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A Historical Overview
of Iota Phi Theta |
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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. |
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On June 12th, Medger Evers, NAACP field secretary and
civil rights leader, was assassinated at his home in Jackson, Mississippi
by a segregationist. |
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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… |
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Three weeks later (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.
The Honorable Founders of Iota Phi
Theta Fraternity, Inc.
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 in pre-school.
Even more uniquely, many of these men were what are now referred to as
"Non-Traditional Students" and were 3 to 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.
Based upon
their ages, heightened responsibilities, and increased level of maturity,
this group had a slightly different perspective than the norm for college
students. It was this perspective from which they established the
Fraternity's purpose, "The development and perpetuation of
Scholarship, Leadership, Citizenship, Fidelity, and Brotherhood among
Men." Additionally, they conceived the Fraternity's motto, "Building
a Tradition, Not Resting Upon One!"
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.
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 over 198 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 The Bahamas Islands.
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!"
