From Whence We Came - Sigma Omega Chapter

Sigma Chapter, now recognized as Sigma Omega Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc, was first organized in 1920 in Chicago, IL. Under the administration of Grand Basileus Harold H. Thomas, the chapter was chartered in 1921 as a graduate chapter. As the first chapter organized and chartered in the Talented Tenth District, we are the Pearl of the 10th District.

The Birth of Sigma Omega Chapter

Many of Sigma Omega’s charter members traveled to Chicago in pursuit of post graduate degrees from the University of Chicago, Northwestern University Law and Dental Schools (located downtown Chicago), and Rush Medical University. In the early 1900s, Chicago attracted Black Americans from across the country who sought opportunities for graduate education. From 1870 - 1940, 45 African American students received PhD’s from the University of Chicago, more than any other institution in the nation.

In 1916, Founder of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Dr. Ernest Everett Just, graduated magna cum laude from University of Chicago, receiving his doctorate in zoology. Founder of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Professor Frank Coleman, spent consecutive summers in Chicago from 1920-1922, earning a Master of Science degree from the University of Chicago in 1922. Additionally, according to an article published in the September 2, 1922 Chicago Whip Newspaper, he attended a Sigma Chapter event held in the ballroom at the Vincennes Hotel in Chicago, IL. In that same article, a roster of Sigma Chapter members was published which highlighted the presence of professionals such as doctors and attorneys among its ranks.

Sigma Chapter became Sigma Omega in 1923 when Bro. J. Alston Atkins become Grand Basileus of the fraternity. Under the leadership of Grand Basileus Atkins, undergraduate chapters were designated by single Greek letters, while graduate chapters were assigned Omega as their second Greek letter. Sigma Omega changed only in name and was never rechartered. The first Omega men to transfer their membership to Sigma Omega Chapter were: Bro. Carter Walker Wesley, initiated 1917, Fort Des Moines War Chapter, and Bro. Woody Maurice Winston, initiated April 1920, Delta Chapter.

Who Are The Charter Members?

Sigma Omega was chartered by the following like-minded Omega men:

Bro. Carter Walker Wesley  was the first charter member of Sigma Omega, transferring his membership to the Chapter in 1920. He graduated magna cum laude from Fisk University in 1917. Later that year, he entered military training in Iowa for World War I and was initiated into Omega Psi Phi Fraternity through the Fort Des Moines War Chapter, one of the Fraternity’s two war chapters.

After serving with distinction on the front lines during World War I, Bro. Wesley enrolled at Northwestern University Law School in the fall of 1919. In 1922, he became the first Black person to graduate from Northwestern University Law School with a Juris Doctor degree. At the time, Northwestern’s law, pharmacy, and dental schools were located in Chicago’s Loop area at the corner of Lake and Dearborn Streets.

In addition to being a charter member of Sigma Omega Chapter, Bro. Wesley served as the Chapter’s first Basileus in 1921. He also assisted in chartering Xi Omega Chapter in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and Nu Phi Chapter in Houston, Texas. After relocating to Houston, Bro. Wesley became the owner of the Houston Examiner newspaper.

Brother Benjamin Clayton was initiated at the Mother Pearl, Alpha Chapter, in 1914. He received his Law degree from Boston University Law School in 1920, and wanting to establish his profession as a lawyer, he moved to Chicago. He is the only one of the five charter members to complete his postgraduate studies before arriving in Chicago. Brother Clayton transferred his membership to Sigma Omega in 1921 where he became the second Basileus of the chapter.

In the fall of 1921, while serving as Basileus, he was elected Grand Keeper of Records, becoming the chapter’s first member to hold a National Fraternity office. In 1923, he assisted with the chartering of Iota Chapter, and in 1938, he ran for a seat in the United States Congress. An attorney, Brother Clayton served Chicago’s South Side community from his law office at 235 East 35th Street.

