A brotherhood begins to take shape
The men gathered between classes and at one another's residences, finding common purpose and building a close bond during a period of deep racial isolation.
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
A Legacy Built on Achievement
From a hostile campus climate at Indiana University to a national brotherhood rooted in achievement, Kappa Alpha Psi was created by ten determined young men who refused to let exclusion define their future.
1911Founded at Indiana University
10Founders
AchievementAt the center of the fraternity's purpose
The Beginning
Born in the face of exclusion
In the early 1900s, Black students at Indiana University faced isolation, discrimination, and limited access to campus life. They were often excluded from housing, facilities, athletics, and the broader social experience of the university.
During the 1910–1911 school year, a small group of Black students began gathering around a shared need for connection, support, purpose, and opportunity. They believed a Greek-letter fraternity could create the brotherhood and structure that the university environment denied them.
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Images From Our Fraternity's Early History
The Founders
Ten men with one vision
Elder Watson Diggs and Byron Kenneth Armstrong helped shape the early vision, drawing from their previous exposure to fraternity life at Howard University. Together with eight other men, they formed the organization that would become Kappa Alpha Psi.
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
Edward G. Irvin
The Timeline
From Alpha Omega to Kappa Alpha Psi
Alpha Omega
The organization first used the temporary name Alpha Omega while its structure, identity, and purpose were still being developed.
Kappa Alpha Nu
The fraternity was formally established as Kappa Alpha Nu, with achievement, culture, patriotism, honor, and brotherhood at its foundation.
Incorporated in Indiana
Kappa Alpha Nu received a charter from the Indiana Secretary of State, becoming the first incorporated Black fraternity in the United States.
The Purpose
More than a social organization
The Founders intended the fraternity to stand for more than social connection. Their vision centered on achievement, moral development, spiritual welfare, leadership, and raising the aspirations of Black young men.
“To promote the spiritual, social, intellectual and moral welfare of members.”
The fraternity's early ideals were shaped by Christian principles and by a belief that brotherhood should create pathways to accomplishment that might otherwise seem unreachable.
The Legacy Continues
Achievement in every field of human endeavor
What began as a response to isolation became a national tradition of leadership, service, scholarship, mentorship, and brotherhood. That legacy continues through chapters like the Lancaster-Palmdale (CA) Alumni Chapter and through generations of men committed to serving their communities.
Meet the Brothers