“I hope our current and future successes are so strong, resilient and persistent it’s a given that Omega will have longevity and prosper,” said Felton Harding a dedicated member of the Zeta Phi Indianapolis Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
Harding, who is the Zeta Phi Chapter talent hunt chairman and audit committee co-chair, is proud to be a part of the fraternity – a brotherhood he says he’ll represent until he dies.
Fraternity brothers all over the world will celebrate history on Nov. 17 – a 100-year-old legacy started in 1911. As the first international fraternity organization to be founded on the campus of a historically Black college, Howard University, Omega Psi Phi strives to accomplish manhood, scholarship, perseverance and uplift.
The initials derived from the Greek phrase means, “friendship is essential to the soul,” and that was how Omega Psi Phi began.
“Thinking back over the many decades, of the attempts there was to have (the fraternity) not exist, I think about our struggles, civil rights and all the things we faced to get equal opportunities. There is a sense of pride and responsibility of keeping the legacy going on,” explains Crayton “Troy” Vasileus, a member of the graduate chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.
Today, Omega Psi Phi has more than 700 chapters throughout the United States, Bermuda, Bahamas, Virgin Islands, Korea, Japan, Liberia, Germany and Kuwait. There are many notable Omega men recognized as leaders in the arts, sciences, academics, athletics, business, civil rights, education, government and science sectors at the local, national and international level.
While Omega Psi Phi has much to celebrate, the Zeta Phi Chapter, the Indianapolis graduate chapter of the organization, is celebrating 86 years.
The thought of establishing a local chapter started in the fall of 1924. Five Omega men in Indianapolis felt isolated from the international chapter and decided that an Omega Psi Phi Fraternity should be located in the vicinity. The chapter received recognition on April 25,1925.
“We want to continue to bring our best, give back and make the community stronger. The fraternity wants to be that group the community comes to when they need assistance. We hope the community thinks of us first when in need,” Vasileus said.
While the national platforms include partnerships, charitable gifts and other various initiatives, the local chapters are active throughout their communities with projects including centennial celebrations and Gospel and Quest of Comedy programming as well.
Recently, the Zeta Phi Chapter held a talent hunt where high school students showcased their talents competitively for scholarship money. Sabrina Rose from Broad Ripple High School received first place and moved on to the district level where she placed sixth.
According to Vasileus, that’s just another example of the fraternity giving back to their community.
“Some people may feel we have strayed away from our founders’ achievements, but we haven’t,” Vasileus said. “We are intelligent men here for our community. We are not one dimensional.”
