Bill Text: TX HR771 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Recognizing February 25, 2019, as Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Day at the State Capitol.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-03-22 - Reported enrolled [HR771 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-HR771-Enrolled.html
H.R. No. 771 |
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WHEREAS, Proud members of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity | ||
gathered at the State Capitol on February 25, 2019, providing a | ||
fitting opportunity to celebrate the fraternity's exceptional | ||
legacy of civic engagement; and | ||
WHEREAS, Established at Cornell University on December 4, | ||
1906, Alpha Phi Alpha was the first intercollegiate Greek-letter | ||
fraternity established by African Americans; founded by seven men | ||
who came to be known as the "Jewels" of the organization, Alpha Phi | ||
Alpha initially served as a study and support group for minority | ||
students who were struggling against racial prejudice; these early | ||
leaders laid the foundation for the fraternity's principles of | ||
scholarship, fellowship, character, and the uplifting of humanity; | ||
and | ||
WHEREAS, In the years that followed, Alpha Phi Alpha chapters | ||
were formed at other colleges across the nation; while the | ||
fraternity placed a strong emphasis on the academic excellence of | ||
its members, it also expanded its focus to address the educational, | ||
economic, political, and social injustices faced by African | ||
Americans and people of color around the world; over the decades, | ||
many former Alpha Phi Alpha members have stood at the forefront of | ||
the fight for civil rights, including W. E. B. Du Bois, Paul | ||
Robeson, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Adam | ||
Clayton Powell Jr., Edward Brooke, Andrew Young, and William Gray; | ||
and | ||
WHEREAS, Alpha Phi Alpha has been an interracial group since | ||
1945 and now encompasses chapters across the United States; the | ||
fraternity has an especially rich history in the Lone Star State, | ||
which has been home to three of the organization's general | ||
presidents, and a number of prominent Texas leaders are Alpha Phi | ||
Alpha alumni; and | ||
WHEREAS, For more than a century, Alpha Phi Alpha has worked | ||
to foster a brotherhood of concerned citizens who devote themselves | ||
to the greater good, and its members may indeed reflect with pride | ||
on their organization's noteworthy tradition of activism and | ||
achievement; now, therefore, be it | ||
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas | ||
Legislature hereby recognize February 25, 2019, as Alpha Phi Alpha | ||
Fraternity Day at the State Capitol and extend to all those | ||
associated with the organization sincere best wishes for the | ||
future; and, be it further | ||
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be | ||
prepared for the fraternity as an expression of high regard by the | ||
Texas House of Representatives. | ||
Reynolds | ||
______________________________ | ||
Speaker of the House | ||
I certify that H.R. No. 771 was adopted by the House on March | ||
21, 2019, by a non-record vote. | ||
______________________________ | ||
Chief Clerk of the House | ||