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Omega Psi Phi (O?F) is an international fraternity and was the first African-American national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college
Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....
. Omega
Omega

Omega is the 24th and last letter of the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numerals it has a value of 800. The word literally means "great O" , as opposed to Omicron, which means "little O" ....
 Psi
Psi (letter)

Psi is the 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet and has a Greek numerals value of 700. In both Classical Greek and Modern Greek, the letter indicates the combination /ps/ ....
 Phi
PHI

PHI is a three-letter acronym or abbreviation that can refer to:* Post-Polio Health International* Protected Health Information as part of the HIPAA regulations...
 was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University
Howard University

Howard University is a private university, coeducational, nonsectarian, Historically black colleges and universities university located in Washington, D.C., United States....
 in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
 by three undergraduate students and one faculty advisor. The founders were Howard University juniors Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper and Frank Charles Coleman. The first faculty advisor of the fraternity was Dr. Ernest Everett Just
Ernest Everett Just

Ernest Everett Just was a pioneering African American United States of America biologist. Just spent his adult life collecting, classifying, and caring for his marine specimens....
, who early on was accorded the status of founder by the three undergraduates.






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Omega Psi Phi (O?F) is an international fraternity and was the first African-American national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college
Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....
. Omega
Omega

Omega is the 24th and last letter of the Greek alphabet. In the Greek numerals it has a value of 800. The word literally means "great O" , as opposed to Omicron, which means "little O" ....
 Psi
Psi (letter)

Psi is the 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet and has a Greek numerals value of 700. In both Classical Greek and Modern Greek, the letter indicates the combination /ps/ ....
 Phi
PHI

PHI is a three-letter acronym or abbreviation that can refer to:* Post-Polio Health International* Protected Health Information as part of the HIPAA regulations...
 was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University
Howard University

Howard University is a private university, coeducational, nonsectarian, Historically black colleges and universities university located in Washington, D.C., United States....
 in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the Capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790....
 by three undergraduate students and one faculty advisor. The founders were Howard University juniors Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper and Frank Charles Coleman. The first faculty advisor of the fraternity was Dr. Ernest Everett Just
Ernest Everett Just

Ernest Everett Just was a pioneering African American United States of America biologist. Just spent his adult life collecting, classifying, and caring for his marine specimens....
, who early on was accorded the status of founder by the three undergraduates. Each of the founders had distinguished careers in their chosen fields: Bishop Edgar Love, became Bishop of the United Methodist Church; Dr. Oscar Cooper, was a prominent physician who practiced in Philadelphia for over 50 years; Professor Frank Coleman, was the Chairman of the Department of Physics at Howard University for many years; and Dr. Ernest E. Just, was a world-renowned biologist.

The next meeting was conducted on November 23, 1911. Edgar Love became the first Grand Basileus (National President). Cooper and Coleman were selected Grandkeeper of the Records (National Secretary) and Grandkeeper of Seals (National Treasurer), respectively. Eleven Howard University undergraduate men were selected as charter members.

From its inception, the fraternity has worked to build a strong and effective force of men dedicated to its Cardinal Principles of manhood, scholarship, perseverance, and uplift. In 1927, at the urging of fraternity member Carter G. Woodson
Carter G. Woodson

Carter Godwin Woodson was an African-American-United States historian, author, journalist and the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History....
, the fraternity made National Negro Achievement Week an annual observance, and it continues today as Black History Month.

Since 1945, the fraternity has undertaken a National Social Action Program to meet the needs of African Americans in the areas of health, housing, civil rights
Civil rights

Civil and political rights are a class of rights ensuring things such as the protection of peoples' physical integrity; procedural fairness in law; protection from discrimination based on sexism, religious intolerance, Racism, Homophobia, etc; individual freedom of freedom of belief, freedom of speech, freedom of association, and freedom...
, and education. Omega Psi Phi has been a patron of the United Negro College Fund
United Negro College Fund

The United Negro College Fund is an USA philanthropic organization that fundraises college tuition money for black students and general scholarship funds for 39 private historically black colleges and universities....
 (UNCF) since 1955, providing an annual gift of $50,000 to the program. Omega Psi Phi is also a National Pan-Hellenic Council
National Pan-Hellenic Council

The National Pan-Hellenic Council is a collaborative organization of nine historically African American, international greek alphabet fraternities and sororities....
 (NPHC) member.

