Alpha Phi Alpha: A Legacy of Greatness, the Demands of Transcendence

by Gregory S. Parks (Editor), Stefan M. Bradley (Editor), Michael Alexander Blake (Foreword by)

Overview

On December 4, 1906, on Cornell University's campus, seven black men founded one of the greatest and most enduring organizations in American history. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. has brought together and shaped such esteemed men as Martin Luther King Jr., Cornel West, Thurgood Marshall, Wes Moore, W. E. B. DuBois, Roland Martin, and Paul Robeson. "Born in the shadow of slavery and on the lap of disenfranchisement," Alpha Phi Alpha -- like other black Greek-letter organizations -- was founded to instill a spirit of high academic achievement and intellectualism, foster meaningful and lifelong ties, and racially uplift those brothers who would be initiated into its ranks.

In Alpha Phi Alpha, Gregory S. Parks, Stefan M. Bradley, and other contributing authors analyze the fraternity and its members' fidelity to the founding precepts set forth in 1906. They discuss the identity established by the fraternity at its inception, the challenges of protecting the image and brand, and how the organization can identify and train future Alpha men to uphold the standards of an outstanding African American fraternity. Drawing on organizational identity theory and a diverse array of methodologies, the authors raise and answer questions that are relevant not only to Alpha Phi Alpha but to all black Greek-letter organizations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813140070
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	06/29/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	529
Sales rank:	443,573
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Gregory S. Parks, assistant professor of law at Wake Forest University School of Law, is coeditor of African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision and editor of Black Greek-Letter Organizations in the Twenty-First Century: Our Fight Has Just Begun.

Stefan M. Bradley, associate professor of history and African American studies at Saint Louis University, is the author of Harlem vs. Columbia University: Black Student Power in the Late 1960s.

Table of Contents

Editors' Note ix

Foreword Michael Alexander Blake xi

Introduction 1

Part 1 Organizational Identity: Framework, Construction, and Projection

1 What We Mean by Organizational Identity Y. Sekou Bermiss 9

2 Defining the "Alpha" Identity Felix L. Armfield Stefan M. Bradley Kenneth I. Clarke Sr. Gregory S. Parks Jeremy M. Harp 23

3 The Complexities of Alpha Phi Alphas Contemporary Image Projection Gregory S. Parks Joanna S. Hunter 51

Part 2 Men Who Shaped the Identity

4 Progenitors of Progress: A Brief History of the Jewels of Alpha Phi Alpha Stefan M. Bradley 67

5 Those Who Carried the Torch: The General Presidents of Alpha Phi Alpha André McKenzie 93

Part 3 Internal Mechanisms that Define the Identity

6 The Quest for Excellence: Reviewing Alphas Legacy of Academic Achievement Ralph E. Johnson Crystal Chambers Mary Beth Walpole 189

7 "Am I Not a Man and a Brother?" Authenticating the Racial, Religious, and Masculine Dimensions of Brotherhood within Alpha Phi Alpha Rashawn Ray Kevin Walter Spragling 207

Part 4 External Mechanisms that Define the Identity

8 Alpha Phi Alpha, the Fight for Civil Rights, and the Shaping of Public Policy Robert E. Weems Jr. 233

9 Setting an Example: The Philanthropic Contributions of Alpha Phi Alpha Michael J. Myers II Marybeth Gasman 263

Part 5 The Processes that Shape the Identity: Constraining and Enabling Factors

10 The Harms and Hazards of Hazing: Medical, Socio cultural, and Legal Perspectives Richard J. Reddick Kelso Anderson Terrence L. Frazier Derrick Jenkins 279

11 Hazing and Pledging in Alpha Phi Alpha: An Organizational Behavior Perspective Oscar Holmes IV 313

Conclusion 351

Acknowledgments 357

Appendix A Alpha Phi Alpha General Secretaries and Executive Directors 359

Appendix B Editors in Chief of The Sphinx 360

Appendix C Prominent Alpha Phi Alpha Members 361

List of Contributors 377

Index 385

Editorial Reviews

Partly historical, partly sociological, partly a critique, and partly a call for reform.... A thoughtful book.

Choice

An intriguing chronicle on the fraternity's impact on these men, and its impact on overall society.... A fascinating study of the links that bring great minds together.

Midwest Book Review

This pioneering work provides a serious framework for future conversations and solutions.... If Alpha Phi Alpha, and black fraternities in general, intend to persist into the next millennium this work is a must read.

Rodney T. Cohen

Eleven well written chapters defining the identity and complexity of the fraternity are broken into five parts: the organizational identity, men who shaped the identity, internal and external mechanisms that define the identity, and the processes that shape the identity.

