraternity Vision Statement
The objectives of this Fraternity shall be: to stimulate the ambition of its members; to prepare them for the greatest usefulness in the causes of humanity, freedom, and dignity of the individual; to encourage the highest and noblest form of manhood; and to aid down-trodden humanity in its efforts to achieve higher social, economic and intellectual status.

History
Since its founding on December 4, 1906, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has supplied voice and vision to the struggle of African-Americans and people of color around the world.

Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African-Americans, was founded at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York by seven college men who recognized the need for a strong bond of brotherhood among African descendants in this country. The visionary founders, known as the "Jewels" of the Fraternity, are Henry Arthur Callis, Charles Henry Chapman, Eugene Kinckle Jones, George Biddle Kelley, Nathaniel Allison Murray, Robert Harold Ogle, and Vertner Woodson Tandy.

The Fraternity initially served as a study and support group for minority students who faced racial prejudice, both educationally and socially, at Cornel. The Jewel 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.

Alpha Phi Alpha chapters were established at other colleges and universities, many of them historically black institutions, soon after the founding at Cornell. The first Alumni Chapter was established in 1911. While continuing to stress academic excellence among its members, Alpha also recognized the need to help correct the educational, economic, political, and social injustices faced by African-Americans.

Notable Alpha men include Martin Luther King Jr.; Justice Thurgood Marshall; former U.S. Sen. Edward Brooke; U.S. Representatives Charles Rangel, Bobby Scott, and Danny Davis; former U.S. Ambassador to the UN Andrew Young; Authors E. Lynn Harris and Eric Jerome Dickey; Attorney Chris Darden; Film Directors Gary Hardwick, Rob Hardy and Will Packer; National Urban League President Marc Morial; Educators W.E.B. DuBois, John Hope Franklin, Cornel West, and Norman Francis; former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown; Businessmen John H. Johnson, and Joshua Smith; Entertainers Duke Ellington, Keenan Ivory Wayans and Lionel Richie Jr.; Sportsmen Jesse Owens, Paul Robeson, Lenny Wilkens and Eddie Robinson and many others. True to its form as the "first of firsts," Alpha Phi Alpha has been interracial since 1945.

Alpha Phi Alpha Today
Alpha Phi Alpha today continues its commitment to members of the Fraternity and the African-American community through Alpha University. It is through the groundbreaking Alpha University training program, the Fraternity has rededicated itself to fostering a sprint of brotherhood within the ranks of the Fraternity, preparing a new generation of leaders and bringing consistency to chapter operation and to the implementation of the Fraternity's national programs.

National Programs
The Fraternity's National Programs are community outreach initiatives that have been adopted by the organization's governing body and mandated for implementation by all of the chapters. The organization's National Programs include:

Brother's Keeper
Brother’s Keeper is a service program developed with the mission of advocating for and improving the quality of life for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. brothers, their spouses, and widows who are retired, are elders, have disabilities and are ailing. Upon identification of need, the Brother’s Keeper Program also provides assistance to mature and ailing members of its communities. Limitations caused by advanced age place demands on family members, caregivers, and the larger community to ensure that elders remain independently functional. The goal of the Brother’s Keeper Program is to promote dignity and independence among Alpha family and community members who need help in keeping their lives and homes functional. There are seven objectives to the program:

Go-To-High-School, Go-To-College
The "Go-To-High-School, Go-To-College" program, established in 1920, concentrates on the importance of completing secondary and collegiate education as a road to advancement. Statistics prove the value of this extra impetus in making the difference in the success of young African-American men, given that school completion is the single best predictor of future economic success. Through the Go-To-High-School, Go-To-College educational initiative young men receive information and learn strategies that facilitate success. Alpha men provide youth participants with excellent role models to emulate.

Project Alpha
Project Alpha is a collaborative effort between the March of Dimes Foundation and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. This program was developed to increase the knowledge of the African-American male of the consequences of teenage pregnancy from the male perspective. This program seeks to assist young men in developing an understanding of their role in preventing untimely pregnancies through responsible attitudes and behaviors. The goals of Project Alpha are to: Reduce the rate of adolescent sex and pregnancy; stress the concept of abstinence as a personal choice while promoting the use of contraceptives to those that choose to be sexually active; increase the knowledge of anatomy and physiology of the human body and the awareness of sexually transmitted diseases; clarify and emphasize the roles and responsibilities of fatherhood; and reduce the role of sexual abuse and violence among African-American teens.

