Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated Alpha Upsilon Chapter

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated Alpha Upsilon Chapter Since its finding on March 27th 1926, "The GOLD Chapter" or The Alpha Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, INC.

held true to being the premier role models to the campus community of Wayne State University and its surrounding areas. Since its founding on December 4th 1906 at Ithaca, New York at Cornell University, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated is the First Intercollegiate Black Greek Lettered Organization founded for African American Men. Alpha has served as the role model for African American Men across the nation and now internationally in Liberia, Johannesburg and London.

On February 10, 1971, Bill White became the first Black play‐by‐play announcer in Major League Baseball (MLB) History. H...
02/10/2023

On February 10, 1971, Bill White became the first Black play‐by‐play announcer in Major League Baseball (MLB) History. He called Yankee games from 1971 to 1988, most often teamed with Phil Rizzuto and Frank Messer. White did the team's broadcasts on both radio and television during that time period.

Bill White, born William De Kova White, played for 13 seasons in the Major Leagues, and was one of the top defensive first basemen of his time, winning seven straight Gold Glove Awards (1960–66). White hit for the cycle on August 14, 1960 and once hit three home runs in a game, on July 5, 1961.

Nationally, White helped call several World Series for CBS Radio (1976, 1977, 1978, 1987, and 1988) and did sports reports for the network.

He became the president of the National League in 1989 in a unanimous vote, becoming the first black executive to hold such a position in sports, and did so until 1994.

White was elected to the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame on May 22, 2020.

On February 8, 1944, Harry McAlpin became the first African-American to be allowed to attend a Presidential press confer...
02/08/2023

On February 8, 1944, Harry McAlpin became the first African-American to be allowed to attend a Presidential press conference on behalf of the National Negro Publishers Association. This came to fruition as a result of the NNPA petitioning the White House Correspondents Association, which ultimately agreed to grant McAlpin clearance to attend the conference on the behalf of the Atlanta Daily World.

While he was allowed to attend the Presidential press conference, McAlpin was not ranted a congressional press pass, and his application for one was rejected, which he attributed to his racial background rather than the Capitol’s press galleries’ statements that his status as a weekly reporter did not qualify him to report on congressional matters.

McAlpin,who passed away in 1985, was posthumously honored by the White House Correspondents Association in 2014, with a scholarship created in his memory.

McAlpin was also recognized by President Barack Obama for being a pioneer in journalism.


On February 6, 1956, Autherine Lucy became the first African-American to attend the University of Alabama. During her ti...
02/06/2023

On February 6, 1956, Autherine Lucy became the first African-American to attend the University of Alabama. During her time on campus, she was met by hostile crowds of people who hurled debris and voiced racially charged threats until the University made the decision to expel her only three days after enrolling.

Lucy and her friend, Pollie Myers, applied to the school in September of 1952, and were accepted until the University realized they were both African American.

After applying again following the Brown V. Board Supreme Court case, Myers was ultimately barred from attending because University officials discovered she’d had a child before marriage.

Autherine Lucy Foster was honored in 2019, when the University of Alabama presented her with an honorary doctorate in 2019. She passed away on March 2, 2022.

Yesterday evening, Bro. Jefferson and Bro. Leverett, along with Wayne State University’s NPHC, performed at the Detroit ...
02/05/2023

Yesterday evening, Bro. Jefferson and Bro. Leverett, along with Wayne State University’s NPHC, performed at the Detroit Pistons’ pre-game show at Little Caesars Arena.

As we continue our celebration of Black History Month, we’d like to acknowledge the for having hosted us and the for NPHC Night.


In April of 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African-American player to break Major League Baseball’s color barrie...
02/04/2023

In April of 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African-American player to break Major League Baseball’s color barrier, which had segregated the sport for more than 55 years.

While Robinson was the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era, that wasn’t the only color barrier he’d come to break.

On February 4, 1952, 71 years ago, he was hired as the Director of Community Activities for the WNBC radio station, and the WNBT television station, making him the first African-American executive of a major radio and television station.

The strides that he made in the professional baseball, radio, and television industries heralded the beginning of the end for discrimination and racism against African-Americans in professional capacities.



On February 3, 1947, 76 years ago, Percival L. Prattis became the first African American news correspondent admitted to ...
02/03/2023

On February 3, 1947, 76 years ago, Percival L. Prattis became the first African American news correspondent admitted to the press galleries of both the United States House of Representatives and the Senate.

Born April 27, 1895, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Prattis attended Hampton University in Virginia from 1912 to 1915, and graduated in 1916 from Ferris State University.

He served as a Battalion Sergeant Major in the U.S. Army during World War I, and was stationed in France for nearly a year in 1918 and 1919.

