The members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. represent a distinctive segment of the nation's demographic profile. Alpha men have been instrumental in the founding and leadership of the NAACP (WEB Dubois), People's National Party (PNP) Norman Manley, Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) (Jesse E. Moorland), UNCF (Frederick D. Patterson), and the SCLC (King, Walker and Jemison). The National Urban League has had eight Presidents in it almost 100 years of existence; six of its leaders are Alpha men: George Edmund Haynes (1st President of the NUL), Eugene Jones, Lester Granger, Whitney Young, Hugh Price and Marc Morial. Alpha men are well-educated, earn competitive incomes and maintain positions of influence and respect within the larger community.
As Alpha Phi Alpha expands to over 175,000 initiated members, the ranks of membership has grown to include a plethora of prominent and accomplished activists, educators, politicians, businessmen, philanthropists, entertainers and athletes.Alpha Phi Alpha's membership is predominantly African American; however the Fraternity has been interracial since 1945.
Alpha Phi Alpha recognizes two membership types: College and Alumni. The membership is divided amongst the Fraternity's five regions (Eastern, Midwestern, Southern, Southwestern and Western). Each region is comprised of Districts and each District is comprised of Areas.
Alumni Alpha Members comprise the largest proportion (80%) of the membership. The largest segments of Alumni Members are divided among three of the five regions, Southern (28%), Eastern (22%), and Midwestern (18%).
College Alpha Members comprise 20% of the membership and have the largest segments of College Members in the Southern (41%), Southwestern (21%) and Midwestern (20%) regions