![]() ![]() The fraternity’s motto is “Achievement in every field of human endeavor,” which it seeks to maintain by way of its national educational programs. The Kappas established programs like the Kappa League and Guide Right to assist young men and provide leadership. Kappas have become known for their elaborate cane-assisted “stepping” routines, but the group prides itself for its service work beyond step show performances. The name of the group changed after Kappa Alpha Nu was morphed into a racial slur according to some accounts, and thus the new name was born. Just months after its founding, the fraternity became the first African-American group of its kind to become nationally incorporated in May of that year. The early vision of the Kappas was to serve as a social group dedicated to Black students on Indiana’s campus and to promote personal excellence. The marker commemorates the formation of Kappa Alpha Psi and the role it played in race relations and civil rights in Indiana.The fraternity was founded as Kappa Alpha Nu on Januby Founders Elder Watson Diggs John Milton Lee Byron Kenneth Armstrong Guy Levis Grant Ezra Dee Alexander Henry Tourner Asher Marcus Peter Blakemore Paul Waymond Caine Edward Giles Irvin and George Wesley Edmonds. In 2008, the Indiana Historical Bureau and Indiana University installed a historical marker on the site of the Elder Watson Diggs Memorial chapter house. The alpha Kappa Alpha Psi chapter at Indiana University dedicated its fraternity house as the Elder Watson Diggs Memorial in 1961, honoring founder and first Grand Polemarch Elder W. ![]() Notable Kappa Alpha Psi members include Hollywood director John Singleton (University of Southern California), former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (University of Nevada), author and television personality Marc Lamont Hill (University of Pennsylvania), political author on race relations Charles Blow (Grambling State University), and former president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Dennis Hayes (Indiana University). Kappa Alpha Psi takes pride in the fact that their Constitution has never included any language that “either excluded or suggested the exclusion of a man from membership merely because of his color, creed, or national origin”. ![]() It now has over 700 chapters and 125,000 collegiate members worldwide. Over the years, Kappa Alpha Psi has sponsored national programs under its name feeding the homeless, funding youth and after-school programs, providing scholarships, and sponsoring other philanthropic efforts. Kappa Alpha Psi, like many other Greek organizations across colleges and universities in the United States, has evolved over time. In Indiana University in the 1910s, African Americans were not allowed to reside in campus housing, were denied use of university facilities, and could not participate in contact sports, leaving only track and field as athletic options. The original motto, “Achievement in every field of Human Endeavor” formalized their goal of helping members to attain high “intellectual, moral and social worth”. Kappa Alpha Psi gave African American men at Indiana University a way to participate in campus social events. The men often gathered at the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Bloomington before they had their own fraternity house. Its founders, ten African American students at Indiana University, first organized the fraternity (originally named Kappa Alpha Nu until 1915) in January 1911. Kappa Alpha Psi has since dedicated their efforts to an equal brotherhood, bound only by a willingness to succeed and not by skin color, race, or background. The fraternity was founded in 1911 at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, a predominantly white institution at a time when racism and prejudice were high. ![]() Kappa Alpha Psi was one of the first African American social fraternities in the United States. Greek life and its associated activities is a dominant thread in many college students’ lives. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |