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Sigma Pi Phi
ΣΠΦ
Founded	1904; 120 years ago (1904) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Type	Professional
Affiliation	Independent
Status	Active
Emphasis	African American non-collegiate
Scope	International
Colors	Pantone 3015 (Blue)
Publication	The Boulé Journal
Chapters	144
Members	5,800 lifetime
Nickname	Boulé, "a council of noblemen"
Headquarters	260 Peachtree Street NW, Suite 1604 Atlanta, Georgia 30303 United States
Website	http://www.sigmapiphi.org

Sigma Pi Phi (ΣΠΦ), also known as The Boulé, is an African American professional fraternity. Founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1904, it is arguably the oldest fraternity for African Americans, between it and Alpha Phi Alpha founded at Cornell University. The fraternity does not have collegiate chapters and is designed for professionals in mid-career or older. Sigma Pi Phi has over 5,000 members and 139 chapters throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, The Bahamas, Colombia and Brazil.

History

Sigma Pi Phi was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1904. The fraternity does not have collegiate chapters and is designed to be a professional fraternity for African American men at mid-career or older. When Sigma Pi Phi was founded, black professionals were not offered participation in the professional and cultural associations organized by the white community.

Its founders were:.

• Robert J. Abele (1875–1929), graduated at the top of his 1895 class at Hahnemann University Medical School (and was its first Black graduate) who earned the highest score ever awarded at that point on the state’s medical certification test, the Pennsylvania State Qualifying Examination for Physicians, in 1897 (where he scored 97.3% out of 100%).
• Eugene T. Hinson - a medical doctor and cofounder of Mercy Hospital in Philadelphia, which opened in 1907.

• Edwin C .J. T. Howard (October 21, 1846 – May 10, 1912) member of the Harvard Medical School Class of 1869 who practiced medicine in Charleston South Carolina and then Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he founded Frederick Douglass Hospital in 1895 and Mercy Hospital in 1907
• Algernon B. Jackson (1878–1942), prominent African American physician, surgeon, writer, and columnist who contributed profoundly to the National Negro Health Movement, an organization that sought to uplift African Americans by educating them on preventative medicine and public health.
• Henry McKee Minton, pharmacist and doctor who was superintendent of the Mercy Hospital of Philadelphia

• Richard J. Warrick Jr. (1880–1957) Penn Dental School (Class of 1899), where he was the second Black person to graduate

Sigma Pi Phi quickly established chapters (referred to as "member boulés") in Chicago, Illinois and then Baltimore, Maryland.

Founded as an organization for professionals, Sigma Pi Phi never established collegiate chapters and eliminated undergraduate membership during its infant stages. However, Sigma Pi Phi has historically had a congenial relationship with intercollegiate Black Greek-letter organizations, as many members of Sigma Pi Phi are members of both.

Sigma Pi Phi has over 5,000 members and 139 chapters throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, The Bahamas, Colombia and Brazil.

Symbols and traditions

The organization is known as "the Boulé," which means, in Ancient Greek "the Council".

Membership

Membership in Sigma Pi Phi is highly exclusive, numbering only about 5,000. Sigma Pi Phi is open to members of all races.

Notable members

Members of Sigma Pi Phi include:

• Robert J. Abele, Sigma Pi Phi founder and brother of Julian Abele
• Arthur Ashe, professional tennis player who won three Grand Slam titles
• Calvin Ball, first African-American County Executive
• Ken Blackwell, Secretary of State of Ohio, Treasurer of Ohio, and Mayor of Cincinnati
• Ron Brown, United States Secretary of Commerce and Chair of the Democratic National Committee
• Ralph Bunche, a United Nations Ambassador and first African-American winner of the Nobel Peace Prize
• Kenneth Chenault, a CEO of American Express
• W. E. B. Du Bois, civil rights leader and one of the founders of the NAACP
• Jack Greenberg, succeeded Thurgood Marshall as the leader of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
• Eric Holder, a United States Attorney General
• Maynard Jackson, Mayor of Atlanta
• Vernon Jordan, lawyer and civil rights activist
• Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights leader
• Kweisi Mfume, former NAACP President
• Bobby Scott, United States House of Representatives and Virginia Senate
• C. O. Simpkins, Louisiana House of Representatives
• John Baxter Taylor Jr., the first African-American to win an Olympic Gold Medal
• Mel Watt, United States House of Representatives and director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and North Carolina Senate
• Douglas Wilder, a Governor of Virginia
• Andrew Young, civil rights leader and a mayor of Atlanta

