Sigma Pi Phi

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ΣΠΦ - Sigma Pi Phi

Motto
Colors	Unknown
Symbol	Unknown
Founded	1904 at Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Type	Service
Scope	International
Headquarters	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Chapters	112+
Nickname Boule, "a council of noblemen"
Homepage	http://www.sigma-pi-phi.net

Sigma Pi Phi is generally considered to be the first African-American greek-lettered organization. Sigma Pi Phi was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 1904. [1] The founders included two doctors, a dentist and a physician [2]. When Sigma Pi Phi was founded, black professionals were not offered participation in the professional and cultural associations organized by the white community. [3] Sigma Pi Phi has over 5,000 members and 112 chapters throughout the United States and the West Indies.^[1]

Contents 1 Founders 2 Membership 3 Famous members 4 References 5 External links

Founders

• Dr. Algernon B. Jackson
• Henry McKee Minton
• Dr. Edwin C. Howard
• Dr. Richard J. Warrick

Membership

Membership to Sigma Pi Phi is exclusive [4]. The organization is known as "the Boule," which means "a council of noblemen." [5] Founded as an organization for professionals, Sigma Pi Phi never established college chapters, and eliminated undergraduate membership during its infant stages. [6]. However, Sigma Pi Phi has historically had a congenial relationship with college Black Greek-Letter Organizations, as many members of Sigma Pi Phi are members of them both.^{[citation needed]} Members of Sigma Pi Phi have also provided leadership and service during the Great Depression, World War I, World War II, the Civil Rights Movement, and addressed social issues such as urban housing, and other economic, cultural, and political issues affecting people of color.

Famous members

Members of Sigma Pi Phi include co-founder of the NAACP [7] W. E. B. Du Bois, Former NAACP President Kweisi Mfume, former United Nations Ambassador Ralph Bunche, former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, former Virginia Governor L. Douglas Wilder, American Express President Kenneth Chenault, Nobel Peace Prize winner Martin Luther King, Jr., Bobby Scott, Ken Blackwell, Ron Brown, Vernon Jordan, Arthur Ashe, Mel Watt^[2], and Hank Aaron.^[3] Numerous other American leaders are among the men who have adopted the fraternity’s purpose of "creating a forum wherein they could pursue social and intellectual activities in the company of peers." [8] Sigma founder Henry McKee Minton and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were both members of Alpha Phi Alpha, while Arthur Ashe was also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi. Vernon Jordan is a member of Omega Psi Phi. Sigma Pi Phi is also open to members of all races, as can be demonstrated by its well known Jewish member Jack Greenberg who served as a mentor to Thurgood Marshall. [9]

References

1. ^ University at Albany, SUNY (April 25, 2002). Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity Supports Scholarships for UAlbany Students. Press release. Retrieved on 2006-10-07.
2. ^ Watt, Mel (February 28, 2006). "Honoring Black History Month". Retrieved on 2006-10-08. 
3. ^ Lavelle, Lydia E., Senator Leroy R. Johnson '57 - Our "Georgia Peach", North Carolina Central University, 2002.

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