Alpha Phi Alpha Mom
The Alphas · Founded 1906 · Cornell University
You raised an Alpha. Now wear your pride.
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About Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University — the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans. Alphas have been at the forefront of every major civil rights movement, championing academic excellence, service, and manhood. Notable members include Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Jesse Owens, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Duke Ellington.
What an Alpha Mom Celebrates
Every milestone your child achieves is a moment you helped create. As a FratMom, you celebrate:
- Crossing Day celebrations
- Founders Day — December 4th
- Chapter banquets & galas
- Scholarship ceremonies
And every ordinary Tuesday that reminds you — you raised a legend.
"When your son puts on those Black and Gold colors, he's joining a brotherhood of kings — scholars, leaders, and change-makers who have shaped this nation. You raised a man worthy of Alpha. Wear that pride."— FratMom.com, for Alpha Phi Alpha Moms
For a brother of Alpha Phi Alpha, commencement is not just a ceremony — it is a cultural event your family will never forget. As your son walks across that stage, he'll be wearing the fraternity's Old Gold and Black kente stole draped over his academic gown, embroidered with the Greek letters ΑΦΑ, his line name, and his crossing semester. That stole represents far more than a degree. It represents the brotherhood he earned.
When the ceremony ends, the real celebration begins. Brothers gather at campus plazas, suited in tailored black with gold ties beneath open gowns, throwing up the iconic "A" hand sign for the cameras. Then comes the stroll — a synchronized, rhythmic procession that transforms parking lots and quad lawns into celebration spaces. Families watch with phones raised and tears flowing as their sons move together as one.
Before the after-parties begin, there is always a sacred, quiet moment: brothers locking hands in a circle to sing the Alpha Hymn — "College days swiftly pass, imbued with mem'ries fond..." That circle means his chapter of college life is closing, but his brotherhood is lifelong. Give him a journal built for the next chapter. Give yourself one to record what it felt like to watch him become this man.
Being an Alpha Mom isn't a title reserved for Founders Day weekends and graduation ceremonies. It's the quiet way you carry yourself on an ordinary Tuesday — the moment a coworker spots your tumbler on your desk and asks, "Is your son in Alpha Phi Alpha?" And you stand just a little bit taller. That pride is not seasonal. It is constant.
When you wear Black and Old Gold, you're not just wearing your son's letters. You're connected to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. Du Bois, Jesse Owens, and every brother who has carried Alpha Phi Alpha's standard of scholarship, service, and manhood. You helped produce a man who now walks in that tradition. That matters.
The Crown Edition Tumbler was designed for the mom who carries her son's legacy everywhere she goes — 20 ounces of pride, sealed tight, built to go wherever the day takes you.
On a cold December evening in Ithaca, New York, seven students at Cornell University gathered and founded what would become the most storied fraternity in Black American history. They called themselves the Seven Jewels, and they chose a name that reflected their vision for Black men in America: Alpha Phi Alpha — first, brotherhood, and excellence. Their motto: "First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All." They were 19 and 20 years old.
Your son carries that 118-year-old founding tradition. Every time he greets a fellow Alpha with the fraternal handshake, every time he dons his kente stole, every time he steps in a show or speaks at a community event — he is honoring those original Jewels who dared to build Black brotherhood in an era that told them they could not. On Founders Day, December 4th, chapters around the world gather to commemorate that founding. Banquets are held. Signatures of Brotherhood are reaffirmed. Service projects are completed in the community.
Mark the occasion with something lasting. The Crown Edition ornament for the tree and the mug for the morning are two small ways to carry this day's meaning into your home — and remind the whole family what your son is part of.
The legacy of Alpha Phi Alpha is not just organizational — it is deeply familial. Across generations, fathers have crossed the same burning sands their grandfathers walked. Uncles have placed words of wisdom into the hands of nephews preparing for their first chapter meeting. Sons have carried forward values instilled by mothers who prayed over them, pushed them, and refused to let them settle. Through it all, the Alpha Mom has been the quiet architect of this lineage.
Whether your family has one Alpha or four generations of them, you have contributed to a tradition of Black men who lead with scholarship, integrity, and service. You stayed up late for study sessions. You drove to chapter events. You sent care packages. You sat in the stands. That is not a small contribution. That is the foundation everything else is built on.
The Shield Edition Journal is a place to record the legacy you have helped build — milestones, lessons, the words you want the next generation to carry forward. Some stories deserve to be written down and kept.
One of the most misunderstood things about Alpha Phi Alpha is the assumption that it's primarily a college experience. For these men, initiation is the beginning of a lifetime of brotherhood. After graduation, your son transitions from his undergraduate chapter to a graduate chapter — a network of professionals, mentors, fathers, and lifelong friends who will show up for him at every stage of his career and life.
That network means chapter meetings and community service initiatives. It means step shows and probate shows, regional conferences, and homecoming weekends. It means a phone network that spans every major city in America and chapters in ten countries. No matter where your son moves or builds his career, his brothers will already be there. Alpha Phi Alpha has over 700 chapters worldwide — and every single one operates on the same pledge: "First of All, Servants of All."
When he wears the Shield Edition hoodie to a chapter event, he is representing something bigger than himself. And when you show up in your Alpha Mom gear to cheer him on — you always will be too.
The Alpha Mom Collection