In media

Lawrence Otis Graham reports on the organization and his membership in it in the 1999 book Our Kind of People: Inside America's Black Upper Class.

See also

• American Black Upper Class

Notes

1. The word boulé, derived from ancient Greek βουλή, originally referred to a council of nobles advising a king. It is also used by the African-American sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha.

References

1. ^ Olechowski, Carol (April 25, 2002). "Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity Supports Scholarships for UAlbany Students" (Press release). University at Albany, SUNY.
2. "UnityFirst.com". May 29, 2004. Archived from the original on 2004-05-29. Retrieved Jan 12, 2021.
3. "University of the Sciences: A Science and Healthcare College | Philadelphia, PA | University of the Sciences". Usip.edu. 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
4. "Robert Jones Abele (1875-1929) •". 11 September 2023.
5. ^ Harris, William H. (2012). Brown, Tamara L.; Parks, Gregory S.; Phillips, Clarenda M. (eds.). African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision (2nd ed.). 104: University Press of Kentucky. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-8131-3662-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
6. https://perspectivesofchange.hms.harvard.edu/node/40
7. "Richard John Warrick, Jr. (1880-1957) •". 11 September 2023.
8. "Sigma Pi Phi | History of the Boulé". www.sigmapiphi.org. Retrieved Jan 12, 2021.
9. "History". Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity — Beta Lambda. Archived from the original on 2012-07-22. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
10. "Historical Moment#30". Mar 6, 2001. Archived from the original on 2001-03-06. Retrieved Jan 12, 2021.
11. "Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity Beta Lambda Boule". Sep 28, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved Jan 12, 2021.
12. "Historical Moment#19". Archived from the original on 2007-11-28. Retrieved 2008-01-02.
13. "NAACP - Timeline". Archived from the original on 2010-06-17. Retrieved 2016-01-26.
14. "Archives - Philly.com". articles.philly.com.
15. "1904–2004: the Boule at 100: Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity holds centennial celebration". Ebony. September 2004. Archived from the original on November 23, 2004. Retrieved September 11, 2006.
16. fullahead.org. "Boulé Delegation Returns to Capitol Hill for Third Trip and Meets With Lawmakers and With Two Members of Obama's Cabinet - Sigma Pi Phi". www.sigmapiphi.org.
17. Watt, Mel (February 28, 2006). "Honoring Black History Month". Congressional Record. Retrieved 2006-10-08. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
18. Lawrence Otis Graham (January 6, 1999). Our Kind of People: Inside America's Black Upper Class (First ed.). Harper. ISBN 0060183527.

External links

• Official Site
• Journal Articles
• Site for Beta Lambda chapter in Hampton Roads, Virginia
• Site for Gamma Iota chapter in Rochester, NY
• Southeast Region Site
• The Gentlemen's Club Beautillion Service Project
• Grand Boulé of Sigma Pi Phi Centennial Celebration
• Finding the Good and Praising It—Sigma Pi Phi: The Boule
• 1904–2004: The Boule at 100: Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity holds centennial celebration
• Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, Emory University: Sigma Pi Phi records, 1926-2019

• African-American upper class
• Student organizations established in 1904
• Clubs and societies in the United States
• African-American fraternities and sororities
• 1904 establishments in Pennsylvania