On December 4, 1906 at the campus of Cornell University, the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity earned the distinct honor of being the first Greek letter college fraternity to be founded by African American men. Nearly 60 years later, eight African American men founded the Eta Sigma Lambda (ESL) chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity in Palo Alto, California. The founders of the Eta Sigma Lambda chapter laid the foundation to what would become a socially and charitably vibrant chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Since their inception, ESL has raised thousands of dollars to fund scholarships that aide minority college students and the United Negro College Fund. In addition to their financial generosity, ESL has also provided innumerable hours of service to communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. At many junctures, ESL has collaborated with other socially conscience organizations to raise awareness of social issues or to implement fundraising events. Such organizations have included the United Negro College Fund, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the March of Dimes, Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Train Ride, and the American Cancer Society.
From the description of Eta Sigma Lambda Fraternity records, 1962-2008. (San Jose Public Library). WorldCat record id: 265054165