Prattis joined the Pittsburgh Courier in 1935, became editor in 1956 and retired in 1962. He has been noted for his ability to unify black newsmen behind the fight against discrimination of African Americans in the press, particularly in the years around World War II.



On this day, 71 years ago, B.B. King’s "3 O’ Clock Blues” became his first Billboard Rhythm and Blues charted number one...
02/02/2023

On this day, 71 years ago, B.B. King’s "3 O’ Clock Blues” became his first Billboard Rhythm and Blues charted number one single.

B.B. King, otherwise known as "The King of the Blues", became one of the most important names in R&B music in the 1950s, amassing an impressive list of hits including "You Know I Love You", "Woke Up This Morning", "Please Love Me", "When My Heart Beats like a Hammer", "Whole Lotta Love", "You Upset Me Baby", "Every Day I Have the Blues", "Sneakin' Around", "Ten Long Years", "Bad Luck", "Sweet Little Angel", "On My Word of Honor", and "Please Accept My Love".

He was born Riley B. King on a cotton plantation of Berclair near the city of Itta Bena, Mississippi, and was raised by his grandmother, eventually working at a cotton gin as an adolescent in Indianola, Mississippi. He was attracted to music and the guitar in church, and he began his career in juke joints and local radio.

He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimmering vibrato, and staccato picking that ultimately came to influence many later renowned blues electric guitar players like Jimi Hendrix and Gary Clark, Jr.

On this day, 71 years ago, B.B. King’s "3 O’ Clock Blues” became his first Billboard Rhythm and Blues charted number one...
02/02/2023

On this day, 71 years ago, B.B. King’s "3 O’ Clock Blues” became his first Billboard Rhythm and Blues charted number one single.

B.B. King, otherwise known as "The King of the Blues", became one of the most important names in R&B music in the 1950s, amassing an impressive list of hits including "You Know I Love You", "Woke Up This Morning", "Please Love Me", "When My Heart Beats like a Hammer", "Whole Lotta Love", "You Upset Me Baby", "Every Day I Have the Blues", "Sneakin' Around", "Ten Long Years", "Bad Luck", "Sweet Little Angel", "On My Word of Honor", and "Please Accept My Love".

He was born Riley B. King on a cotton plantation of Berclair near the city of Itta Bena, Mississippi, and was raised by his grandmother, eventually working at a cotton gin as an adolescent in Indianola, Mississippi. He was attracted to music and the guitar in church, and he began his career in juke joints and local radio.

He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimmering vibrato and staccato picking that ultimately came to influence many later blues electric guitar players like Jimi Hendrix and Gary Clark, Jr.


While today marks the beginning of Black History Month, we’d be remiss in not also commemorating the life and legacy of ...
02/01/2023

While today marks the beginning of Black History Month, we’d be remiss in not also commemorating the life and legacy of Langston Hughes, who was born on this day 122 years ago.

Mr. James Mercer Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1901, in Joplin, Missouri. He was raised by his grandmother until he was thirteen, when he moved to Lincoln, Illinois, to live with his mother and her husband, before the family eventually settled in Cleveland, Ohio.

Hughes, who claimed Paul Laurence Dunbar, Carl Sandburg, and Walt Whitman as his primary influences, is particularly known for his insightful portrayals of black life in America from the twenties through the sixties. He wrote novels, short stories, plays, and poetry, and is also known for his engagement with the world of jazz and the influence it had on his writing, as in his book-length poem Montage of a Dream Deferred (Holt, 1951). His life and work were enormously important in shaping the artistic contributions of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s.

Join us in congratulating our very own AY alum Edison Nwobi (FA ‘19) who was honored during his White Coat Ceremony this...
01/23/2023

Join us in congratulating our very own AY alum Edison Nwobi (FA ‘19) who was honored during his White Coat Ceremony this past weekend at Belmont University!

This is an incredibly significant achievement and milestone in his journey toward becoming a Pharmacist, and we wish him the very best in the next phase of his education in the College of Pharmacy.

As always, we move onwards and upwards.

Join us in congratulating our very own AY alum Edison Nwobi (FA ‘19) who was honored during his White Coat Ceremony this...
01/23/2023

Join us in congratulating our very own AY alum Edison Nwobi (FA ‘19) who was honored during his White Coat Ceremony this past weekend at Belmont University!

This is an incredibly significant achievement and milestone in his journey toward becoming a Pharmacist, and we wish him the very best in the next phase of his education in the College of Pharmacy.

As always, we move onwards and upwards.

Today, Bro. President Jefferson and the Brothers of Alpha Upsilon went to Dossin Elementary School for their Martin Luth...
01/16/2023

Today, Bro. President Jefferson and the Brothers of Alpha Upsilon went to Dossin Elementary School for their Martin Luther King Day Annual Service Event.

Today we would like to honor Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Sigma Chapter 52’) For the impact that he has made within our Nation!

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