By Special to the Daily World
BALTIMORE —The world’s oldest intercollegiate fraternity founded by African-American men — Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. — will honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during a celebration and recognition of this Alpha Brother and the historic monument that will be unveiled on the National Mall on Sunday, Aug. 28, in Washington, D.C.
“Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. has served as the initiator, the catalyst, and the driving force to preserve the legacy and memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a citizen of the world, who belongs to the ages, and whose example and accomplishments will inspire generations to come through the Washington, D.C. National Memorial,” said Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity 33rd General President Herman “Skip” Mason Jr. “I have been committed to making the dedication of the King Memorial an historic and unforgettable occasion to mark the greatest undertaking to date for the fraternity.”
Rep. Connie Morella (D-Md.) introduced legislation in 1996 to authorize Alpha Phi Alpha to establish the memorial, under the thrust of King himself being a member of one of the oldest African-American fraternities in the nation. The Alphas and Morella teamed and toiled for two years in an effort to pass the bill. In 1998, they were successful. The bill was passed and signed by President Bill Clinton. During a gold carpet affair, “M.L.K.: A Monumental Life,” on Friday, Aug. 26, at 6 p.m., Rep. Morella will receive the Alpha Award of Merit for her contributions.
The invitation-only, white tie celebration at the DAR Constitution Hall will be a star-studded event that will draw influencers from the civic, entertainment, corporate, and social worlds. Hill Harper, Ruby Dee, Nancy Wilson, Della Reese, Soledad O’Brien, Phylicia Rashad, Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr. Richard Roundtree, Louis Gossett Jr., Keisha Knight Pulliam, Judge Glenda Hatchett, Judge Greg Mathis, Jasmine Guy, and Jennifer Holliday are among those confirmed to attend.
An idea initially proposed by five members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (George Sealy, Alfred Bailey, John Harvey, Oscar Little, and Eddie Madison) in 1983 has blossomed into an unprecedented achievement, a monument on the Mall in Washington, D.C., an area preserved for honoring U.S. presidents and for remembering war veterans.
Now Herman “Skip” Mason Jr. General President of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. said King was a man of peace, a
symbol of hope, the first non-president, and an African American stands tall in the pantheon of U.S. heroes.
Brother Sealy first discussed this idea in 1983 with Brothers Bailey, Harvey, Little, and Madison. They determined that Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., in which Dr. King was initiated as a Brother on Jan. 22, 1952, was the organization with the capacity, commitment, and contacts to carry out such a huge undertaking. They presented the idea to the Alpha
Board of Directors under the leadership of 26th General President Ozell Sutton, also of Atlanta, in 1984. The Board approved it, and 27th General President Charles C. Teamer, Sr. guided it through the General Convention in 1985.
Brother Dr. Ed Jackson, Jr. coordinated the design competition with an international panel of experts, which reviewed some 900 entries from around the globe before selecting the Roma Design Group of San Francisco. The winning design was unveiled on Sept. 13, 2000, in Washington, D.C. at a gala event addressed by Mrs. Coretta Scott King, who expressed her pleasure with the project and the design, stating, “I thank my husband’s Fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, which led the 15-year effort to bring this memorial to this point.” The Tommy Hilfiger Foundation, headed by Brother Guy Vickers, with the support of Tommy Hilfiger and CEO Joel Horowitz, sponsored the unveiling. The General Motors Foundation, headed by Brother Roderick Gillum, became a major sponsor of the memorial. Brother Richard W. Marshall, from General Motors, became the Chief Financial Officer of the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. On Dec. 4, 2000, the 94th anniversary of the founding of Alpha Phi Alpha, General President Wallace placed a plaque on the site where the memorial would be built. Today, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity 31st General President Harry E. Johnson Sr. serves as president and CEO of the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.
Several Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. sponsored events will take place during this historic celebration. A theatrical and musical celebration honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is sponsored by AARP, Abercrombie and Fitch, Aflac, ExxonMobil, Perrenial Sports and Entertainment, and The Stafford Foundation.
On Saturday, Aug. 27, 5 p.m. “Alpha Congressional Reception” will be held at the U.S. Capitol in the Cannon Caucus Room at the Cannon House Building and hosted by the nine members of Alpha Phi Alpha who currently are serving in the U.S. Congress.
On Sunday, Aug. 28, BET Networks taps Hill Harper to host the untold story of MLK’s life as a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. in “Alpha Man: The Brotherhood of MLK” with a half- hour special on BET and CENTRIC. In celebration of the MLK National Memorial unveiling, “Alpha Man: The Brotherhood of MLK” is a character driven television news special that traces the lineage of King’s role in the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. during his time as a young graduate student in divinity school in Boston. It also tells the story of how years later his fraternity brothers beat the odds to help make his National Memorial a reality.
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