UNITAN Communications
Contact: Frederick V. Roberts
979-221-8430
[email protected]
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
U.S. Congressman Al Green is the speaker for the Founders’ Day Observance of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. on December 2, 2018 at 4:00 p.m. in the Opal Johnson Smith Auditorium, Memorial Student Center at Prairie View A&M University. The members of the fraternity are commemorating the 112th Anniversary of the founding of the fraternity at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York on December 4, 1906.
The program is open to the public and is being hosted by the Eta Gamma Chapter (PVAMU), Epsilon Tau Lambda (Prairie View), Pi Omicron (TAMU) and Pi Alpha Lambda (College Station) Chapters, all members of Area IX of the Fraternity.
Congressman Green was first elected to serve the people of Texas’ 9th Congressional District in Houston in 2004 and was recently elected for an eighth term in the United States House of Representatives. Green, a veteran civil rights advocate, has dedicated his life to fighting for those in society whose voices, too often, are not heard. He currently serves on the Financial Services Committee. He sits on two subcommittees: Housing and Insurance as well as Oversight and Investigations, where he holds the position of Ranking Member. Within the Democratic Party he holds the position of Assistant Whip.
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Green’s family taught him the importance of positive preparation through education and righteous resistance to overcome persistent injustice. He attended Florida A&M University, Howard University, and the Tuskegee Institute. Before receiving an undergraduate degree, he enrolled in the Thurgood Marshall School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1973. As a law student, he earned awards in the areas of Federal Procedure and Conflicts.
After graduating from law school, Green co-founded and co-managed the law firm of Green, Wilson, Dewberry, and Fitch. In 1977, he was appointed Justice of the Peace in Harris County, Texas, where he served for 26 years before retiring in 2004. Throughout his career, Congressman Al Green has enjoyed the respect of his colleagues as well as a wide cross-section of community leaders, who have praised his legal skills, impeccable character, and ability to work with people of diverse backgrounds.
For approximately ten years, Congressman Al Green served as president of the Houston Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Under his leadership, the organization grew to unprecedented heights, increasing membership from a few hundred to many thousands, and the staff from one to more than ten.
Since its founding, the fraternity has provided leadership and service during the Great Depression, World War II, Civil Rights Movements, and addressed social issues such as apartheid and urban housing, and other economic, cultural, and political issues affecting people of color. The fraternity’s mentoring, academic achievement and voter education programs and its relationships with the March of Dimes, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Boy Scouts are priority-one for the fraternity. Some of its major programs include the Million Dollar Contribution to the National Urban League, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the United Negro Scholarship Fund and its lead role in the management and construction of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on the Washington Mall. Dr. King was one of the
