Kappa Alpha Psi
Fraternity, Inc.

History of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

The Story of Kappa Alpha Psi is to a large extent the story of Black students everywhere. Black students have attended institutions of higher learning (most of which are predominantly white) since early in the nineteenth century. The first black student to graduate from an American college or university is said to have been Alexander Twilight, who received a Bachelors’ Degree from Middlebury College in 1823. In 1826, Edward Jones graduated from Amherst College in Massachusetts. Two weeks later, John Brown Russwurm graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine. Their accomplishments were and are noteworthy. Moreover, their determination in the face of seemingly insurmountable social and economic odds, is a source of inspiration. To understand their plight, is to understand the birth of college fraternities among blacks.

In 1903, on the Indiana University campus, a club called Alpha Kappa Nu was formed to strengthen the black voice at the University and in the city of Bloomington Indiana. That club didn’t last very long. There is no record of any similar organizations at Indiana University until the chartering of Kappa Alpha Nu in 1911, later to become Kappa Alpha Psi.

The Founders

In the school years of 1910-11, a small group of Black students attended Indiana University. Two of these men, Elder Watson Diggs and Byron Kenneth Armstrong, both from Indiana, previously attended Howard University.

Eight other men met with Diggs and Armstrong to organize a fraternity. The founding members were Elder Watson Diggs, Byron K. Armstrong, John M. Lee, Henry T. Asher, Marcus P. Blakemore, Guy L. Grant, Paul W. Caine, George W. Edmonds, Ezra D. Alexander and Edward G. Irvin. Diggs presided as president.

The 5 Objectives Of Kappa Alpha Psi

  1. To unite men of culture, patriotism, and honor in a bond of Fraternity
  2. To encourage honorable achievement in every field of human endeavor
  3. To promote the spiritual, social, intellectual, and moral welfare of members
  4. To assist the aims and purposes of Colleges and Universities
  5. To inspire service in the public interest.

Famous Kappas

Kappa Alpha Psi® boasts members who epitomize the Achievement in Every Field of Human Endeavor. Some famous members include: Ralph Abernathy, Wilt Chamberlin, Bill Russell, Gayle Sayers, Kenneth Clark, Mark Lamont Hill, Stan Lathan, Whitman Mayo, Montell Jordan, Benjamin Jealous, Oscar Robertson, Augustus “Gus” Johnson, Jr., Cedric the Entertainer, Arthur Ashe, Mike Tomlin, Gayle Sayers, Adrian Fenty, Hakeem Jeffries, Donald Byrd, Johnnie Cochran, Smokie Norful, John Singleton, Earl Thomas, Tom Bradley, Bob Johnson, Percy Sutton, Calvin Butts, Leon Sullivan, John Conyers, Alcee Hastings, Reginald Lewis, Lerone Bennett Jr., Alex English, Allan Houston, Penny Hardaway, Kwame Jackson, Mark Tatum, Brandon Marshall, Tavis Smiley, Marvin Sapp, and Colin Kaepernick to name a few. Their accomplishments were and are noteworthy. Moreover, their determination in the face of seemingly insurmountable social and economic odds, is a source of inspiration. To understand their plight, is to understand the birth of college fraternities among blacks.

In 1903, on the Indiana University campus, a club called Alpha Kappa Nu was formed to strengthen the black voice at the University and in the city of Bloomington Indiana. That club didn’t last very long. There is no record of any similar organizations at Indiana University until the chartering of Kappa Alpha Nu in 1911, later to become Kappa Alpha Psi.

Achievement in
Every Field of Human Endeavor.

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
Northeastern Province