COVER STORY
LpGENDARY BROTHERS ESTABLISH PLACE IN HISTORY THROUGH CONTRBUTIONS TO HUMANITY By Brother Marc Kevin Battle
In 1913, Brother General President Charles H. Garvin penned what we know as the "Esprit De Fraternite." The key principle of the directive asks that members of Alpha Phi Alpha concentrate on doing what they can for the Fraternity and others, as opposed to primarily seeking personal gains. A cursory look at our esteemed membership shows that this principle has been steadfast in the hearts and minds of these great men who have made substantial contributions to the Fraternity and humanity. This look at some of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity's most prominent members and some of the greatest achievers in America during the 20th century stands also as a salute to the aim and mission of the nation's oldest African-American, intercollegiate fraternal organization—to prepare its members for the greatest usefulness in the causes of humanity, freedom and dignity of the individual.
W.E.B. DuBois (1868 - 1963) Civil Rights Leader Brother William Edward Burghart DuBois formally affiliated himself with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity in 1909 when he was initiated as an Exalted Honorary Brother through Epsilon Chapter at the University of Michigan. Born in Barrington, Massachusetts, Brother W.E.B. DuBois was both an inspiration and a valuable resource to the founders and earliest members of Alpha Phi Alpha. As the Fraternity progressed through its stages of development and expansion during the years 1905 through 1909, Brother DuBois was laying the groundwork for the Niagara Movement, which led to the establishment of the NAACP in 1909. W.E.B. DuBois was one of the original signers of the AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY EDITION
NAACP's charter. A noted intellect, author and educator, Brother DuBois was one of the most highly respected men of his day. In 1894, he became the first African-American to be awarded a Ph.D. by Harvard University. Later, he served as the first editor of the NAACP's The Crisis magazine, the longest continually-published African-American publication in the country. In 1943, Brother DuBois became the first African-American admitted to the National Institute of Arts and Letters. At that time, he served as the head of the Sociology Department at Atlanta University.
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929 - 1968) Civil Rights Leader Brother Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is recognized as the greatest civil rights leader that America has ever known. Brother King was initiated June 22, 1952 at Boston University's Sigma Chapter. He earned his undergraduate degree in 1948 at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia before attending Boston University where he was awarded his Ph.D. degree in 1955. Born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia, Brother King returned to the South after leaving Boston University and became pastor at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. It was there that Brother King made his first major impact on the civil rights movement by organizing the legendary 382-day Montgomery bus boycott, which was sparked by the courageous action of Rosa Parks. The bus boycott along with a series of other protest actions led the U.S. Supreme Court to declare Alabama's bus segregation laws unconstitutional. In 1957, Brother King summoned the nation's preeminent African-American leaders to a summit where the