Omega Psi Phi’s Founders

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity was founded by three undergraduate students—Oscar James Cooper, Frank Coleman, and Ernest Everett Barksdale—and their faculty adviser, Victor Quincy Jones, at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania in 1911. The founders established the fraternity to promote academic excellence, community service, and brotherhood among African American men. Their vision was to create an organization that supports personal growth and leadership, fostering a sense of responsibility and mentorship. These visionary individuals laid the foundation for a legacy that emphasizes integrity, perseverance, and upliftment, leading Omega Psi Phi to become one of the prominent historically Black fraternities in the United States.