Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans, was founded at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York by seven college men who recognized the need for a strong bond of brotherhood among African descendants in this country. The visionary founders, known as the “Jewels” of the fraternity, are Henry Arthur Callis, Charles Henry Chapman, Eugene Kinckle Jones, George Biddle Kelley, Nathaniel Allison Murray, Robert Harold Ogle, and Vertner Woodson Tandy.

 

The Alumni Chapter of Northern Illinois University is Mu Alpha Lambda Chapter (546) and was founded on February 7, 1975 by nine former members of Epsilon Phi Chapter.  The founders of Mu Alpha Lambda chapter are Willard Draper, Robert Edwards, Maurice Graham, Larry Green, Edmond Hendon, Arthur Isom, Jr., George Ward, Ronnie Ward and Donald Wilson.  The goal of the founders was to establish a home for Epsilon Phi brothers after college.  When establishing the charter for the chapter, founding brothers were presented with chapter symbols that included Kappa, because the charter members of the chapter did not want to have this designation as Kappa; the next name in the rotation. The founders actually "stalled" their paperwork until such time as to be pushed into the Mu chapter designations. This is obviously how we arrived at our current chapter moniker. Brothers felt, "why be Kappa anything, when we could be Alpha everything!"
 

The Brothers of Mu Alpha Lambda are working in various communities from DeKalb, Aurora, Rockford and all over Chicagoland area doing the Fraternities creed of service to all mankind! We continue to provide mentoring, scholarships, awards, internships and jobs to individuals in and outside the Brotherhood; however, we are proud to provide assistance to any person or persons to whom we can be of service. MAL Chapter have been proud to participate in numerous projects of the National organization including work with the NAACP, Better Boys Foundation, American Heart Association, American Cancer,  the National "Go to High School, Go to College" and voter registration programs.

Mu Alpha Lambda was chartered with all life members; thereby guaranteeing the on-going existence of the chapter. On of our charges as a chapter has always been as a vehicle for Epsilon Phi Brothers to have a home after college. We support the college Brothers and try to attend their activities on campus whenever possible. We look for ways to leave additional and lasting memorials and contributions on the campus of Northern Illinois University. We have already left our mark at NIU in a number of ways. The Alphas have placed a memorial to Brother Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King. This lasting tribute in the form of a sitting court faces a bust of Dr. King located in the heart of the campus in the outside the main entrance to the student union building. 

As we identify more and more brothers in Illinois' second largest city, Rockford, Illinois we are working hard to deliver an Alpha Chapter to that fine city in the near future. Last but not least the Brothers of Mu Alpha Lambda are working hard in various communities from DeKalb, Aurora, Chicago, Maywood, Bolingbrook, Naperville, Plainfield, and all over northwest Illinois doing the Fraternities creed of service to all mankind! We continue to provide mentoring, scholarships, awards, internships and jobs to individuals in and outside the Brotherhood; however, we are proud to provide assistance to any person or persons to whom we can be of service.