Kappa Alpha Psi

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KAΨ - Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc

Motto	Achievement in every field of human endeavor
Colors	Crimson and Cream
Symbol	Scroll, Diamond
Flower	Red Carnation
Founded	January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington
Type	Service
Scope	International  United States  England  Germany  Japan  South Africa  Republic of Korea
Headquarters	2322 Broad Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Chapters	600+
Nickname	Kappas, Nupes
Homepage	Kappa Alpha Psi website

Kappa Alpha Psi (KAΨ) is the second oldest collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership and the first black intercollegiate fraternity incorporated as a national body. Since its founding in 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin. The fraternity has over 105,000 members with 600 undergraduate and alumni chapters in every state of the United States, and international chapters in the United Kingdom, Germany, Korea, Japan, the West Indies and South Africa.

The president of the national fraternity title is known as the Grand Polemarch, who assigns a Province Polemarch for each of the twelve provinces (districts/regions) of the nation. The fraternity has many notable members recognized as leaders in the arts, athletics, business, civil rights, education, government, and science sectors at the local, national and international level. The Kappa Alpha Psi Journal is the official magazine of the fraternity since 1914. Frank M. Summers was the magazine's first editor and later on became the 14th Grand Polemarch. The current editor of the magazine is Andre Greene.

Kappa Alpha Psi is a major contributor in the fields of political, social, cultural and scholastic achievement. The fraternity sponsors programs providing community service, social welfare and academic scholarship through the Kappa Alpha Psi Foundation and is a supporter of the United Negro College Fund and Habitat for Humanity. Kappa Alpha Psi is a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) and the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC). The fraternity is the first predominantly African American Greek-letter society founded west of the Appalachian Mountains still in existence, and is known for its "cane stepping" in NPHC organized step shows.

[edit] History

[edit] The Founders

African American Portal

Elder Watson Diggs, Founder and First Grand Polemarch of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.[1]

The men who founded Kappa Alpha Psi, and were dedicated to the principles of achievement through a truly democratic fraternity are:

The founders endeavored to establish the fraternity with a strong foundation before embarking on plans of expansion. By the end of the first year, the ritual was completed and a design for the coat of arms and motto had begun.^[1]

[edit] Founding

The Sample Gates of Indiana University (IU). IU was the site for the founding of Kappa Alpha Nu in 1911—the name was changed to Kappa Alpha Psi in 1915.

The fraternity may have begun in 1903 on the Indiana University campus, but there were too few registrants to assure continuing organization. In that year a club was formed called Alpha Kappa Nu, but the club disappeared after a short time. There is no record of any similar organization at Indiana until the fraternity was founded as Kappa Alpha Nu on the night of January 5, 1911 by ten African-American college students.^[2]

During this time there were very few African-American students at the predominately white campus at Bloomington, Indiana and they were a small minority due to the era of Jim Crow laws. Many African-American students rarely saw each other on campus and were discouraged or prohibited from attending student functions and extra-curricular activities by white college administrators and fellow students. African-American students were denied membership on athletic teams with the exception of track and field. The racial prejudice and discrimination encountered by the founders strengthened their bond of friendship and growing interest in starting a social group. From the beginning, the founders' goal was to create a fraternity founded on Christian ideals and for the purpose of achievement regardless of a person's race or social class.^{[citation needed]}

The History of Kappa Alpha Psi

By 1912, the fraternity expanded with the second undergraduate chapter opened at the University of Illinois—Beta chapter; then the University of Iowa—Gamma chapter. After this, Kappa Alpha Psi chartered undergraduate chapters on Black college campuses at Wilberforce University—Delta Chapter, and Lincoln University, PA—Epilson Chapter. In 1920, Xi Chapter was chartered at Howard University. In 1921, the fraternity installed the Omicron chapter at Columbia University, the first at an Ivy League university. Also established in 1921 was its first chapter in the south, the Pi chapter at Morehouse College. Kappa Alpha Psi expanded through the Midwest, South, and West at both white and black colleges.

In 1915, Kappa initiate Frank Summers was one of eighteen members of the Indiana University Track team awarded the letter "I".

