Alpha Kappa Nu
Alpha Kappa Nu was one of the first documented African-American collegiate fraternal organizations in the United States. It formed in 1903 at Indiana University in Richmond 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. 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 African-American 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 at the University of Kansas. Bryson states that the original name of the Black fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi may have been chosen in tribute to the short-lived fraternity.