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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Proud members of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity are |
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gathering at the State Capitol on March 2, 2015, and this is a |
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fitting opportunity to celebrate the fraternity's exceptional |
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legacy of civic engagement; and |
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WHEREAS, Established at Cornell University on December 4, |
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1906, Alpha Phi Alpha was the first intercollegiate Greek-letter |
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fraternity established by African Americans; founded by seven men |
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who came to be known as the "Jewels" of the organization, Alpha Phi |
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Alpha initially served as a study and support group for minority |
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students who were struggling against racial prejudice; these early |
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leaders laid the foundation for the fraternity's principles of |
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scholarship, fellowship, character, and the uplifting of humanity; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, In the years that followed, Alpha Phi Alpha chapters |
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were formed at other colleges across the nation; while the |
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fraternity placed a strong emphasis on the academic excellence of |
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its members, it also expanded its focus to address the educational, |
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economic, political, and social injustices faced by African |
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Americans and people of color around the world; over the decades, |
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many former Alpha Phi Alpha members have stood at the forefront of |
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the fight for civil rights, including W. E. B. Du Bois, Paul |
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Robeson, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Adam |
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Clayton Powell Jr., Edward Brooke, Andrew Young, and William Gray; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha has been an interracial group since |
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1945 and now encompasses chapters in five U.S. regions; the |
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fraternity has an especially rich history in the Lone Star State, |
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which has been home to three of the organization's general |
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presidents; in addition, a number of prominent Texas leaders are |
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Alpha Phi Alpha alumni, including several members of the Texas |
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House of Representatives; and |
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WHEREAS, Throughout its history, Alpha Phi Alpha has worked |
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to foster a brotherhood of concerned citizens who devote themselves |
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to the greater good, and its members may indeed reflect with pride |
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on their organization's noteworthy tradition of activism and |
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achievement; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize March 2, 2015, as Alpha Phi Alpha |
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Fraternity Day at the State Capitol and extend to the visiting |
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members sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the fraternity as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |