Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C, is the first international fraternal organization to be founded on the campus of a historically black college. The Fraternity was founded on Four Cardinal Principles of Manhood, Scholarship, Perseverance, and Uplift and the phrase “friendship is essential to the soul” was chosen as the Fraternity’s motto. Omega was the first black fraternity founded at an historically black college or university.
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. was founded on November 17, 1911 at Howard University by four great men, Oscar James Cooper, Frank Coleman, Ernest Everett Just, and Edgar Amos Love. Cooper, Coleman, and Love were undergraduates in the college of liberal arts and sciences while Just, a biology professor and world renowned scientist, served as their faculty advisor.
Each of the founders graduated and went on to have distinguished careers in their chosen fields: Edgar Love became a Methodist bishop; Oscar Cooper practiced medicine in Philadelphia for over 50 years; Frank Coleman became the chairman of the Department of Physics at Howard University and Dr. Ernest E. Just became a world-renowned biologist and a recipient of the prestige NAACP Spingarn Medal.
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Today, Omega Psi Phi now has over 700 chapters throughout the United States, Bermuda, Bahamas, Virgin Islands, Korea, Japan, Liberia, Germany, and Kuwait. There are many notable Omega Men recognized as leaders in the arts, the sciences, academics, athletics, business, civil rights, education, government, and science sectors at the local, national and international level.
Omega continues to flourish, largely because founders — Love, Cooper, Coleman and Just — were men of the very highest ideals and intellect. The Founders selected and attracted men of similar ideals and characteristics. It is not by accident that many of America’s great black men are or were Omega Men.
Omega men pride themselves on being leaders in all fields of human endeavor and hold themselves to the highest standards of excellence. For this reason, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity continues to serve as a great beacon of light for the African-American and world communities. Since 1911, the Fraternity has initiated more than 140,000 men worldwide and has nearly 700 chapters in all parts of the world.
There are very few Americans whose lives have not been touched by a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.