History

Omega Psi Phi was the first national African-American fraternity to be founded at a historically black college when it was established on November 17 1911 at Howard University. Howard University would not initially recognize the fraternity as a national organization and Omega Psi Phi's leadership refused local recognition. The fraternity operated without official sanction until the university withdrew its opposition in 1914, the same year that Beta chapter was founded at Lincoln University
Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)

Lincoln University is the United States' first degree-granting Historically black colleges and universities. It is located in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania....
. Omega Psi Phi was incorporated under the laws of the District of Columbia in October 1914. By 1920 the fraternity had 10 chapters, and in 1930 Omega Psi Phi became one of 5 founding members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council
National Pan-Hellenic Council

The National Pan-Hellenic Council is a collaborative organization of nine historically African American, international greek alphabet fraternities and sororities....
 (NPHC). The NPHC expanded when Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha

Alpha Phi Alpha is the first intercollegiate Fraternities and sororities established by African Americans. Founded on December 4, 1906, on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, Alpha Phi Alpha has initiated over 185,000 men into the organization and has been open to men of all races since 1940....
 and Phi Beta Sigma
Phi Beta Sigma

Phi Beta Sigma is a predominantly African-American Fraternities and sororities which was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students....
 joined in 1931, Sigma Gamma Rho
Sigma Gamma Rho

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated was founded on the campus of Butler University on November 12, 1922, by seven school teachers in Indianapolis, Indiana....
 in 1937, and Iota Phi Theta in 1996.

Founders

Ernest Everett Just
  • Dr. Ernest Everett Just
    Ernest Everett Just

    Ernest Everett Just was a pioneering African American United States of America biologist. Just spent his adult life collecting, classifying, and caring for his marine specimens....
  • Bishop Edgar Amos Love
  • Dr. Oscar James Cooper
  • Professor Frank Coleman


Internationally Mandated Programs

Each Chapter has a list of Internationally Mandated Programs that they have to administer each year . They are:

Achievement Week - This week is observed every November and seeks to recognize individuals who have made notable contributions to society. During this Achievement Week a High School Essay Contest is held and the winner usually receives a scholarship award.

Scholarship - The goal of the Scholarship Program is to encourage academic progress among the undergraduate members. A portion of the fraternity's budget is designated for the Charles R. Drew Scholarship Commission, which awards scholarships to members and non-members.

Social Action Programs - All chapters are required to participate in programs that uplift society. Many participate in activities which include voter registration, illiteracy programs, mentoring programs, fundraisers, and charitable organizations such as American Diabetes Association, United Way, and the Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation.

Talent Hunt Program - Each year, each chapter is required to hold a talent contest. This program encourages young people to expose themselves to the Performing Arts. Individuals who win these talent contests receive an award, such as a scholarship.

Memorial Service - March 12 is Omega Psi Phi Memorial Day. During the month of March every chapter of the Fraternity performs a ritualistic memorial service to remember members who have died.

Reclamation and Retention - This program is an effort to encourage inactive members to become fully active and participate in the fraternity's programs.

College Endowment Funds - The fraternity donates thousands of dollars to Historically Black Colleges and Universities each year.

Health Initiatives - Chapters are required to coordinate programs that will encourage good health practices. Programs that members involve themselves in include HIV/AIDS awareness, blood drives, prostate cancer awareness, and sickle cell anemia awareness programs.

Voter Registration, Education and Motivation - Coordination activities that promote voter registration and mobilization.

NAACP - A Life Membership at Large in the NAACP is required by all chapters and districts.

Membership


Today, Omega Psi Phi has over 700 chapters throughout the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, Bermuda
Bermuda

Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, it is situated around 1770 kilometres northeast of Miami, Florida, and 1350 kilometres south of Halifax Regional Municipality, Canada....
, Bahamas, Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands

The Virgin Islands are an archipelago, part of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean Sea. The Leeward Islands are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles, where the Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean....
, Korea
Korea

Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries, a civilization, and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia....
, Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
, Liberia
Liberia

Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the west coast of Africa, bordered by Sierra Leone, Guinea, C?te d'Ivoire, and the Atlantic Ocean....
, Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
, and Kuwait
Kuwait

The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed by Saudi Arabia to the south and Iraq to the north and west....
. There are many notable Omega Men recognized as leaders in the arts,the sciences, academics, athletics, business, civil rights, education, government, and science sectors at the local, national and international level . Some of these men include Executive Directors of the NAACP Roy Wilkins
Roy Wilkins

File:Roy Wilkins at the White House, 30 April, 1968.jpgRoy Wilkin was a prominent African-American Civil Rights Movement activist in the United States from the 1930s to the 1970s....
 and Benjamin Hooks
Benjamin Hooks

