Alpha Phi Alpha Principles, History, and Notable Members
Sphinxman Principles and Values
The Sphinxman Credo
As a Sphinxman, I will uphold high scholastic standards, high moral character, brotherly love, personal progress, loyalty, and respect for womanhood to the best of my ability.
The Sphinxman Hymn
The mystic Sphinx for us the name does signify,
We love and guard its customs and ideals.
Our task is hard, our vigil long and dutiful,
Our hearts are ever mindful of our task.
And should we cross those burning sands that guard our aims,
We pledge ourselves as mandates to obey.
To this one goal our concentrated efforts be:
To be a worthy part of Noble Alpha Phi Alpha.
The Sphinxman Prayer
Oh Father, may we as oncoming Alpha men make full development so that we may uphold the high standards of Alpha Phi Alpha: Manly Deeds, Scholarship, and Love For All Mankind. Amen.
Inspirational Texts and Character
Last Sentence of “If”
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!
Invictus
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the Shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how straight the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.
The Test of a Man
The test of a man is the fight that he makes,
The grit that he daily shows,
The way he stands upon his feet,
And takes life’s numerous bumps and blows.
A coward can smile when there’s naught to fear,
And nothing his progress bars.
But it takes a man to stand and cheer,
While the other fellow stars.
It’s not the victory after all,
But the fight that a brother makes.
A man when driven against the wall,
Still stands erect and takes
The blows of fate with his head held high,
Bleeding, bruised, and pale,
Is the man who will win and fate defied,
For he isn’t afraid to fail.
Organizational Development
Key Chapters
- Chapter 6: Expansion and Internal Development
- Chapter 7: The Leaven of Self-Examination
Notable Alpha Phi Alpha Members by Field
- Law: Thurgood Marshall (Civil Rights)
- Civil Rights: Martin Luther King Jr.
- Sports: Jesse Owens
- Education: Dr. Cornel West
- Business: Henry Brown
- Science/Technology: Winston Scott
- Medicine: Garrett Morgan
- Politics/Government: Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
- Entertainment/Arts: Duke Ellington
Current Leadership
General President
Dr. Everett B. Ward
Founding History
ABL Founders (June 9, 1928)
- W.H. Ballard Jr.
- J.E. Hunter Jr.
- J.M. McInham
- A.A. McPheeters
- F.M. Reid
- N.J. Ridley
- A.W. Wade
- T.T. Wendall
- H.A. Merchant
Assessment Questions and Answers
Question Responses
14: True; 15: True; 16: True; 17: Chapter 4, Local and National Strivings; 18: C; 19: C; 20: G; 21: G; 22: C; 23: H; 24: A; 25: A, F, G; 26: E; 27: F; 28: F; 29: I; 30: E; 31: D; 32: C; 33: C; 34: B; 35: D; 36: B; 37: I; 38: E; 39: D; 40: B; 41: B; 42: C; 43: C; 44: C; 45: C; 46: D; 47: C; 48: B; 49: A; 50: C; 51: A, B, C, F; 52: C; 53: A; 54: C; 55: G; 56: H; 57: E; 58: B, D, E, J, L, M, N; 59: B; 60: B; 61: B; 62: D; 63: H; 64: C; 66: B; 67: G; 68: C; 69: G; 70: A; 71: B; 72: E; 73: J.