"Our Cause Speeds On Its Way..."

(l-r)Charles I. Brown, A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. was founded at Howard University in Washington, DC January 9th, 1914 by three young African American male students. The founders, Honorable A. Langston Taylor, Honorable Leonard F. Morse and Honorable Charles I. Brown wanted to organize a Greek-letter fraternity that would truly exemplify the high ideals of brotherhood, scholarship and service.

The founders deeply wished to create an organization that viewed itself as "a part of" the general community. They believed that each potential member should be judged on his own merits rather than his family background or affluence, without regard of race, nationality, color, skin tone or texture of hair. They wished and wanted their fraternity to exist as a part of an even greater brotherhood-sisterhood which would be devoted to the "inclusive we" rather than the "exclusive we."

From its inception, the founders also conceived Phi Beta Sigma as a mechanism to deliver services to the general community. Rather than gaining skills to be utilized exclusively for themselves and their immediate families, the founders of Phi Beta Sigma held the deep conviction that they should return their newly acquired skills to the communities from which they had come. This deep conviction was mirrored in the fraternity motto, "Culture For Service and Service For Humanity."

Today, more than three-quarters of a century later, Phi Beta Sigma has blossomed into an international organization of leaders. No longer a single entity, the fraternity has now established the Phi Beta Sigma Educational Foundation, Inc. and the Phi Beta Sigma Federal Credit Union (to build financial equity within our target communities).

With the force, vigor, power and energy of its more than 100,000 dedicated men united in more than 700 chapters across the United States, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean, Phi Beta Sigma continues to faithfully perpetuate composite growth and progress as the "people's fraternity" dedicated to providing services to all humanity.

Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.

is our constitutionally sanctioned sister organization. Zeta was organized on January 16, 1920. The founders and charter members were: Arizona Cleaver, Viola Tyler, Myrtle Tyler, Pearl Neal and Fannie Pettie. These women are known to all Sigmas as the "Five Pearls". The Pearls were aided in establishing Zeta by Brothers Charles Robert Samuel Taylor and A. Langston Taylor.

Phi Beta Sigma is a member of the National Pan Hellenic Council. The other Fraternities and Sororities that comprise the council are: Zeta Phi Beta, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Sigma Gamma Rho, Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Phi Psi and Iota Phi Theta.

Pan Hellenic Council
Phi Beta Sigma FBS	Zeta Phi Beta ZFB
Alpha Phi Alpha AFA	Alpha Kappa Alpha AKA
Omega Phi Psi WFY	Delta Sigma Theta DSQ
Kappa Alpha Psi KAY	Sigma Gamma Rho SGR
Iota Phi Theta IFQ