Our Fraternity & Chapter | Kappa Alpha Psi Frat

Our History

Kappa Alpha Psi®, a college fraternity, was born in an environment saturated with racism. The state of Indiana became the 19th state of the Union in 1816, and it founded Indiana University in Bloomington four years later. This city was largely populated by settlers from below the Mason-Dixon line and, therefore, found many sympathizers of the Southern cause. Consequently, the few Blacks who took up residence in Bloomington in those early years were socially ostracized and encountered extreme acts of prejudice and discrimination. The state of Indiana became a stronghold for the Ku Klux Klan. Their intolerance toward Blacks fueled the negative mindset of other Whites residing there. Vigilante lynchings of Blacks were commonplace. Despite the growing hostility of Whites toward Blacks in Indiana, some Black students sought a college education at Indiana University, as it was a tuition-free university of the highest quality. However, few Blacks could remain longer than a year or so without having to withdraw in search of employment.

In the school years of 1910-11, a small group of Black students attended Indiana University. Most of them were working their way through school. The number of places where they might assemble was limited. Realizing that they had no part in the university’s social life and were drawn together by common interests, they decided that a Greek letter fraternity would do much to fill the missing link in their college existence. It would be the only Greek letter organization founded with the concept of achievement. The fraternity was primarily founded under the efforts and leadership of the calm, methodical, and philosophical Elder W. Diggs and the critical and scholarly Byron K. Armstrong.

Consequently, eight other men met with Diggs and Armstrong for the purpose of organizing such a fraternity. The charter members were Elder Watson Diggs, Byron K. Armstrong, John M. Lee, Henry T. Asher, Marcus P. Blakemore, Guy L. Grant, Paul W. Caine, George W. Edmonds, Ezra D. Alexander, and Edward G. Irvin. The Founders sought one another’s company between classes and dropped by one another’s places of lodging to further discuss the means of formulating the fledgling fraternity in an effort to relieve the depressing isolation.

The Founders were God-fearing and serious–minded young men with the imagination, ambition, courage, and determination to defy custom in pursuit of a college education and career. The ideals of the church were an important foundation of the fraternity. One of the 5 Objectives of the fraternity is: “To promote the spiritual, social, intellectual and moral welfare of members.” Many aspects of the fraternity’s rites are engrained in Christian ideals and contain excerpts from the Bible.

On January 5, 1911, the fraternity was originally known as Kappa Alpha Nu, possibly as a tribute to the Black students of 1903 (the Alpha Kappa Nu Fraternity) who preceded them at Indiana University. These men of vision decided Kappa Alpha Nu would be more than another social organization. It would be the only Greek letter organization founded with the concept of achievement. Kappa Alpha Nu began uniting college men of culture, patriotism, and honor in a Bond of fraternity.

The name was officially changed to Kappa Alpha Psi® on a resolution adopted at the Grand Chapter Meeting in December 1914. This change became effective on April 15, 1915.

Kappa Alpha Psi®, now comprised of functioning Undergraduate and Alumni Chapters on major campuses and in cities throughout the country, is the crystallization of a dream. It is the beautiful realization of a vision shared commonly by the late Revered Founders that enabled them to sow the seed of a fraternal tree whose fruit is available to, and now enjoyed by college men everywhere, regardless of their color, religion, or national origin. t is a fact that Kappa Alpha Psi® is proud that its Constitution has never contained any clause that either excluded or suggested the exclusion of a man from membership merely because of his color, creed, or national origin.

Here in Southern California, the Irvine-Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi® continues our rich history of promoting academic excellence, engaged and committed community service, leadership development and philanthropy among its members that live and work in Orange County. Since our chartering; January 29, 2011 our Irvine-Anaheim Alumni chapter has been dedicated to serving Black College educated men across all social and educational backgrounds.

We offer scholarships, a variety of social events, and fellowship opportunities to our members, with the main goals of growing our chapter, increasing membership engagement, promoting upcoming events and programs, and raising awareness for scholarship opportunities.

WE continue to hold fast to our fraternal commitment as set forth by our illustrious founders below to the cause of "achievement in every field of human endeavor" our chapter's future expansion goals aim to further our Orange County community impact and global reach.