Gamma Xi Phi, the fraternity for artists, celebrated its tenth anniversary with a virtual birthday party for its founding chapter on October 7, 2020.  It was a members-only event.

Alumni from Ramapo College of New Jersey, the birthplace of the fraternity, assembled along with members from chapters serving the District of Columbia, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, and North Carolina.  A slideshow began the evening, with music produced by Alpha Chapter charter member Micaela Moore serving as the soundtrack.  Later on the program, Founders and members had the opportunity to share their thoughts about the origins of the fraternity and the hard work involved in making it sustainable.

National President Rashid Darden, a novelist, along with other members of the fraternity, feted the founders and early members of Alpha Chapter by sharing stories of their more youthful days.

Darden also recounted the many accomplishments of the fraternity’s first ten years, with an emphasis on the current year.  Recent accomplishments include the most chapters chartered in a single year, the most initiates initiated in a single year, and the most community members impacted by and engaged with fraternity programming.

As a special surprise to the membership, Beta Chapter charter member and past National Treasurer Nadia Fisher of Aria del Sole presented a digital painting called Solidarity in honor of the occasion.  The painting represents the sacred values of the organization.

Gamma Xi Phi was founded at Ramapo College of New Jersey in Mahwah, New Jersey by undergraduate students Malcolm Minor, Ashli Johnson, Tahir Register, and Kanisha Taylor.  The purpose of Gamma Xi Phi is to honor the achievements of artists through fellowship, philanthropy, social justice, and service.  Notable members of the fraternity include poet and activist E. Ethelbert Miller, novelist Melanie S. Hatter, visual artist Nette Forné Thomas, and sculptor Allen Uzikee Nelson.