Historical Overview
PERSPECTIVE …
On April 12, America watched with horror and outrage as
Birmingham Police Chief Eugene “Bull” Connor and his officers used water hoses
and police dogs against peaceful civil rights demonstrators.
On June 12th, Medger Evers, NAACP field secretary and civil
rights leader, was assassinated at his home in Jackson, Mississippi by a
segregationist.
On August 28th, 250,000 people participated in the historic
“March on Washington” and heard Martin Luther King, Jr. deliver his historic “I
Have a Dream” speech
… Three weeks later and less than 50 miles away, in
Baltimore, Maryland, another group of men would make a different kind of
history.
BEGINNINGS …
On September 19, 1963, at Morgan State College (now Morgan
State University), 12 students founded what is now the nation’s fifth largest,
predominately African-American social service fraternity: The Iota Phi Theta
Fraternity, Incorporated.
The founders of Iota Phi Theta were: Albert Hicks, Lonnie
Spruill, Jr., Charles Briscoe, Frank Coakley, John Slade, Barron Willis,
Webster Lewis, Charles Brown, Louis Hudnell, Charles Gregory, Elias Dorsey,
Jr., and Michael Williams.
This group of men was unique for several reasons. First of
all, many were long-time friends. Spruill, Coakley, Dorsey, and Gregory had
known one another since grade school, and Spruill and Coakley’s friendship
extended to when the two were pre-schoolers.
Iota Phi Theta, 1964
Even more uniquely, many of these men were what are now
referred to as “Non-Traditional Students” and were 3-5 years older than the
average college student. Gregory, Willis, and Brown were all service veterans,
and Brown, Hicks, and Briscoe were married with small children. Of this group
of 12, several were also working full-time jobs and all were full-time
students.
GROWTH …
The Fraternity functioned as a local entity until the first
interest groups were established in 1967 at Hampton Institute (Beta Chapter)
and Delaware State College (Gamma Chapter). Further expansion took place in
1968 with chapters being formed at Norfolk State College (Delta Chapter) and
Jersey City State College (Epsilon Chapter). The Fraternity was officially and
legally incorporated on November 1, 1968 as a National Fraternity under the
laws of the State of Maryland. Today, Iota Phi Theta consists of 249 chapters
located in 40 States as well Japan, Korea and the Bahamas.
Alpha Chapter, 1968
The first steps toward moving the Fraternity from a regional
to a more national scope were taken with the creation of Upsilon Chapter
(Southern Illinois University) in 1974. It was also during this period that the
Fraternity’s first 4 Graduate chapters were formed: Alpha Omega (Baltimore, MD,
1965), Beta Omega (Washington, DC, 1970), Gamma Omega (Hampton, VA, 1973), and
Delta Omega (Boston, MA, 1973).
These chapters created the framework for the growth and
development of the organization in the Northeast, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and
Midwest Regions of the country. The next regional expansion occurred in 1983
with the establishment of the Alpha Chi (San Francisco State University) and Xi
Omega (San Francisco Alumni) chapters in California.
Today, Iota Phi Theta consists of almost 250 chapters
located in 40 States and the District of Columbia. The scope of the
organization extends throughout the nation, from California to New York; from
Wyoming to Florida; and from Wisconsin to Japan and the Republic of Korea.
SUMMARY …
As Iota Phi Theta continues to grow and strengthen, so will
its commitment to make meaningful contributions to society in general, with
particular emphasis in the African-American community. Throughout America, Iota
Phi Theta has come to represent excellence in all areas. The Fraternity is, and
shall forever remain dedicated to its founders’ vision of “Building a
Tradition, Not Resting Upon One!”
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