Chicago (IL) Alumni Chapter

A Brief History

The increased Black presence in Chicago, spurred by the Great Migration, gave rise to a vibrant community on the city’s south side, termed “the Black Belt.” That area was later expanded to become what is now known as “Bronzeville,” a focal point of Black culture and home to several prominent Black people of that period.

In January 1919, Kappa Alpha Psi Founder Byron K. Armstrong was employed by the U.S. Department of Labor and was appointed to visit Chicago, as well as other Midwestern states, to study, survey, and make recommendations regarding working conditions, job opportunities, wages, and discrimination, which affected Black people in war industries. Founder Armstrong observed the Black community’s vitality and potential for continual development. He believed the number of high-achieving Black people residing in Chicago epitomized the fraternity’s ideals and felt this location was fertile ground from which an alumni chapter could be planted.

“[Founder Elder Watson] Diggs holding we should be a conservative group with limited range, while [Byron K.] Armstrong held that we should do all in our power to become a top organization of national power, scope, prestige, and prominence. Diggs never looked with much favor on alumni chapters, while I felt that at that time, they were necessary to give us prestige, support, and influence.” – Founder Byron K. Armstrong, Crossing the Jordan and Beyond

Founder Armstrong met with several local Theta Chapter members and members residing in Chicago and developed a plan to organize an alumni chapter in Chicago. Worthy men were identified, and arrangements were made to have them to be initiated. The 9th Grand Chapter Meeting was arranged to be held in Chicago, April 15-17, 1919, and a charter was bestowed to the new chapter on April 17, 1919, during this meeting. It was the Fraternity’s first designation of an alumni chapter, named for the city in which it was located. The establishment of the Chicago (IL) Alumni Chapter marked a transition from inexperience and idealism to organizational maturity.