SR 727: Eta Omega Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.; recognize

Senate Resolution 727

By: Senators Anderson of the 43rd, Mangham of the 55th, Wicks of the 34th, Sims of the 12th, Harbison of the 15th and others

A RESOLUTION

Recognizing the Eta Omega Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, the Eta Omega Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., was founded in Atlanta, Georgia, on December 1, 1919, and was the first chapter of any Black Greek-letter organization to be founded and chartered in the State of Georgia; and

WHEREAS, Eta Omega, the seventh permanent chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., was set up upon the initiative of Brother Harold H. Thomas of Beta Chapter, and Brothers Horace A. Hodges, Harvey Smith, Lawrence R. Harper, and Clinton E. Warner, Sr., of the Camp Howard Chapter, and aided by Brother Raymond G. Robinson, the Fraternity's seventh Grand Basileus; and

WHEREAS, Eta Omega was comprised of Brothers upholding the principles of OMEGA at Atlanta University, Clark University, Morehouse College, Gammon Theological Seminary, and college graduates in the Atlanta area; and

WHEREAS, Brothers from the institutions that made up Eta Omega eventually established their own chapters consisting of Omicron at Gammon Theological Seminary, Psi at Morehouse College, Tau at Atlanta University, and Beta Psi at Clark University, leaving Eta Omega for graduates; and

WHEREAS, under the leadership of Grand Basileus J. Alston Atkins from 1922 to 1923, the fraternity developed a new naming scheme for undergraduate and graduate chapters; thus, the original Eta Chapter has since been known as the Eta Omega Chapter; and

WHEREAS, throughout its over 100 years of existence, Eta Omega has been at the forefront of Omega Psi Phi's efforts in Georgia, the Seventh District, and throughout the fraternity as a whole; and

WHEREAS, service, individually and collectively, has always been part of Eta Omega's makeup and in 1921, when Brother Carter G. Woodson asked his Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Brothers to help mount an ambitious week-long national campaign promoting the study of Negro literature and history, the men of this small 17-month old chapter responded by sponsoring a mass meeting which attracted more than two thousand people; and

WHEREAS, five years later, Brother Woodson established Negro History Week, now known as Black History Month; and

WHEREAS, during World War II, Eta Omega Brothers served ably in the United States military, including participation in the D-Day Invasion at Normandy and in the 332nd Fighter Group known as the Tuskegee Airmen; and

WHEREAS, in the postwar fight for racial equality, Eta Omega Brothers helped make the ballot box a weapon by mobilizing the Black vote through the Atlanta Negro Voters League; and

WHEREAS, in the 1960s, Brother Clinton E. Warner, Jr., the namesake son of a chapter founder, challenged Jim Crow housing laws by integrating a Southwest Atlanta neighborhood, thus launching the modern Open Housing movement in the State of Georgia; and

WHEREAS, simultaneously, numerous brothers opened their wallets to bail Atlanta Student Movement protestors out of jail; and

WHEREAS, in the 1970s, Eta Omega men helped focus Black political power to produce Atlanta's first Black mayor and the deep south state's first Black Congressman since Reconstruction; and

WHEREAS, as integration took hold, Brothers were in the forefront in the fields of education, law, business, and government; and

WHEREAS, from the 1980s, through the 1990s, into the new millennium, and up to today, Eta Omega men have continually played active roles in Atlanta's progress, with individual Brothers and the Chapter itself being honored by groups including the Atlanta Public Schools-Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the Boy Scouts of America; and

WHEREAS, the chapter has hosted or cohosted five Grand Conclaves as well as produced outstanding Fraternity leaders at the national, district, and state levels, including the 8th Grand Basileus, aforementioned Chapter founder Brother Harold H. Thomas, and the 33rd Grand Basileus, Brother Moses C. Norman; and

WHEREAS, Eta Omega has regularly been recognized for its community service and programs, including being named 2014 Region One Graduate Chapter of the Year by Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., State of Georgia and being cited by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta for raising more than $2,700.00 dollars during a single fundraising event; and

WHEREAS, under the strong leadership of Chapter Basileus, Kurt McDonald, the Eta Omega Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., will continue to fulfill the founding fathers' motto of manhood, scholarship, perseverance, and uplift.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize the Eta Omega Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.; commend the chapter's long history of public service; and extend best wishes for the organization's continued success.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the Eta Omega Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.