DeKALB | The Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity will celebrate its 100th anniversary this week, just after NIU celebrated its 100th Homecoming two weeks ago.

“The Seven Days of Ma’at” centennial celebration is based on Alpha Phi Alpha’s Egyptian theories and African principles. The celebration began Sunday and will continue until Saturday night. Each day’s event correlates with the seven principles of Ma’at, an Egyptian goddess, and includes righteousness, justice, order, balance, reciprocity, truth and harmony.

Alpha Phi Alpha was established Dec. 4, 1906, at Cornell University as the first intercollegiate service fraternity for black men.

Since its founding at NIU on May 5, 1964, Alpha Phi Alpha has helped bring the NIU Black Choir, the CHANCE program, NAACP and LIFE AIDS (Leaders In the Fight to Eradicate AIDS) to campus.

“Alpha Phi Alpha has a rich history. I am so proud to share a common brotherhood and fraternal spirit with an organization that has reached its 100th year,” said Kiarri Andrews, vice president of programming for the fraternity. “The 100th anniversary is a collective accomplishment.”

Influential leaders and national figures such as Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King Jr., W.E.B. DuBois, Duke Ellington and Jesse Owens were all members of Alpha Phi Alpha.

“Students of all ethnicities are more than welcome to celebrate,” said Andrews, a senior journalism major.

The events are not exclusive to the Greek community, except for Thursday, when the fraternity will work with their national philanthropy, “Go to High School, Go to College.” Their philanthropy concentrates on the completion of secondary and collegiate education as a road to success for blacks.

“Alpha Phi Alpha’s existence has not been easy, but we have flourished and have been welcomed by the university. We invite students of all groups to join in our centennial celebration,” Andrews said.