Tennessee Libraries

Overall, the book provides a valuable look at where the fraternity came from and suggests how it could best learn from its past to adapt to the future. [...] The book does offer inspiration about how to bring history together with other disciplines to better understand the course of fraternal history in the United States.

Journal for Research into Freemasonry and Fraternalism

This book provides a special opportunity for the members of Alpha Phi Alpha and the larger community to understand not only the fraternity's history, but also its potential for addressing major societal issues, particularly those affecting young African American males. For anyone who believes in Alpha Phi Alpha, reading this book is a must because it forces us to reflect on the relationship of the fraternity's future to its rich past. Regardless of how successful any organization is, a robust analysis of its contributions and shortcomings can only lead to an even more productive organization. America needed Alpha Phi Alpha in 1906; it needs it even more today.

Freeman A. Hrabowski

The authors raise and answer questions that are relevant not only to Alpha Phi Alpha but to all black Greek-letter organizations.

Triangle Tribune

As a member of the (hopefully) last generation of Alphas to know de jure segregation as a child, and the former president of Alpha Chapter Alumni Association, I welcome this publication edited by Brothers Gregory Parks and Stefan Bradley. My almost forty years as an Alpha have seen many changes in our beloved Fraternity and society, some positive, some not. It is for this reason that the reasoned debate in this book is particularly important. Specific discussions around symbolism, our collective identity, the internal and external mechanisms that created our history and identity, and the sad history of hazing must be told, and this publication provides that framework.

Dean Burrell

The history of Alpha Phi Alpha is the history of America's Black Leaders. Gregory Parks and Stefan Bradley's book helps to illustrate and inspire a greater understanding of the unique, and important role of the first, continuous intercollegiate African American Greek letter organization in United States.

Marc H. Morial

Drawing on organizational identity theory and a diverse array of methodologies, the authors raise and answer questions that are relevant not only to Alpha Phi Alpha but to all black Greek-letter organizations.

The Chronicle

"An intriguing chronicle on the fraternity's impact on these men, and its impact on overall society.... A fascinating study of the links that bring great minds together." -- Midwest Book Review

"As a member of the (hopefully) last generation of Alphas to know de jure segregation as a child, and the former president of Alpha Chapter Alumni Association, I welcome this publication edited by Brothers Gregory Parks and Stefan Bradley. My almost forty years as an Alpha have seen many changes in our beloved Fraternity and society, some positive, some not. It is for this reason that the reasoned debate in this book is particularly important. Specific discussions around symbolism, our collective identity, the internal and external mechanisms that created our history and identity, and the sad history of hazing must be told, and this publication provides that framework." -- Dean Burrell, former Alpha Chapter Alumni Association president

"Drawing on organizational identity theory and a diverse array of methodologies, the authors raise and answer questions that are relevant not only to Alpha Phi Alpha but to all black Greek-letter organizations." -- The Chronicle

"Eleven well written chapters defining the identity and complexity of the fraternity are broken into five parts: the organizational identity, men who shaped the identity, internal and external mechanisms that define the identity, and the processes that shape the identity." -- Tennessee Libraries

"Overall, the book provides a valuable look at where the fraternity came from and suggests how it could best learn from its past to adapt to the future. [...] [T]he book does offer inspiration about how to bring history together with other disciplines to better understand the course of fraternal history in the United States." -- Journal for Research into Freemasonry and Fraternalism

"Partly historical, partly sociological, partly a critique, and partly a call for reform.... A thoughtful book." -- Choice

"The authors raise and answer questions that are relevant not only to Alpha Phi Alpha but to all black Greek-letter organizations." -- Triangle Tribune

"The history of Alpha Phi Alpha is the history of America's Black Leaders. Gregory Parks and Stefan Bradley's book helps to illustrate and inspire a greater understanding of the unique, and important role of the first, continuous intercollegiate African American Greek letter organization in United States." -- Marc H. Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League

"This book provides a special opportunity for the members of Alpha Phi Alpha and the larger community to understand not only the fraternity's history, but also its potential for addressing major societal issues, particularly those affecting young African American males. For anyone who believes in Alpha Phi Alpha, reading this book is a must because it forces us to reflect on the relationship of the fraternity's future to its rich past. Regardless of how successful any organization is, a robust analysis of its contributions and shortcomings can only lead to an even more productive organization. America needed Alpha Phi Alpha in 1906; it needs it even more today." -- Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, President, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)

"This pioneering work provides a serious framework for future conversations and solutions.... If Alpha Phi Alpha, and black fraternities in general, intend to persist into the next millennium this work is a must read." -- Rodney T. Cohen, President, Association for Black Culture Centers

From the Publisher