Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the first national Greek letter fraternity established for black students, was organized at Cornell University , Ithica, New York, Tuesday, December 4, 1906. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity was born out of the desire for maintaining close association and unified support for it's members. The prejudices of the time, even at a relatively liberal institution such as Cornell, placed an extra burden on minority students. The first unit of the fraternity that was established was called the "Alpha Chapter."

With an infinite vision of an organization encompassing the ideals of scholarship, manly deeds, and love for all mankind, our seven founders, whom we respectfully call the "Jewels", aspired to bring forth a fraternity dedicated to social purpose and social action. Today, the fraternity has over 175,000 members in 750 chapters of the United States, Africa, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, and the West Indies.