Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Gamma Iota Lambda chapter records

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African American men, was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York by seven college men who recognized the need for a strong bond of brotherhood among African descendants in the United States. The fraternity initially served as a study and support group for students who faced racial prejudice, both educationally and socially, at Cornell.

The founders, known to their brethren as the 'seven jewels,' along with early leaders of the fraternity, laid a firm foundation for Alpha Phi Alpha's principles of scholarship, fellowship, good character, and the uplifting of humanity. The organization has been interracial since 1945.

Alpha Phi Alpha chapters were established at other colleges and universities, many of them historically Black institutions, soon after the founding at Cornell. The first alumni chapter was established in 1911. The Gamma Iota Lambda Chapter, an alumni chapter, was chartered in Brooklyn in 1945 with the aim of advancing the well-being of Black Brooklynites and established programs to promote education, health and justice in their neighborhoods. Among the membership are attorneys, civic leaders, architects, clergy, educators, physicians, and veterans. Prominent members include Dr. Hobart S. Jarrett (1915-2005), Alton Burton (1925-2018), Albert Vann (1934-2022), and Myles A. Paige (1898-1983).