[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 20789]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    98TH BIRTHDAY OF KAPPA ALPHA PSI

 Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, this year we are celebrating the 
98th birthday of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated. This week, 
thousands of members and guests from all over the world have come to 
Washington, DC, to participate in a week-long program of forums and 
seminars with a focus on leadership, brotherhood and service, known as 
the 79th Grand Chapter Meeting. The theme of this week's celebration is 
``A Call to Service: The Journey Home Continues.''
  The week's events commenced with a public meeting where members from 
the nine African-American Greek fraternities and sororities will gather 
in the spirit of unity. In addition, during this gathering, I was 
honored that Kappa Alpha Psi bestowed upon me their prestigious 
Humanitarian Award. This particular award is the highest honor awarded 
to an individual that is not a member of the organization. I am excited 
to be joining the ranks of previous honorees including: Congresswoman 
Maxine Waters; Mrs. Lyndon Baines ``Lady Bird'' Johnson; Mr. Harry 
Belafonte; Mrs. Rosa Parks; and Drs. Bill and Camille Cosby, just to 
name a few.
  I also would like to take this opportunity to commend Attorney Dwayne 
Murray. Dwayne currently serves as the 31st Grand Polemarch of Kappa 
Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated, and is a resident of the great 
State of Louisiana. Under Dwayne's extraordinary leadership, the 
organization has initiated several community service projects, 
including ``Sunday of Hope.'' Through this effort, Kappa Alpha Psi has 
raised well over $500,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital 
during the past 2 years. In addition, Dwayne has also spearheaded the 
``Greeks Learning to Avoid Debt''--GLAD--Program throughout the Nation. 
This program will ensure that college students receive the necessary 
training to use credit wisely and remain financially stable through 
college and beyond. His administration is committed to the theme of 
``One Kappa, Creating Inspiration: A Call to Service''.
  Kappa Alpha Psi was founded on January 5, 1911, on the campus of 
Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. Led by the vision of Elder 
Watson Diggs, it was founded by 10 God-fearing, serious-minded young 
men who possessed the imagination, ambition, courage, and determination 
to defy custom in pursuit of college educations and careers during an 
oppressive time in American history for African Americans.
  Now, the membership has grown to more than 360 undergraduate chapters 
and 347 alumni chapters located throughout the United States and five 
foreign countries. Today, the fraternity boasts a membership of more 
than 150,000 college-trained young men. Among the famous Kappas are 
Wilt Chamberlain, Adrian Fenty, Cedric ``The Entertainer'' Kyles, and 
Tavis Smiley; and Members of the House of Representatives include 
Sanford Bishop of Georgia, William Clay of Missouri, John Conyers of 
Michigan, Alcee Hastings of Florida and Bennie Thompson of Mississippi. 
Additionally, there are many more prominent and influential men across 
America that represent the Kappa Alpha Psi brotherhood. Furthermore, 
both current and former members of my staff are proud to be members of 
this noble and prestigious fraternity: my former legislative director 
Ben Cannon, former regional manager Terrence Lockett, and my current 
capital regional manager Jason Wynne Hughes.
  Kappa Alpha Psi has been an instrumental group in raising the profile 
of African-American men and has worked tirelessly to knock down 
barriers to advancement in our society. The brotherhood has 
consistently encouraged achievement in every field of human endeavor.
  Members remain active for their whole lives and are encouraged to 
contribute to their communities. Each chapter has its own community 
service focus. The Baton Rouge Alumni Chapter, for example, raises 
money through its annual Walter Banks Golf Classic for scholarships for 
high school seniors and also sponsors several kids to attend Kappa 
Kamp--a rigorous leadership institute for elementary and middle school 
aged young men. Chapters all over Louisiana are similarly committed to 
their communities.
  In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, Kappas from 
all over the country came to the aid of hurricane survivors along the 
gulf coast and helped with our recovery effort.
  It is with great pride that we welcome all members of Kappa Alpha Psi 
to our Nation's Capital as they kick off the countdown to their 
centennial celebration in 2011.

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