Brother Joseph Alonzo Berry was initiated at Camp Howard War Chapter in 1918. Bro. Berry graduated from Fisk University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1919. Later that year he enrolled at the University of Chicago and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1921. From there he matriculated to Rush Medical College where he earned his MD in 1924. Brother Berry was instrumental in chartering two other chapters: Delta Chapter in Nashville, TN (1919) and Iota Chapter (Chicago) in 1923. Brother Berry practiced medicine in the Chicago area for several years before moving his family to Alabama to continue his profession as a doctor.

Bro. Benjamin Elijah Mays was the most widely recognized charter member of Sigma Omega Chapter. An ordained minister, in 1919 he was initiated into Omega Psi Phi Fraternity through Gamma Chapter in Boston, MA., and transferred his membership to Sigma Omega Chapter in 1921. Like several other charter members, he came to Chicago to pursue graduate studies at the University of Chicago, enrolling in its Divinity School in January 1921.

Bro. Mays interrupted his graduate studies several times to accept teaching positions, including one at Morehouse College in August 1921. In 1923, he assisted in chartering Epsilon Omega Chapter in South Carolina and eventually resumed his studies at the University of Chicago, earning his master’s degree in 1925, and his doctorate in 1935.

From 1934 to 1940, Bro. Mays served as Dean of Howard University’s School of Religion. In 1940, he was appointed president of Morehouse College, a position he held with distinction for 27 years. He also became a mentor to Martin Luther King Jr. from 1944-1948, while King attended Morehouse College as an undergraduate student in Atlanta.

Bro. Miles Dewey Davis Jr. , a successful dentist and recognized as the first Black American to breed Landrace hogs, was the fifth charter member of Sigma Omega Chapter. In 1920, he was initiated into Omega Psi Phi Fraternity through Beta Chapter at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, the first degree-granting Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in the United States. Shortly after his initiation, he moved to Chicago and enrolled at Northwestern University Dental School.

In 1920 while attending dental school, Bro. Davis helped charter Sigma Omega Chapter alongside Brothers Wesley, Clayton, Berry, and Mays. He graduated from dental school in 1924 and married Cleota Mae Henry later that same year. He and his wife had three children. Their best-known child was the legendary Jazz musician Miles Davis III.

Bro. Davis eventually left Chicago and relocated with his family to East St. Louis, Illinois, where he assisted in the 1955 chartering of Nu Chi Chapter.

The Birth of Iota Chapter

On October 12, 1923, Sigma Omega Chapter played an instrumental role in chartering Iota Chapter in Chicago. As stated on page 16 of the May 1924 issue of The Oracle : “Chicago, IL had long been the seat of Sigma Omega, but the younger men felt the need of an undergraduate chapter, and as aptly put by Bro. Joseph Berry in his request to the Supreme Council and the Central Representative of the Grand Basileus, the graduate chapter should grow out of the undergraduate and not vice versa.” Iota Chapter thus became the second-oldest Omega chapter in Chicago.

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. had originally assigned the Greek letter Iota to a chapter established in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1920. However, according to the October 1929 issue of The Oracle , the charter of Atlantic City’s Iota Chapter was revoked shortly thereafter, and the chapter was never reorganized.

The enduring legacy of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. rests upon the vision, dedication, and leadership of our four Honorable Founders: Bishop Edgar Amos Love, Dr. Oscar James Cooper, Professor Frank Coleman, and Dr. Ernest Everett Just. As the Fraternity expanded, it entrusted Sigma Omega’s charter members with helping advance its growth. Notably, all five charter members had been initiated during the Fraternity’s formative first decade. These five distinguished Omega Men answered the call by establishing the first Omega chapter in Chicago and the first chapter in the Tenth District.

For more than a century, Sigma Omega Chapter has remained steadfast in upholding the Fraternity’s Cardinal Principles of Manhood, Scholarship, Perseverance, and Uplift. From its home in the Woodlawn community on Chicago’s South Side, the Chapter continues its tradition of community service while carrying out the Internationally Mandated Programs established by Omega Psi Phi Fraternity’s International Headquarters.