The Story of Kappa Alpha Psi

The story of Kappa Alpha Psi is to a large extent the story of black students everywhere, whether organized or not, who attended predominantly white colleges or universities in America prior to World War II. The accomplishments of these first Black students is all the more noteworthy because typically they worked their way through college. Their determination in the face of seemingly insurmountable social and economic odds is the source of inspiration to less than full privileged students at white institutions of higher learning throughout America. To understand this is to understand the birth of college fraternities among Blacks. Black-sponsored Greek letter organizations on the Indiana University campus might well have begun in 1903, but there were too few registrants to assure continuing organization. In that year, a club was formed called Alpha Kappa Nu with the purpose of strengthening the Blacks' voice at the University and in the city of Bloomington. There is no record of any similar organization at Indiana until the chartering of Kappa Alpha Nu, a forerunner of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated, in 1911.

The Ten Illustrious Founders gave birth to a great concept, the idea that if we are going to be brothers, let us be brothers on the best terms that we know. If we are going to bind ourselves together, let it be around something that is strong enough to hold us; if we are going to sing, let us sing about something that will have a lasting refrain; if we drink a toast, let it be of something beyond the trivial and the vulgar; let us exalt the theme of achievement. Reliance would be placed upon high Christian ideals and the purpose of honorable achievement in every field of human endeavor. The Fraternity would seek to raise the sights of young black youths and stimulate them to accomplishments higher than might otherwise not be realized or even imagined. With achievement as its purpose, Kappa Alpha Psi began uniting college men of culture, patriotism and honor in a bond of fraternity. Subsequently, chapters spread in succession to the University of Illinois, the University of Iowa, and Wilberforce University campuses. By 1919, the Kappa Alpha Psi experience had generated serious interest among black college degree holders to form Alumni Chapters. Today, under the theme "Training for Leadership," Kappa Alpha Psi promotes a style of intellectual and aesthetic evaluation for more than 100,000 members, both undergraduate and alumni, located throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Korea, Japan, Germany, and the Bahamas.

The Founders of Kappa Alpha Nu were God-fearing, clean-living, serious-minded young men who possessed imagination, ambition, courage and determination to defy custom in pursuit of a college education and career.

Elder Watson Diggs

Born in Madisonville, Kentucky, Elder Watson Diggs graduated from the Indiana State Normal School (now the Indiana State Teachers College) at Terre Haute, Indiana in the spring of 1908 and entered Howard University in 1909. In June 1916, he was granted a degree by Indiana University. His leadership ability, sincerity of purpose, enthusiasm and dedication earned for him the respect of his fellows and the office of Grand Polemarch of the newly established Fraternity. He held that office for six consecutive years (to December 1917) and was awarded the first Laurel Wreath, the Fraternity's highest recognition for achievement, in 1924. Writing for the May 1916 issue of the Kappa Alpha Psi Journal, E.W. Proctor reflected the esteem in which Diggs was held with the statement: "(He) will be graduated this June. Our Grand Polemarch was the alpha of every attempt directed toward some good end, It is with great regret that we are about to lose him." Diggs died November 8, 1947, and a public school in Indianapolis was named in his memory.

John Milton Lee