UCLA will celebrate 100 years of the campus chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque at Kerckhoff Hall on Monday, April 24. The first fraternity at UCLA, the Upsilon chapter was chartered in 1923, only a few years after the university’s founding.

The unveiling will be followed by a special program featuring Black leaders from the university, government and community, including UCLA Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Darnell Hunt and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, along with current students and alumni of UCLA and Kappa Alpha Psi.

In 1911, Kappa Alpha Psi was founded at the University of Indiana to foster inclusivity in response to systemic racism and barriers for Black students at universities. The Upsilon chapter, which today includes UCLA along with CSUN and CSULA, was the first of the fraternity’s chapters west of St. Louis, Missouri. It is a part of the long history of African American life in Los Angeles, with members including former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, attorney Johnnie Cochran and tennis star and civil rights activist Arthur Ashe.

The unveiling and program are a part of six days of programming running from April 20 to 25. For more information about the centennial celebration, visit the event website.

WHEN

Monday, April 24

  • 10–11 a.m.: Reception
  • 11 a.m.–noon: Marker unveiling
  • Noon–1:30 p.m.: Dedication program

WHERE

UCLA Kerckhoff Hall and Ackerman Union (map)

308 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, California 90095

WHO

Speakers and participants will include:

  • Dr. Darnell Hunt, UCLA executive vice chancellor and provost
  • Karen Bass, mayor of Los Angeles
  • John Marshall Jones, actor and producer and master of ceremonies
  • Kevin G. Harbour Sr., executive vice chair of Upsilon centennial celebration
  • Kevin D. Kinsey, general chair of Upsilon centennial celebration
  • Reuben A. Shelton, grand polemarch of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity
  • Bobby Grace, chairman of UCLA Black Alumni Association

Additional speakers can be found on the event website.

MEDIA CONTACT

Barbra Ramos | 310-844-3582 | bramos@stratcomm.ucla.edu