As we take time this weekend to honor our mothers, wives, and those Brothers who have daughters who are mothers or maybe a remarkable woman who played an intricate part in your life, we know that for many of us, we would not be who we are today if it wasn’t for the sacrifices of those women. We also want to recognize and celebrate the ‘Mother of Alpha Phi Alpha.’ Without her love and support, the small yet significant part she played in the lives of our Jewels with her acts of kindness and love and her provision of her home when that decision was made to become a fraternity exhibited how special she was.
Born in 1871 in Alabama, Anna Elizabeth “Annie” Coleman was the eldest of five children to John Coleman (from SC) and Sydney Coleman (from Louisiana). Her mother had a daughter (Laura Etta Dingley) from a previous marriage. By the turn of the century, Archie and Annie, who married in 1904 in Alabama and relocated back to the township of Ithaca, New York, located in the Southern-tier Finger Lakes region of the state where Archie had a home located 411 East State Street in a racially mixed neighborhood. Archie worked several jobs, and Annie worked as a practical nurse in the home of one of the white families in Ithaca. The Singletons had a four-year-old daughter, Mary (adopted), and by 1920, their nephew, Albert Nixon, was residing with them.
In their home at 411 East State Street, the Singletons rented out an upper bedroom to a young student from Washington, DC, named Robert Harold Ogle. Back then, Black students attending Cornell University were prohibited from living on campus. The home of Mr. and Mrs. Singleton on East State Street was one of several places where African American students lived while studying at Cornell. This was a common occurrence in the town of Ithaca. Many African American families, who saw the need to be a “support system” for these Black students in a racially charged white environment, offered their homes to students for room and board and would support them in their endeavors. For many, 411 East State Street offered a comfortable, home-like living arrangement. In the Singleton’s home, Robert Ogle and six other young Black male students from Cornell, known as Mrs. Singleton’s “boys,” met and formed a literary group out of which Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. was founded in December 1906. This is a testament to the resilience and determination of Mrs. Singleton, whose unwavering support and influence paved the way for the birth of our beloved fraternity, inspiring us with her profound impact. Her life’s cornerstones were her dedication to her family and support for the young men in her home, who would later become Alpha Phi Alpha’s Founders.
In 1939, the fraternity expressed deep gratitude and respect for Mrs. Annie Singleton by inviting her as a special guest at the General Convention in New York. General President Charles H. Wesley, an eminent historian, introduced her to the Brotherhood. During this convention, the name ‘Mother’ was bestowed upon her, officially designating her the ‘Mother of Alpha Phi Alpha ‘. This recognition was a testament to the fraternity’s profound appreciation for Mrs. Singleton’s contributions.
At the 50th Anniversary Convention in Buffalo, the Brotherhood again honored her. A few years later, in 1960, at the 54th Anniversary Convention in Washington, DC, 19th General President Myles Anderson Paige, her nephew, deposited a yellow rose on behalf of the fraternity in memory of Mrs. Annie C. Singleton–the beloved “Mother” of the Fraternity (his mother Laura D. Paige and Annie were half-sisters). The “Mother of Alpha,” Mrs. Annie Coleman Singleton, died July 25, 1960, at age 86 and is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery. She was survived by a niece, Mrs. Ruth P. Hall; four nephews: General President Brother Myles A. Paige (Judge); Rev. Mario A. Shaw; Dr. Alfred Nixon; Joshua Shaw; and a granddaughter (according to The Buffalo News obituary section on July 27, 1960).
“Alpha Phi Alpha today represents the triumphant fruition of the magnificent dream that moved the Seven Jewels (Founders) to assemble in my humble home many, many years ago, and I am extremely happy that I was able, in a very small way, to stimulate the realization of this dream through the trials and tribulations of the early years.”-Mrs. Annie C. Singleton, 1931
This is your moment in Alpha History.
Brother Sean C. Hall,
Historian
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