Alpha Kappa Nu () was one of the first documented

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

collegiate fraternal organizations in the United States. It formed in 1903 at Indiana University in Richmond (now

Indiana University East Indiana University East (IU East or IUE) is a public university in Richmond, Indiana, a regional campus of Indiana University that serves the eastern Indiana and western Ohio area. Established in 1971 by the Indiana University Board of Trustee ...

) and lasted until around 1905. Its membership included all Black male students at the university.

History

Alpha Kappa Nu Society formed as a social club in 1903 at Indiana University in Richmond (now

). Its membership included ten men, all of the Black students at the university. Its founders included Mr. Hill, John Hodge, E. B. Keemer, James Knight, Gordon Merri, Thomas Reynolds, R. A. Roberts, Howard Thompson, and Fred Williamson. The purpose of Alpha Kappa Nu was to "strengthen the negro voice." Newspaper accounts from 1903 and 1905 identified the organization as a Greek fraternity with elected officers and a constitution with "plans of establishing branches at leading negro institutions". In 1904, the second chapter was set to be established at Wilberforce University. Although Alpha Kappa Nu was never incorporated, it was one of the first documented

collegiate fraternal organizations in the United States. Its ''Alpha chapter'' was the first Black college fraternity to own its own house. Although the fraternity was stated to have lasted until 1911, some sources say it lasted for fourteen months. After the dissolution of Alpha Kappa Nu, at least two of its founders—John Hodge and Thomas Reynolds—joined the ''Upsilon chapter'' of

Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the ...

at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

. Bryson states that the original name (Kappa Alpha Nu) of the Black fraternity

Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911, at Indiana University Bloomington, it has n ...

may have been chosen in tribute to the short-lived fraternity.

Symbols

There is no concrete evidence as to why the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

letters Kappa Alpha Nu were chosen. Speculation is that Kappa is the tenth letter of the Greek alphabet and there were ten founders, Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and this was the as being the first Black fraternity at I.U., and Nu perhaps for Negro.

Notes

References

{{reflist Student organizations established in 1903 Indiana University African-American fraternities and sororities Defunct fraternities and sororities 1903 establishments in Indiana

History

Symbols

See also

Notes

References