190501
The founding
Pi Gamma Omicron’s fraternity-approved founding date is Sunday, January 1, 1905, at The Ohio State University in Columbus.
Official fraternity recordPi Gamma Omicron
Darkness shallgive way to light.
Tenebrae Luci Locum Dabunt
Columbus, Ohio · Sunday, January 1
1905
Born at Ohio State.
Eleven Black students built an institution of their own.
The surviving record · 1906
Built through
brotherhood.
Scholarship, moral courage, and a vision that reached beyond Columbus.
The archival gap
For generations,
the record grew quiet.
We preserve what is known. We do not invent what history has not yet returned.
A brotherhood renewed · 2023
The legacy
continues.
A legacy remembered. A new institutional chapter begins.
The surviving record begins
Born in an age of exclusion.
Built for a future of uplift.
In 1905, eleven Black students at The Ohio State University built an institution of their own—one grounded in scholarship, moral courage, and brotherhood.
More than a century later, Pi Gamma Omicron is preserving that record and carrying its purpose forward.
Explore the complete historyPi Gamma Omicron at a glance
The essential record.
Concise answers to the most common questions about the fraternity, its founding, and its modern renewal.
- What is Pi Gamma Omicron?
- A historic Black collegiate fraternity built around brotherhood, scholarship, integrity, and uplift.
- When and where was ΠΓΟ founded?
- January 1, 1905, at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.
- Who founded Pi Gamma Omicron?
- Eleven Black students whose names are preserved in fraternity records and Ohio State archival research.
- Is Pi Gamma Omicron active today?
- Yes. The fraternity entered a formal renewal in 2023 and is preserving its history while rebuilding chapters and national operations.
Mission / 1905
“Developing community through brotherhood, academic excellence, personal achievement, and service.”
Addressing historical racial injustice and promoting civic engagement.
The legacy in motion
A story still being recovered—and still being written.
190602
The public record
Contemporary newspaper reports documented eleven Black students organizing Pi Gamma Omicron and planning an ambitious national expansion.
Contemporary press reports190603
A chartered purpose
A surviving report described incorporation by students of Ohio State and Ohio Medical University, with a purpose centered on social, moral, and intellectual advancement.
Publication and exact date under verification—04
The surviving record grows quiet
The archive does not yet tell a complete story of what followed. The absence of surviving records is presented honestly, not filled with invention.
Archival gap202305
The renewal
Fraternity leadership identifies October 2023 as the formal renewal of Pi Gamma Omicron and the beginning of its next institutional chapter.
Official fraternity record202606
The legacy moves forward
A new digital home begins preserving the record, connecting brothers, and creating a public foundation for the work ahead.
Digital relaunch
The record speaks · January 4, 1906
A vision of national brotherhood.
A contemporary newspaper described Pi Gamma Omicron as an organization of eleven Black students with plans to carry its work to universities across the country.
Historical facsimile contains period racial terminology. It is preserved as part of the original record.
Enter the archiveWhat carries us forward
Four pillars.
One enduring purpose.
Brotherhood
A lifelong bond grounded in accountability, fellowship, and the shared work of building stronger communities.
Scholarship
Academic excellence and intellectual curiosity as instruments of personal advancement and collective progress.
Integrity
Character expressed through principled leadership, moral courage, and responsibility to one another.
Uplift
Service that addresses historical racial injustice, expands opportunity, and advances civic engagement.
The founding eleven
Names recovered from the record.
Their full stories remain a work of historical recovery. Their names are preserved here as the foundation of the fraternity they created.
- 01Leroy Barnett
- 02William Berry
- 03W. E. Davis
- 04Richard Pettiford
- 05Elmer Shackelford
- 06John Shavers
- 07Norman Thorne
- 08H. A. Turner
- 09C. C. Underwood
- 10Walter Williams
- 11William Woodward
The brotherhood today
From the founding chapter to the next.
Founding chapter
Alpha Chapter
Columbus, OhioThe Ohio State UniversityThe birthplace of Pi Gamma Omicron and the living center of its archival and institutional legacy.
Renewal-era chapter
Beta Chapter
Kennesaw, GeorgiaKennesaw State UniversityExtending the fraternity’s mission of scholarship, integrity, brotherhood, and community uplift.
National leadership
Stewards of the renewal.
Zeke Lipscomb
Guiding national direction and institutional stewardship as Pi Gamma Omicron advances its renewal.
Kawame Curry
Supporting member operations, communications, and the work of building a durable national foundation.
Upcoming · 2027
Charlotte is the next gathering place.
Pi Gamma Omicron is heading to Charlotte.
Charlotte, North Carolina will host the fraternity’s 2027 National Conference. Confirmed dates and registration information will be published when finalized.
View conference announcementThe next chapter needs builders
Become part of the legacy.
Tell us where you are, what you are building, and why the principles of Pi Gamma Omicron speak to you.
Submit your interest