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In its 108-year-history, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. has produced an elite group of men who have carried on its legacy through various fields. From judges to actors, the organization boasts more than 100,000 members who are committed to carrying out the fraternity’s objectives to:
- To unite college men of culture, patriotism, and honor, in a bond of fraternity.
- Encourage honorable Achievement in every field of human endeavor.
- To promote spiritual, social, intellectual, and moral welfare of its members.
- To assist in the aims and purposes of colleges and universities.
- To inspire service in the public interest.
Below are five notable members of Kappa Alpha Psi in honor of its Founders Day.
Cedric the Entertainer
LOS ANGELES – JUL 19: Cedric The Entertainer at the Cedric the Entertainer Star Ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on July 19, 2018 in Los Angeles, CA – Shutterstock
Funnyman Cedric the Entertainer has been delighting audiences for decades with his spitfire comedy.
Cedric, one of the Original Kings of Comedy, is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi and was honored by the city of St. Louis after a street named after him in December in front of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Alumni House.
“When I think of St. Louis I think about my mother, where I grew up and all the streets. The places I have been down that became a fabric of who I am,” he told Fox 2 Now in St. Louis.
The star, who can be seen on CBS’ The Neighborhood, pledged as a Nupe when he attended Southeast Missouri State University.
John Singleton
LOS ANGELES – JAN 27 – John Singleton arrives at The People v. O.J. Simpson American Crime Story Premiere on January 27, 2016 in Westwood, CA – Shutterstock
Director Singleton pledged Kappa Alpha Psi during his time at the University of Southern California.
Shortly after graduating from USC in 1990, Singleton directed his debut film, Boyz N’ The Hood starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne. The film earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director.
Singleton’s films have earned more than $400 million at the box office, making him one of the most successful Black directors in Hollywood.
Colin Kaepernick
LOS ANGELES – MAY 03: Colin Kaepernick arrives for the VH1’s 3rd Annual ‘Dear Mama: A Love Letter to Moms’ on May 3, 2018 in Los Angeles, CA-shutterstock
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Kaepernick has been vocal about systemic racism and has called for accountability against police officers accused of killing unarmed Black men.
During the NFL’s 2016-2017 season, Kaepernick began to kneel during the National Anthem in protest of racial injustice. It is believed that his decision to kneel, which many people feel is disrespectful to the U.S. military and to the national flag, has led to him not being signed to an NFL roster since 2017.
Kaepernick has gained many detractors but also has received support from fans all around the country. His brothers at Kappa Alpha Psi have thrown their support behind the NFL-player-turned-activist.
In August 2017, Kappa Alpha Psi sent a letter addressed to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell saying that it supports Kaepernick.
“Mr. Kaepernick’s status as a social pariah within League circles emanated from doing more than kneeling ‘silently’ during the National Anthem,” wrote Thomas L. Battles Jr., the organization’s Grand Polemarch (president).
Marc Lamont Hill
The author and television personality pledged a Kappa for the Abington-Ambler (Penn.) Alumni Chapter.
Hill has used his voice to speak up on issues facing Black Americans. He’s written multiple books such as The Classroom and The Cell: Conversations on Black Life in America and Nobody: Casualties of America’s War on the Vulnerable, from Ferguson to Flint and Beyond.
Last November, Hill was fired from his role as a political commentator on CNN for his comments criticizing Israel, which many felt were anti-Semitic.
Charles Blow
New York, NY – March 26, 2018: Charles Blow attends King in the wilderness New York Screening at Riverside Church-Shutterstock
The New York Times columnist has made waves for his sharp commentary on race relations in the U.S. and his scathing pieces on President Donald Trump.
Blow, a Grambling State University alumnus, has made numerous appearances on CNN and MSNBC, where he offers his unfiltered political views, and is an author, having written Fire Shut Up in My Bones.
In a 2016 op-ed, Blow jumped to the defense of Judge Gonzalo Curiel, a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, who Trump infamously criticized because of his Mexican heritage, when he was a then-presidential candidate.
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