General President Mason Invited to the White House

Alpha General President Invited to the White House for
Town Hall Meeting on Fatherhood

Mason to serve on committee to discuss proposal for

White House Council on Men and Boys

(BALTIMORE, MD) June 18, 2009 – Two days before fathers are officially honored and recognized around the world, for the important role they play in both the lives of their family and the communities in which they live; United States President Barack Obama will kick off a national dialogue on fatherhood at a Town Hall Meeting.

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s General (national) President Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr., has been invited with other national presidents to attend the Town Hall Meeting on Fatherhood at the White House this Friday, June 19th at 2pm.

In April 2009, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the world’s oldest collegiate Greek-lettered organization of African-American males wrote President Obama a letter encouraging him to create a White House Council on Men and Boys after he formally established the White House Council on Women and Girls.

“The invitation by the White House is indeed a welcomed one. I look forward to personally hearing how President Obama plans to address an issue that is near and dear to Alpha. As the oldest African-American Fraternity, our members serve as the prototype of what a good father looks like,” shares Mason.

A year-long effort – the purpose of this initiative will be to explore all of the ways in which national organizations, like Alpha, are combating the problem of absentee fathers, the need for financial and educational assistance, all in an effort to learn how the White House will be able to work together to support proven methods that serve to strengthen fathers, families and communities. 

After the Town Hall Meeting, the Obama Administration will host Regional Town Halls on Fatherhood across the country, throughout the summer, where they plan to work with organizations like Alpha to explore which programs and initiatives work and identify areas where more can be done.

Since being founded on December 4, 1906, at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, Alpha Phi Alpha has supplied voice and vision to the struggle of African Americans and people of color around the world. Through Alpha men such as Martin Luther King, Jr., John Hope Franklin, Adam Clayton Powell, Thurgood Marshall, Andrew Young, Cornel West and many others, the fraternity has long stood at the forefront of the fight for civil and human rights and social change—for all Americans.

Alpha’s mission is to develop leaders and promote brotherhood and academic excellence, while providing service and advocacy for all communities. A few examples of how Alpha has, and continues to, improve all communities includes their strategic partnerships with Big Brothers Big Sisters; Boy Scouts of America; March of Dimes; American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, and the American Cancer Society. Also, for more than three decades, the fraternity has worked to prevent unwanted pregnancy through the Project Alpha program which teaches teenaged-pregnancy prevention to young males. Alpha also teaches HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention.

For years, Alpha has provided scholarships to deserving young men. This year, Alpha is implementing a new initiative, "From the Highchair to Higher Education". Its primary focus is to provide boys, at the youngest age possible, the best opportunity to successfully make it through high school and college. 

Mason stated, “Alpha looks forward to serving as an active partner with the White House to ensure fathers receive the tools needed to be successful.”