Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated

95 Years of "Brotherhood, Scholarship and Service" and counting... 
Happy Founders Day Brother  Bro. Paul L. Griffin
 
On this day, January 9, we celebrate the founding of our great Fraternity.  Our noble Founders, The Honorable A. Langston Taylor, The Honorable Leonard F. Morse and the Honorable Charles I. Brown had a vision for a Fraternity of college-educated men from all ranks of life, comprised of the inclusive "we" rather than the exclusive "we", who would serve the people - a commitment manifested in our motto, "Culture for Service and Service for Humanity."  And still, 95 years later, Sigma Men across the globe, through their accomplishments, involvement, and perseverance, have fashioned a proud legacy and hold high the guiding principles of Brotherhood, Scholarship and Service to the honor of our Founders. Let us continue to make service our first priority, through our programs of Education, Social Action and Bigger and Better Business, improving the lives of others and fulfilling the mission.
 
Today, all living Past Presidents, with the exception of the Hon. R.O. Sutton, gathered on the campus of Howard University to celebrate Founders Day. We released three Doves in honor of our three Founders while Brothers from Alpha Chapter and other from across the Eastern Region observed. It was a beautiful time to reflect on the mission of Phi Beta Sigma. We also visited the resting place  of our dear Founder A. Langston Taylor and witnessed a humble ceremony.
 
Today, we also take time to reflect on our illustrious past and re-dedicate ourselves to the cause.  Brothers, recall and reclaim the intense passion you felt in your heart when you joined Sigma and go forth with determination and a renewed spirit to continue our work.  I ask you to help make Founders Day 2009, and everyday this year, a day of Brotherhood, a day of Scholarship and a day of Service while creating a new day of opportunity for somebody, by keeping the light of Sigma shinning brightly in your heart and mind and in everything you do for our community.
 
Happy Founders Day! May God continue to bless you abundantly and keep you safely in his tender care.
 
Fraternally,
 
Paul L. Griffin, Jr.
International President
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
 

The History of Our Fraternity. . .

FoundersPhi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C., January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students. The founders, Honorable A. Langston Taylor, Honorable Leonard F. Morse, and Honorable Charles I. Brown, wanted to organize a Greek letter fraternity that would truly exemplify the ideals of brotherhood, scholarship, and service.

The founders deeply wished to create an organization that viewed itself as "a part of" the general community rather than "apart from" the general community. They believed that each potential member should be judged by his own merits rather than his family background or affluence...without regard of race, nationality, skin tone or texture of hair. They wished and wanted their fraternity to exist as part of even a greater brotherhood which would be devoted to the "inclusive we" rather than the "exclusive we".
 
From its inception, the Founders also conceived Phi Beta Sigma as a mechanism to deliver services to the general community. Rather than gaining skills to be utilized exclusively for themselves and their immediate families, the founders of Phi Beta Sigma held a deep conviction that they should return their newly acquired skills to the communities from which they had come. This deep conviction was mirrored in the Fraternity's motto, "Culture For Service and Service For Humanity".
 
Today, 95 years later, Phi Beta Sigma has blossomed into an international organization of leaders. No longer a single entity, the Fraternity has now established the Phi Beta Sigma Educational Foundation, the Phi Beta Sigma Housing Foundation, the Phi Beta Sigma Federal Credit Union, and the Phi Beta Sigma Charitable Outreach Foundation. Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, founded in 1920 with the assistance of Phi Beta Sigma, is the sister organization of the Fraternity. No other fraternity and sorority is constitutionally bound as Sigma and Zeta. We both enjoy and foster a mutually supportive relationship.