There are some who believe the greek letters Kappa Alpha Nu were chosen as a tribute to Alpha Kappa Nu^[3], but the name became an ethnic slur among racist factions. Founder Elder Watson Diggs, while observing a young initiate compete in a track meet, overheard fans referring to the member as a "kappa alpha nig", and a campaign to rename the fraternity ensued.^[4] The resolution to rename the group was adopted in December 1914, and the fraternity states, "the name acquired a distinctive Greek letter symbol and KAPPA ALPHA PSI thereby became a Greek letter Fraternity in every sense of the designation." Kappa Alpha Psi has been the official name since April 1915.^[1]

In 1947, at the Los Angeles Conclave, the National Silhouettes of Kappa Alpha Psi were established as an auxiliary of the fraternity. Membership comprises wives or widows of fraternity members. In 1980, the Silhouettes were officially recognized and granted a seat on the Board of Directors of the Kappa Alpha Psi Foundation. Silhouettes provide support and assistance for the activities of Kappa Alpha Psi at the Grand Chapter, Province and Local levels.^[5]

The 2004-2006 International Chapter of the Year award is held by the Delta Eta chapter, compised of students from Drexel University, University of Pennsylvania, Villanova University, La Salle University, and Beaver College.^[6]

[edit] National programs

The Fraternity began "Guide Right," its national social out-reach program, in 1922. The Guide Right Program assists youth between the ages of 5 to 25 with education, tutoring, mentorship, and financial assistance for college.^[7] The programs of Guide Right are "Kappa League," "Kappa Alpha Psi Scholarship," "A-MAN,"^[8] and the premier program, "Kamp Kappa," which enables inner city boys to attend camp at Hemlock Overlook Park in Clifton, Virginia.^[9]

The "C. Rodger Wilson Leadership Conference" is held annually in each province to educate and train alumni and undergraduates officers to more effectively execute individual chapter procedures and initiatives.

The "Kappa Alpha Psi Foundation," established in 1981, is the philanthropic arm of the fraternity and assists both alumni and undergraduate chapters in support of scholarships, after-school programs, and national projects such as Habitat for Humanity.^[10]

[edit] Pan-Hellenic membership

Further information: National Pan-Hellenic Council

Further information: North-American Interfraternity Conference

The fraternity maintains dual membership in the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) and the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC). The NPHC is composed of nine international black Greek-letter sororities and fraternities and promotes interaction through forums, meetings, and other mediums for the exchange of information, and engages in cooperative programming and initiatives through various activities and functions.^[11] The NIC serves to advocate the needs of its member fraternities through enrichment of the fraternity experience, advancement and growth of the fraternity community, and enhancement of the educational mission of the host institutions.^[12]

[edit] The History of the Kappa Kane

Kappa initiates carrying their canes. The cane is an unofficial tradition and symbol of the fraternity.

The cane is viewed by the fraternity as a symbol of a "Gentleman" and is an unofficial tradition and symbol of the fraternity. In the 1950s, as black greek-letter organizations began the tradition of step shows, the fraternity began using the "Kappa Kane" in what it termed "cane stepping." In the 1960s, the cane was decorated with the fraternity colors, and shortened in the 1970s so brothers could "twirl" and tap the cane in the choreography with high dexterity. The national organization did not condone the use of canes in step shows and contended that "the hours spent in step practices by chapters each week would be better devoted to academic or civic achievement." Senior Grand Vice Polemarch Ullysses McBride complained about the vulgar language and obscene gestures sometimes engaged in by cane-stepping participants. The Fraternity succumbed to the pressure of undergraduate chapters in 1986 and added cane stepping as an official item on the Grand Chapter agenda.^[13]

[edit] Famous Kappa Alpha Psi Members

Further information: Members of Kappa Alpha Psi

List of famous Kappa Alpha Psi members.

[edit] Trivia

• Elder Diggs was the cousin of Alpha Kappa Alpha founder Lucy Diggs-Slowe.
• On Grey's Anatomy, Dr. Preston Burke (played by Isaiah Washington) claims to be a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, in the episode "Who's Zoomin' Who?".
• Rapper/producer Danny!, member of the Gamma Nu Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi, named the imprint under which he releases his own albums -- "1911 Music" -- after the year the fraternity was founded.

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] External links

[edit] Kappa Alpha Psi

• Kappa Alpha Psi Offical Homepage website
• Kappa Alpha Psi Foundation

[edit] Outside websites

• Kappa Alpha Psi Founders
• History of the Cane

thanks