A Voteless People is  a Hopeless People
"A Voteless People is a Hopeless People" was initiated as a National Program of Alpha during the 1930's when many African-Americans had the right to vote but were prevented from voting because of poll taxes, threats of reprisal, and lack of education about the voting process. Voter education and registration has remained a dominant focus of this outreach activity for over 65 years. In the 1990's the focus was shifted to include political awareness and empowerment.

Special Projects
Alpha Phi Alpha's Special Projects are programs and activities that are sustained through collaborative efforts, memoranda of understanding, and/or outside financial assistance, which chapters are encouraged to implement. Current Special Projects include:

(1) Big Brother/Big Sisters mentoring partnership - implemented in 1991, Alpha Phi Alpha and BB/BS assist each other in mentoring African-American boys and young men.

(2) Boy Scouts of America - through this alliance, Alpha Phi Alpha focuses on mentoring through the Scouting program.

(3) Leadership Development Institutes - the program prepares outstanding high school students in the vital skills of leadership, college preparation and effective group interaction.

(4) In concert with the mission of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the College Life to Corporate Life Initiative (C2C) was created to develop the human resources of Alpha Phi Alpha and cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with corporate partners resulting in rewarding career opportunities for the members of Alpha Phi Alpha and increased critical mass of diverse talent for its corporate partners.

Alpha Phi Alpha's Foundations
The Alpha Phi Alpha Education Foundation, Inc.
The Alpha Phi Alpha Education Foundation, Inc. is the non-profit charitable arm of theFraternity, which focuses on scholarship, programs, and training and development of the membership. Education Foundation encompasses the implementation of Go-to-High School, Go-to-CoIlege, Project Alpha, Voter Education / Registration efforts, The Belford V. Lawson Oratorical Contest, The John Hope Franklin Collegiate Scholars Bowl, The Hobart Jarrett Debate Competition, Leadership Development Institutes, and the professional and personal development thrusts of the Fraternity-Alpha University.

The Alpha Phi Alpha Building Foundation, Inc.
The Alpha Phi Alpha Building Foundation, Inc. was established as an "economic development corporation to promote, preserve, and protect the infrastructure of our community. The Foundation has developed a unique approach to effect positive change." The Alpha Village represents a project built and purchased by Alpha men and a forward step towards an economic development movement.

Business & Economic Development Foundation
The purpose of the Alpha Phi Alpha Business & Economic Development Foundation is to "promote and encourage economic development in minority and disadvantaged communities by expanding the opportunities for the residents of those communities to enter into, own, manage, operate and/or be employed in business enterprises which are based upon the substantial participation of the low income community." Additionally, the Foundation's aim is to promote a dynamic business environment in underserved communities through franchise opportunities, family financial planning and an aggressive Wealth Building Initiative.

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.
Established to oversee the development of the memorial project, the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. is a non - profit fundraising arm of the fraternity. The foundations mission is "to commemorate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by leading a collaborative funding, design and construction process in the creation of a memorial to honor his national and international contributions to world peace through nonviolent social change."

World Policy Council
The Fraternity formed its much heralded World Policy Council in 1996 to address United States national and foreign policy issues. At its inception, former U.S. Senator Bro. Edward W. Brooke of Massachusetts, the first African-American to serve in the Senate in the 20t h century, was named chairman of the council. Senator Brooke was succeeded by Bro. Dr. Horace G. Dawson, Jr., director of Howard University's Patricia Roberts Harris Public Affairs Program and former Ambassador to Botswana.

The Council's formation reflects two realities in America: 1.) The U.S. government's national agenda has become more closely linked to world affairs and non-governmental organizations are part of the network of influential voices in foreign affairs. 2.) Alpha Phi Alpha's legacy of activities in civil rights and education has broadened to include foreign policy. The Fraternity's leadership has been careful to stress that Alpha Phi Alpha's new foreign policy interest will not diminish the organization's involvement with domestic issues.

Thank you to Rho Chapter