Prototype: the first thing or being of its kind; model. The aforementioned definition of prototype was given by Webster’s New World Dictionary. So, when thinking of the prototype of today’s Black Greek Lettered Organizations (BGLO’s), one is left to ponder, “ What preceding organization is the first thing or being of its kind? And again of BGLO prototype what is the model which bears the most commonalities of the BGLO that belong to or are interested in?”
The answer to the aforementioned questions were revealed at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign where the author, whom was then not a member of a BGLO, witnessed a most shocking statement from the mouth of Dr. Walter Kimbrough during one of his workshops of his renowned book on BGLO’s entitled, Black Greek 101. Sorry Bro’s but we are not the first, Kimbrough stated as the answer after he asked the audience the name of the first BGLO to which the answer Alpha Phi Alpha was given. Kimbrough pointed across a beam of light through a large dark room full of young collegiate minds as well as professors to a picture of nine black males with the letters Alpha Kappa Nu 1903 below it on a slide presentation on a screen. Jawbones gave in to gravity as the attendees of the workshop looked at Kimbrough in awe as well as with the hunger of more as he flicked through even more pictures of BGLO’s such as Gamma Phi fraternity founded 1905 Wilberforce University, Sigma Phi Pi founded 1905 in the City of Philadelphia, and finally Alpha Phi Alpha founded 1906 at Cornel University.
Alpha Kappa Nu Founded 1903
To accompany the scholarly work of Dr. Kimbrough, one of today’s most thorough books on BGLO’s entitled, African- American Fraternities and Sororities: the Legacy and the Vision, authors Michael H. Washington and Cheryl L Nunez speak greatly of Alpha Kappa Nu:
In 1903 on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, a Black Sponsored Greek Lettered organization came briefly into being, with the purpose of strengthening the African-American voice at the university and in the city, Alpha Kappa Nu is the first recorded collegiate Black Greek Lettered organization (BGLO) in the history of the United States (p137).
Yet, Alpha Kappa Nu was a Black Greek Lettered Organization but it can only be the prototype of today’s BGLO if one reflects it. In order to capture what BGLO’s are today one would need to review the commonalities with Alpha Kappa Nu. The mission of A.K.N was to give the Negro a voice on the campus of Indiana University. Is there an organization which exists today which follows such a pattern? Yes, there is an organization which has purposely become the evolution of A.K.N. In his now obscure book entitled, Crossing the River Jordan and Beyond published 1939, Byron Kenneth Armstrong, an original founder of Kappa Alpha Nu (now Kappa Alpha Psi) stated:
The name selected for the new organization was Kappa Alpha Nu (now Kappa Alpha Psi). This name being taken from an older local fraternity of Race students – Alpha Kappa Nu – which was organized some years before (about 1903) by Sterling MacWayne, John Hodge, Thomas Reynolds, Thomas Carlyle, and John Knight.
Note: The activities of A.K.N continued several years before 1911. A.K.N in the oldest Race college fraternity active today.
In following the objective of AKN, Kappa Alpha Nu had organized to take on the mission of re-integration as well as retention of then called Negro students at the Indiana University in Bloomington as an example that the Negro can achieve in every field of human endeavor even where they were not welcomed and surrounded by whites. This was the first organization with aims at serving America through serving the Negro as its most underserved community. The only other African-American collegiate fraternity at the time had a constitution with aims at only the uplift of its members and was only incorporated as individual chapters. The organization KAN would become the prototype for BGLO’s which had service of all with emphasis on the Negro as an action and motto.
Yet, does service make Kappa Alpha Psi the prototype for today’s BGLO? Taking a closer look at Kappa through the years. In 1911 Kappa became the first BGLO incorporating both its grand body and its alpha chapter simultaneously. In 1919 Kappa became the first fraternity to utilize and propose the use of a national orientation process called a Scroller’s pledge club. Even though Kappa’s grand body resisted the use of the pledge club in its inception, chapters of Kappa have carried it out in use anyway which spawned others to use its likeness in pledge clubs named of their own such as Alpha Phi Alpha’s Sphinxman, Alpha Kappa Alpha’s Ivy, Omega Psi Phi’s Lampados, Delta Sigma Theta’s Pyramid, Phi Beta Sigma’s Crescent, Zeta Phi Beta’s Archonian, and Sigma Gamma Rho’s Aurora, pledge clubs.
Though today the rejection of pledge clubs due to deaths and injuries through hazing have forced them underground pledge clubs still exist within the secret society of each organization. This process later became the Membership Orientation & Intake Process (MOIP) used in all BGLO’s today.
In conclusion if your BGLO now has service as it’s forefront, uses either a pledge club or MOIP, contains a secret society within itself, is a voice for African American people and social change, and contains a nationally incorporated grand body, then Kappa Alpha Psi the new name of Kappa Alpha Nu as well as the evolution of Alpha Kappa Nu, is your prototype.
Contact: Michael Gardner, Spokesman/ Author
NAS Media Group, Inc
michaelgardner@naspublishing.com
773-220-8344
