Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. founded in 1906 on the campus of campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, is the first Greek letter collegiate fraternity established by African American men. The fraternity’s major nonpartisan think tank, The World Policy Council (WPC), was established in 1996 at Howard University. The non-profit Council applies sustained intellectual energy to explore alternative means of addressing and resolving community, national, and international issues. The Council seeks to expand the fraternity’s and the public’s understanding of these issues through public discussions. At the same time, the Council communicates its positions through white papers: concise reports or guides that inform readers about complex issues while presenting the Council’s philosophy on those matters. These documents are intended to assist policymakers, politicians, scholars, journalists, and fraternity chapters in understanding the issues discussed.
Since its founding, the Council has provided informed opinions on various topics, including the AIDS crisis, global warming, Middle East conflicts, Nigerian politics, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of a “World House.”
The Council’s inaugural Board of Directors was a distinguished assembly of Alpha scholars, analysts, and experts. Massachusetts Senator Edward Brooke served as the first Chairman. The Council’s board included former Ambassador to Botswana, Dr. Horace Greeley Dawson, Jr., former Fisk University President Dr. Henry Ponder, New York Congressman Charles Bernard Rangel, and former California Congressman Ronald V. Dellums. Others joined later including Dr. M. Christopher Brown II, the former president of Kentucky State University, and Kenton Wesley Keith, the former ambassador to Qatar. Dr. Ivory Achebe Toldson, former executive director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs, and philosopher Dr. Cornel West have also served on the Council.
The WPC has been instrumental in addressing current events and real-world issues and policies that affect daily lives. In 2007, following the Council’s research and discussions on challenges confronting African American men and boys, Alpha Phi Alpha’s General President Darryl R. Matthews urged 10,000 Alpha men become mentors in their communities. In 2008, the Council applauded U.S. President George W. Bush and his administration for promoting health care in Africa. Four years later in 2012, it applauded U.S. President Obama for steering the nation through the global economic crisis, domestic political division, and various international conflicts.
In 2014, the WPC analyzed official data about HBCUs, emphasizing both their strengths and challenges in promoting higher education among African Americans. This was followed by the 2016 WPC Report on Climate Change, which was based on the 2015 presentation of Dr. Warren M. Washington, renowned scientist, 2007 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, and Alpha Phi Alpha member who led discussions on climate change issues including especially the impact of the intensified burning of fossil fuels around the world.
In 2018, the WPC focused on several critical issues, including U.S. President Donald Trump’s foreign policy goals, the growing danger of human trafficking, and the implications of demographic change in the United States as it transitions towards nonracial majorities in the population. The WPC’s work in these areas has and continues to influence public opinion and government policy decisions.
The World Policy Council of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. is committed to promoting peace, resilience and economic stability, and inclusiveness for a better quality of life for all.
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