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The Comprehensive History Of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. (1914- 2013)
“Those
who have no
record of what
their forebears
have accomplished
lose
the inspiration
which comes
from the
teaching of biography and history”
- Carter G. Woodson
Knowledge of your history is
an essential element of any nation,
community, family or organization.
As we celebrate 100 Years of service
to humanity our rich history should
be a major focus. Our Centennial
is a time to celebrate and reflect on
those events and brothers making
the necessary sacrifices for us to
reach this milestone in our history.
These men built the foundation
and it is our responsibility to continue
to build and expand on that
foundation.
As we move forward we have a
responsibility to provide a resource for
the next generation of Sigma men to
use as a reference point as they plan
for the future. Passing down a written
history is one of the best methods
to provide them with some of the
necessary tools for future success. The
need for a written history was first
advocated by undergraduate brothers
at the 1940 Conclave in Tuskegee,
AL. In 1946 The Sigma Light was first
published, and it included a section on history. Then
in 1949 the Crescent published a special edition 104
page issue, which included an article reflecting on the
first thirty-five years of the Fraternity’s growth. At the
time the article was the closest thing the Fraternity had
MARCH ON
MARCH ON
to a history book. Dr. Lawrence D.
Reddick was Editor of our national
organ at the time.
Our first official history book,
Our Cause Speeds On (OCSO), was
published in 1957. OCSO was written
by Bros. Dr. William Sherman
Savage and Dr. Lawrence Dunbar
Reddick, and covers the time from
the Fraternity’s inception through
the mid 1950’s. Bro. Savage was the
head of the History Department at
Lincoln University (MO), and also
served as President of the Fraternity
in 1920. Bro. Reddick was Chairman
of the Department of History at Alabama
State College. Prior to joining
the faculty at Alabama State College
he was Chief Librarian at Atlanta
University, and served as the Curator
of the Schomburg Collection of
Negro Literature at the New York
Public Library. Bro. Reddick served
as Editor of The Crescent from 1935-
1936 and 1949-1950.
There have been several reprints
of the book over the years, but no
comprehensive updates to OCSO.
YE MIGHTY
HOST
The Fraternity did publish a history
book in 1970. However, it was not a
complete history as much as it was a
glimpse into major events occurring
since the initial publishing of OCSO.
The need for an updated history book
has been a talking point among brothers
for decades. As we approached our
Centennial the desire to update OCSO
was a major talking point among the membership.
When President Jimmy Hammock shared the
announcement about the History Book Project brothers
were excited. The updated history book brothers had
been requesting for so long was a step closer to reality.
By. Bro. Todd LeBon
44 The Crescent Magazine | Spring/Summer 2014 Centennial Celebration