Dr. Benjamin Lawson Hooks , is an American civil rights leader. A Baptist minister and practicing Lawyer, he served as executive director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People from 1977 to 1992, and throughout his career has been a vocal campaigner for civil rights in the United States....
, former President of the National Urban League
National Urban League

The National Urban League , formerly known as the National League of black men and women, is a civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of African Americans and against racial discrimination in the United States....
, Vernon Jordan, Dr. Robert H. Lawrence, the first Black to serve in the US Astronaut Program, and President & CEO of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson

Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an American civil rights activism and Baptist Minister of religion. He was a candidate for the Democratic Party presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as "shadow senator" for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997....
. Also, two former governors William H. Hastie
William H. Hastie

Dr. William H. Hastie was both the first African American List of United States Virgin Islands Governors and the first African American judge on a United States court of appeals....
 (U.S. Virgin Islands) and L. Douglas Wilder (Virginia
Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
) and numerous presidents of colleges and universities as well. NBA Basketball players Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal and Vince Carter are also members of this fraternity.

Jesse Jackson, Half Length Portrait of Jackson Seated At A Table, July 1, 1983
Omega Psi Phi offers undergraduate and graduate membership to potential aspirants. College students must be working toward a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four, or in some cases and countries, five or six years....
 at a four year institution, 36 semester credits, and maintain at least a 2.5 grade point average. An initiant into the graduate chapter must already possess a bachelor's degree. The fraternity grants honorary membership to men who have contributed to society in a positive way on a national or international level. For example, Charles Young (March 12, 1864 - January 8, 1922) was the third African American graduate of West Point, first black U.S. national park superintendent, first African American military attaché, and highest ranking black officer (Lt. Colonel) in the United States Army until his death in 1922.

National Pan-Hellenic Council membership

The fraternity is a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council. The NPHC is composed of nine international black Greek-letter sororities and fraternities and promotes interaction through forums, meetings, and other mediums for the exchange of information, and engages in cooperative programming and initiatives through various activities and functions.

Chapters


Grand Basilei

Name Order Time in Office Ref.
Edgar Amos Love1st Grand Basileus1911-1912 
Oscar J. Cooper2nd Grand Basileus1912-1913 
Edgar Amos Love3rd Grand Basileus1913-1915 
George E. Hall4th Grand Basileus1915-1916 
James C. McMorries5th Grand Basileus1916-1917 
Clarence F. Holmes6th Grand Basileus1917-1918 
Raymond G. Robinson7th Grand Basileus1918-1920 
Harold K. Thomas8th Grand Basileus1920-1921 
J. Alston Atkins9th Grand Basileus1921-1924 
John W. Love10th Grand Basileus 
George E. Vaughn11th Grand Basileus1924-1926 
Julius S. McClain12th Grand Basileus1926-1929 
Matthew W. Bullock13th Grand Basileus1929-1932 
Lawrence A. Oxley14th Grand Basileus1932-1935 
William Baugh15th Grand Basileus1935-1937 
Albert W. Dent16th Grand Basileus1937-1940 
Z. Alexander Looby17th Grand Basileus1940-1945 
Campbell C. Johnson18th Grand Basileus1945-1947 
Harry T. Penn19th Grand Basileus1947-1949 
Milo C. Murray20th Grand Basileus1949-1951 
Grant Reynolds21st Grand Basileus1951-1953 
John F. Potts22nd Grand Basileus1953-1955 
Herbert E. Tucker, Jr.23rd Grand Basileus1955-1958 
I. Gregory Newton24th Grand Basileus1958-1961 
Cary D. Jacobs25th Grand Basileus1961-1964 
George E. Meares26th Grand Basileus1964-1967(?) 
27th Grand Basileus1967(?)-1970(?) 
James Avery28th Grand Basileus1970-1973 
Marion Garnett29th Grand Basileus1973-1976 
Dr. Edward Braynon, Jr.30th Grand Basileus1976- 
Burnel E. Coulon31st Grand Basileus -1980- 
L. Benjamin Livingston32nd Grand Basileus1982-1984 
Dr. Moses C. Norman33rd Grand Basileus1984-1990 
C. Tyrone Gilmore, Sr34th Grand Basileus1990-1994 
Dr. Dorsey Miller35th Grand Basileus1994-1998 
Lloyd Jordan ESQ.36th Grand Basileus1998-2002 
George H. Grace37th Grand Basileus2002-2006 
Warren G.Lee38th Grand Basileus2006-Current 
a. Finished unexpired term of Atkins

List of Omega Psi Phi Grand Conclaves


External links



Footnotes