Sigma Pi Phi Explained

Sigma Pi Phi
Letters:	Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΣΠΦ
Crest:	BouleLogo.gif
Birthplace:	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Status:	Active
Type:	Professional non-collegiate
Affiliation:	Independent
Emphasis:	African American
Scope:	International
Chapters:	144
Colors:	Blue
Publication:	The Boulé Journal
Nickname:	Boulé
Address:	260 Peachtree Street NW, Suite 1604
City:	Atlanta
State:	Georgia
Zip Code:	30303
Country:	United States
Lifetime:	5,800

Sigma Pi Phi (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: 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.^[1]

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.^[2]

Its founders were:.^[3]

• 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%).^{[4] [5]}
• 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^[6]
• 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^{[7] [8]}

Sigma Pi Phi quickly established chapters (referred to as "member boulés") in Chicago, Illinois and then Baltimore, Maryland.^[9]

Founded as an organization for professionals, Sigma Pi Phi never established collegiate chapters and eliminated undergraduate membership during its infant stages.^[10] 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".^[11]

Membership

Membership in Sigma Pi Phi is highly exclusive.^[12] Sigma Pi Phi is open to members of all races.

Notable members

See main article: List of Sigma Pi Phi members. Sigma Pi Phi has around 5,000 members.

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.^[13]

See also

• American Black Upper Class

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

Notes and References

1. Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity Supports Scholarships for UAlbany Students. Olechowski, Carol. University at Albany, SUNY. April 25, 2002.
2. Web site: May 29, 2004 . UnityFirst.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20040529202002/http://www.unityfirst.com/pressreleaseboule.htm . 2004-05-29 . Jan 12, 2021.
3. Web site: 2018-06-12 . University of the Sciences: A Science and Healthcare College | Philadelphia, PA | University of the Sciences . 2018-06-20 . Usip.edu.
4. Web site: Robert Jones Abele (1875-1929) • . 11 September 2023 .
5. Book: Harris, William H. . African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision . University Press of Kentucky . 2012 . 978-0-8131-3662-2 . Brown . Tamara L. . 2nd . 104 . 104 . en . Parks . Gregory S. . Phillips . Clarenda M..
6. https://perspectivesofchange.hms.harvard.edu/node/40
7. Web site: Richard John Warrick, Jr. (1880-1957) • . 11 September 2023 .
8. Web site: Sigma Pi Phi | History of the Boulé. www.sigmapiphi.org. Jan 12, 2021.
9. Web site: History . https://web.archive.org/web/20120722101438/http://www.betalambdaboule.org/mserver/History_1.aspx . 2012-07-22 . 25 October 2015 . Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity — Beta Lambda.
10. Web site: Mar 6, 2001 . Historical Moment#30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20010306090057/http://skipmason.com/hm/hm30.htm . 2001-03-06 . Jan 12, 2021.
11. Web site: Sep 28, 2007 . Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity Beta Lambda Boule . https://web.archive.org/web/20070928070358/http://www.betalambdaboule.org/mserver/History_1.aspx . 2007-09-28 . Jan 12, 2021.
12. Web site: Historical Moment#19 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071128073031/http://skipmason.com/hm/hm19.htm . 2007-11-28 . 2008-01-02.
13. Book: Our Kind of People: Inside America's Black Upper Class. registration. Lawrence Otis Graham. Harper. First . January 6, 1999 . 0060183527 .