THE BLU PRINT

During the turn of the century, times were extremely difficult for Blacks in America. One organization in particular that was working to improve the condition of life for those individuals was an order known as Free and Accepted Masons. While striving towards the uplifting of the quality of life for Blacks, this organization was somewhat limited in what it could do because of the requirements for membership. Only males who had reached the age of 21 and had proven themselves to be of good character were allowed to apply for membership, which meant that mostly blue collar workers could be Masons.

However, our founders had visions as to how to create a shortcut, or place a stepping stone if you would, for the Masonic fraternity. Born on college campuses, the fraternities were designed to attract the more formally educated Black man into the plan of "salvation." Each of the four Black Greek-lettered organizations were founded by at least one man who was a member of the order of Freemasons. Because they were blessed with the ability to organize, they laid out the designs that would attract potential members into their organizations and give them just enough "light" to be beneficial to the fraternity, but little enough to generate a craving for more until they were ready to make that next step.

If one were to examine the mottos and crests of each organization, they would notice striking similarities between each of them, rather it be elements of the shields or similarities in mottos. Anyone who has "traveled" some would have more insight into to these similarities.

PHI BETA SIGMA Fraternity, Inc. was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9th, 1914 by three young black, male students. The founders, Honorable A. Langston Taylor, Honorable Leonard F. Morse and Honorable Charles I. Brown wanted to organize a Greek letter fraternity that would truly exemplify the high ideals of brotherhood, scholarship and service.

The founders deeply wished to create an organization that viewed itself as "a part of" the general community. They believed that each potential member should by judged on his own merits rather than his family background or affluence, without regard of race, nationality, colors, skin tone or texture of hair.

The wished and wanted their fraternity to exist as a part of an even greater brotherhood-sisterhood which would be devoted to the "inclusive we" rather than the "exclusive we."

From its inception, the founders also conceived PHI BETA SIGMA as a mechanism to deliver services to the general community. Rather than gaining skills to utilized exclusively for themselves and their immediate families, the founders of PHI BETA SIGMA held the deep conviction that they should return their newly acquired skills to the communities from which they had come. This deep conviction was mirrored in the fraternity motto, "Culture for Service and Service for Humanity."

Today, more than three-quarters of a century later, PHI BETA SIGMA has blossomed into an International organization of leaders. No longer a single entity, the fraternity has now established the PHI BETA SIGMA Educational Foundation, Inc. and the PHI BETA SIGMA Federal Credit Union (to build financial equity within our target communities)

With the force, vigor, power, and energy of its more than 100,00 dedicated men, united in more than 700 chapters across the United States, Africa, Europe, and the Caribbean, PHI BETA SIGMA Continues to faithfully perpetuate composite growth and progress as the "people's fraternity" dedicated to providing services to all humanity.