The Washington DC Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity Inc. Serving the Community Since 1924.

Brief History
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
"Training For Leadership Since 1911"

In December of 1910, nine young men at the campus of Indiana University, in Bloomington, Indiana -Elder Watson Diggs, Byron Kenneth Armstrong, Ezra Dee Alexander, Henry Asher, Marcus Peter Blakemore, Paul Waymond Caine, Guy Levis Grant, Edward Giles Irvin and John Milton Lee – gathered at the home of Miss Mollie Spaulding to form an organization to enable them to have some semblance of college life. Founder Elder Watson Diggs was presiding officer and Founder Edward Giles Irvin was the temporary secretary. They named the organization the ALPHA OMEGA as a way of holding the group together until they could develop the details of a Greek letter society. These astute men specifically on the evening of Thursday, January 5, 1911 founded Kappa Alpha Nu, Fraternity, on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. And then on April 15, 1911 the new fraternity was chartered and incorporated under the laws of the state of Indiana as a National Secret Greek Fraternity.

Some four years later at the fourth Grand Chapter meeting held at the University of Illinois, December 1914, several members suggested that the fraternity name be changed to Kappa Alpha Psi, to make certain a Greek character was in its alphabetical designation. Thus on April 15, 1915 on a proclamation by the then –Grand Polemarch, Elder Watson Diggs the name acquired a Greek letter symbol distinctive from any in the English alphabet and thereby became a Greek-letter Fraternity in every sense of the designation.

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. is justly proud that the constitution which the founders drafted more than 102 years ago has no clause whatsoever which either exclude or suggest the exclusion of a man from membership, merely because of his color, religion or national extraction. Its constitution is the law of an organization predicated upon, and dedicated, to principles of achievement through a truly democratic Fraternity.

Kappa men are proven leaders in their communities and in every field of human endeavor in the world. Some of the most noted Kappa men to date: Dr. Bernard A. Harris,(The first African American Astronaut to walk in space), Dr. Henry W. Foster (Surgeon), Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr., (Defense Attorney) Reginald F. Lewis (CEO-Beatrice International Food Company worth $985 Million) Dr. Samuel Proctor Massie(Top 75 Chemist in US History) Reverend Walter Edward Fauntroy ( 1st Official Elected to Congress in DC in 100 years) Robert Johnson (Founder of BET and Billionaire) Tavis Smiley (Talk Show Host), Bruce Johnson-WUSA Weekend Anchor, Derek McGinty-WUSA 9 Anchor, John Jacobs- Former President of The National Urban Ledge, Joel Peebles Sr. –Pastor of City of Praise Ministries, Bill Russell NBA Hall of Fame, Wilt Chamberlin-NBA Hall of Fame, Sam Jones-NBA Hall of Fame, Oscar Robinson-NBA Hall of Fame, Gale Sayers- NFL Hall of Fame, Colin Kaepernick –QB of the San Francisco 49rs, Ben Jalluous-NAACP President, Cedric the Entertainer, Nephew Tommie, Grammy & Sellar Award Winners -Rev. Marvin Sapp, Smokie Norful and Rev. Byron Cage.