LOOK BACK KAPPA HISTORY
entertainment features held under one roof at the downtown Munici- pal Auditorium at 13th and Central Streets. The AKA Business Sessions were held on the 4th floor, while KA Ψ and A Φ A occupied the 5th and 6th floors, respectively. The delegates for each organization voted to lend their respective resources to further the fight for civil rights for all Amer- icans, regardless of creed or color. The group also agreed to advance a campaign to abolish the poll tax. Following the tradition of his predecessor, Grand Polemarch James E. Scott delivered an address on a local radio station (WDAF), brought into the convention hall by remote control. He shared the fraternity’s ideals, cur- rent service initiatives, and his opinion on the nation’s failure to integrate Black men into the Armed Services. The Kansas City (MO) Alumni Chapter arranged for visitors to visit the Mu Chapter house in Lawrence, KS. Founders Elder W, Diggs, Ezra D. Alexander, and Byron K. Armstrong attended the 1940 Conclave. On Friday night, the three organiza- tions’ Joint Coordinating Committee co-hosted an Open Dance, during which 3,500 revelers took over the arena’s auditorium, which was decorated with each group’s electric-lighted emblems.
Top: 27th Grand Chapter Meeting, December 1937, Phyllis Wheatley Association Building, Cleveland, OH. Bottom: 30th Grand Chapter Meeting, December 1941, Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, MO.
meetings at St. James AME Church. Omega Psi Phi’s activities were held at the Western Reserve Republican Club. Business sessions for the 42nd Grand Chapter Meeting were held at the Phyllis Wheatley Association build- ing. The City Club was the venue of the Closed Banquet, and the ball was held at Oster Hall [Ballroom]. This Conclave uncharacteristically began on a Sunday. On the opening day, Grand Polemarch Theophilus M. Mann spoke on local radio station WGAR on the subject of “Negro Education.” Social events included a “Get Acquainted Party” at the Cosmo- politan Club on Sunday. On Monday evening, a local Alpha Phi Alpha chap- ter hosted a formal dance, followed by the annual Closed Banquet, and the open dance of the Kappas, Deltas, and Omegas on Tuesday evening. The
annual Grand Chapter Prom closed the affairs on Wednesday evening.
Tri-Conventions 30th Grand Chapter Meeting, Kansas City, MO
December 27-31, 1940 (KA Ψ , AKA, and A Φ A)
The 30th Grand Chapter was held in Kansas City, MO, in concert with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity serving as co-hosts. This third Tri-Convention was held three years after the last such event occurred. It outdid its predecessors in preparedness and entertainment. The event was held December 27-31, 1940, with the theme, ‘Coop- eration at the Heart of the Nation.’ All three organizations’ flawless collaboration was on full display with the information and registration desks, business sessions, and major
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