LOOK BACK KAPPA HISTORY
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Following the unprovoked sink- ing of civilian and merchant vessels that killed over 100 Americans, President Woodrow Wilson declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917, joining the Allied Forces (France, Great Britain, Italy, and Japan) against the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey). At that time, the U.S. Army had roughly 133,000 soldiers. To bolster their ranks, Congress passed the Selective Service Act, reinstating the draft, which required all men between the ages of 21 and 31 to register. This led to approxi- mately 24 million men being inducted into the military throughout the Great War (now known as World War I). Although Black men have fought in every military conflict since the nation’s inception, the U.S. was reluctant to provide military train- ing to Black men. The deep-seated ideologies supported the racist notion that Black men weren’t fit for combat or leadership positions. In contrast, Black men saw the war as an opportu- nity to earn the respect of their White counterparts by demonstrating their abilities, patriotism to their country, bravery in battle, and worthiness for equal treatment. From this perspec- tive, a movement was developed to admit Black men into officer training camps. Leaders from the four existing historically Black fraternities (Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi®, Omega Psi Phi, and Phi Beta Sigma) played a
From l to r: Grand Polemarch Diggs’ inquiry letter to join the Officer Training Camp; Grand Pole- march Diggs’ Officer Training Camp application.
significant role in the establishment of the segregated officer training camp and inspired Black men to enlist. The four existing fraternities, includ- ing Kappa Alpha Psi’s Founder and 1st Grand Polemarch, Elder Watson Diggs, sought to enlist their members in the Army when news spread that war was imminent, and a conversation was underway regarding the creation of a training camp. In a May 25, 1917, letter (top next page) composed by Grand Polemarch Diggs to President Wilson, he offered the support of the Fraterni- ty’s eight chapter membership to the United States. When the U.S. entered World War I (WWI), Congress authorized fourteen officer training camps to be created. No provision was made to admit Black men into those camps. Dr. Joel E. Spingarn, a White civil rights activist and NAACP board chairman, led a
committee that sought to have Black men represented in these camps. Spingarn met with General Leonard Wood, commander of the Department of the East, and proposed the forma- tion of a training camp to include Black men, similar to a previous civilian training camp in Plattsburgh, NY. Gen. Wood informed Spingarn that if he could gather 200 Black college men to apply, a segregated camp could be created to train them as officers. Spingarn subsequently engaged in an aggressive national campaign, sending correspondence and flyers, and personally visiting Howard University and other colleges and universities. He was aided in this effort by Pan-Africanist and civil rights activist Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois and highly regarded career military officer Colonel Charles D. Young, among others. Upon receiving the order
72 THE JOURNAL ♦ SUMMER 2025
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