One of VCU’s first Black fraternities shares a seat of honor to mark a half-century of service

Five men wearing black suits standing behind a stone bench. — Dennis Kemp, 25th eastern vice president, candidate for 37th general president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.; Tarlton King, charter member of Theta Rho Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.; Ron “Pepper” Peters, creator of the Brother’s Keeper International Program of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.; Earl Johnson, charter member of Theta Rho Chapter, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.; Marcus Clarke, former vice president and dean of pledges of Theta Rho Chapter, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. (Kirk Nawrotzky, Development and Alumni Relations)

May 3, 2023

One of VCU’s first Black fraternities shares a seat of honor to mark a half-century of service

Alpha Phi Alpha bench installation “signifies our legacy on this campus, our longevity on the campus,” says an alum who pledged in the 1970s.

On Saturday morning, the black and gold outside Shafer Court Dining Center was about much more than Virginia Commonwealth University. Amid hugs and handshakes, the men wearing black suits and gold ties – the colors of Alpha Phi Alpha – had come together from across the country to catch up and, importantly, to commemorate.

They had gathered to dedicate a bench that honors the fraternity’s 50 years on campus. Alpha Phi Alpha was the one of the first Black fraternities to be established at VCU, and Saturday’s ceremony was part of the African American Alumni Council Reunion Weekend.

Ryan Griffin, a graduating senior and president of the Theta Rho Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., said the organization has grown over the past five decades at VCU, and the bench serves as a prominent representation of the fraternity’s service.

“It's just a beautiful moment for me,” he said. “It's something that I know that we've been trying to get for a very long time and recognition for the work that we're doing.”

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney attended the ribbon-cutting and thanked the fraternity members for supporting Richmond Public Schools students and the entire community for a half-century.

“Here in Richmond, we are about addition – not subtraction – and you all are leaving your impression,” Stoney said. “Yes, this is a man-made landmark, but the impression you are leaving on young men each and every year will go on to eternity.”

A large group of men sitting and standing in front of a chapel. — Alumni gathered on campus to celebrate the dedication of a memorial bench honoring Alpha Phi Alpha’s 50 years on campus. (Kirk Nawrotzky, Development and Alumni Relations)

Andre Foxx, an alum who joined Alpha Phi Alpha in 2004, noted the bench’s significance as a lasting marker of campus and community service at a non-historically Black university.

“I think it signifies our legacy on this campus, our longevity on the campus,” added Sylvester “Sly” Brown, an alum who joined the fraternity in 1979.

Ronald “Pepper” Peters Jr., Ph.D., was a two-term president of Alpha Phi Alpha from 1988 to 1990 and was a driving force behind the bench installation. He joined the fraternity in 1987 as a young man with dyslexia who was nervous to speak in front of others.

“I didn't have the social equity as a young man growing up in Queens to have the opportunities to develop my skills, personal development, social development,” he said.

Peters, who became a faculty member at the University of Texas, said being around educated men and having a mentor built his confidence to communicate effectively. He credited the fraternity’s adviser at the time, Gregory Stallings, whose proteges often came from tough backgrounds.

“But this is the man who still believed [in us], and said, ‘You can do this – you can move forward,’ and never let us put our head down to feel devalued,” Peters said.

Stallings grew up in Richmond and said he was among the first 50 Black students to attend the College of William and Mary, where he pledged Alpha Phi Alpha. He said he wanted to be an adviser for the VCU chapter because he understood the challenges its members were facing.

“I was that parent-away-from-home, so they could come talk to me about things. I could help them, make sure that they were safe, make sure that they were taken care of,” Stallings said.

A man posing behind a stone bench while a man in front of him takes a picture with a smart phone. — The Alpha Phi Alpha bench installation “signifies our legacy on this campus, our longevity on the campus,” says an alum who pledged in the 1970s. (Kirk Nawrotzky, Development and Alumni Relations)

Peters said he had friends of all races during his student years, but VCU was still racially stratified when he attended. (Even in 1987, he said, he found a sign on a floor that was supposed to be closed that said “Whites Only.”)

“It wasn't like we were scared, but it was definitely a very bad tension that had some mental health consequences,” Peters said. “People would feel devalued because of the situation.”

But through adversity, the fraternity brothers formed lifelong bonds. “It's been 44 years since I joined the chapter, and a lot of these brothers have been in constant contact for 44 years,” Brown said.

The unity was on display at the end of Saturday’s ceremony, when past and present fraternity brothers joined hands to sing the Alpha Phi Alpha hymn. Their words echoed throughout the Compass:

In our dear, A Phi A, fraternal spirit binds

All the noble, the true and courageous.

Manly deeds, scholarship, and love for all Mankind,

are the aims of our dear Fraternity.

Men in black suits holding hands and singing. — The unity was on display at the end of Saturday’s ceremony, when past and present fraternity brothers joined hands to sing the Alpha Phi Alpha hymn. (Kirk Nawrotzky, Development and Alumni Relations)

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