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2017 SESSION

17104452D
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 383
Offered February 8, 2017
Commending Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
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Patrons-- Dance, McClellan and Spruill; Delegates: Aird, Bagby, Bourne, Hayes, Hester, Lindsey, Rasoul and Tyler
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WHEREAS, in 2016, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., celebrated the 110th anniversary of its founding as the first intercollegiate Greek letter fraternity established for African American men; and

WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha was founded on December 4, 1906, at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, by seven college men, known as the “Jewels” of the fraternity, who recognized the need for a strong bond of brotherhood among African descendants; and

WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha chapters were soon established at other colleges and universities, many of them historically black institutions; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth is home to 37 Alpha Phi Alpha chapters, including the Gamma Chapter at Virginia Union University, which was founded in 1907 and is the fraternity’s third-oldest chapter; and

WHEREAS, the mission of Alpha Phi Alpha is to develop leaders and promote brotherhood and academic excellence, while providing service to and advocacy for their surrounding communities; and

WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha initially served as a study and support group for minority students who faced racial prejudice at Cornell University and, throughout its history, members of the fraternity have recognized the need to help correct the educational, economic, political, and social injustices faced by African Americans; and

WHEREAS, members of Alpha Phi Alpha have stood at the forefront of the Civil Rights movement and have supplied voice and vision to the struggle of African Americans and people of color around the world; and

WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha has accepted men of all races since 1945 and the fraternity’s motto is: “First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All”; and

WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha programs and charitable activities include the “Go-to-High-School, Go-to-College” campaign, Project Alpha, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial project; and

WHEREAS, the origins of the Virginia Association of Chapters of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity (VACAPAF) can be traced to 1943, when the president of what was then Virginia State College (now Virginia State University) invited two college chapters and six alumni chapters to meet at the college; and

WHEREAS, the first statewide convention of Alpha Phi Alpha chapters in Virginia was held on February 14, 1959, in Richmond, and it led to the formal organization of the Virginia Conference of Alpha Phi Alpha Chapters, which is now known as the VACAPAF; and

WHEREAS, six men from the Commonwealth have previously served as Alpha Phi Alpha Eastern Region vice presidents; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., on celebrating 110 years of scholarship, fellowship, good character, and the uplifting of humanity in 2016; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the fraternity’s proud history of service and manly deeds.