Honoring the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity on hte Occaision of its 100th Anniversary

HONORING THE ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY ON THE OCCASION OF ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY -- (House of Representatives - July 25, 2006)

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Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Thank you, Brother Davis.

Mr. Speaker, it is truly an honor for me to congratulate Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity on our centennial celebration, commemorating 100 years of civil service and social progress.

Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity was founded on December 4, 1906, at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, by seven young men known as the Seven Jewels. As the first intercollegiate Greek letter fraternity established for African Americans, Alpha Phi Alpha initially served as a brotherhood and study and support group for minority students at Cornell, but it also recognized the need to help correct the educational, economic, political and social injustices faced by African Americans.

From that, the foundation of Alpha Phi Alpha principles of scholarship, fellowship, good character and the uplifting of humanity were laid. Alpha Phi Alpha now has a presence on hundreds of college campuses as well as in hundreds of alumni chapters in 44 States, the District of Columbia, Africa, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean islands.

Over the years, Alpha Phi Alpha has played a fundamental role in the positive development of the character and education of more than 175,000 men, and it has been paramount in the fight to advance civil rights and enhance the socioeconomic status of all in American society.

Notable Alphas include Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. DuBois, Adam Clayton Powell, Martin Luther King, Jr., Edward Brooke, Andrew Young, William Gray, Paul Robeson, and there are countless others who have served or now serve as leaders in government, business, entertainment, science and education.

Today, in Congress, the eight Members have already been identified, but I would like to mention at this time three national programs that have been designed by Alpha Phi Alpha to benefit the future of African Americans and humanity as a whole. Every Alpha chapter is committed to the implementation of these programs.

The Go-to-High-School, Go-to-College program was established in 1922 and focuses on the importance of African American youth completing secondary and collegiate education as a road to advancement. Statistics prove that school completion is the single best predictor for future success, and Alpha Phi Alpha is committed to promoting education among African American youth and the importance of completing one's education.

``A Voteless People is a Hopeless People'' began as an Alpha Phi Alpha program during the 1930s when many African Americans had the right to vote, but were prevented from doing so due to poll taxes, threats of reprisal, and lack of education about the voting process. The program, which focus on voter education and voter registration, also facilitates town meetings and candidate forums to improve political awareness and empowerment.

Project Alpha was started by a chapter in Chicago in the late 1970s and is now a national Alpha program implemented in collaboration with the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation. It is designed to provide education, motivation, and skill-building on issues of responsibility, relationships, teen pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases for young males 12 to 15 years of age. Project Alpha reaches hundreds of communities and thousands of teen males to teach them the importance of responsibility in their personal lives.

Mr. Speaker, on this centennial anniversary, it is my privilege to recognize the 100th anniversary of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity; to commend all Alpha brothers, past and present, for their bond of friendship, common ideals and service to the community; and to wish Alpha Phi Alpha success in the next 100 years as it continues to enrich the lives of its members, its alumni, and through them, communities around the world.

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