Our story.
On a December evening in 1953, twelve men made a decision that would shape Orlando for generations. This is where it started, and what it has become.
Twelve men. One evening. Seven decades of impact.
During the summer and fall of 1953, twelve Alpha men gathered at the office of Brother I.S. Hankins at 647 S. Paramore Street in Orlando with a shared conviction: this city needed an Alpha chapter, and they were the men to build it.
Through August, September, and October, they met. They planned. They waited on word from the General Office. When the notice came that the Regional Office would send a brother to install the chapter and its officers, the work of a lifetime was about to begin.
The local press did not cover it. There was no fanfare, no ceremony beyond what the Brotherhood required. After the hymn and prayer, the brothers retired to a meal. The community had no way of knowing what had just been set in motion.
“This event went unheralded by the local press, but the local community was destined to feel its impact in many rewarding ways.”
The men who built this chapter.
On November 19, 1953, at the home of Brother George L. Speight at 400 S. Westmoreland Drive, these twelve brothers gathered to begin the formal process of chartering Delta Xi Lambda.
Their names are the foundation. Everything that followed is their legacy.
What twelve men started has never stopped.
Delta Xi Lambda has been an active presence in Orlando for more than 70 years. What began at a dining room table in 1953 has grown into one of Central Florida's most consistent forces for education, advocacy, and community development.
The chapter has changed with the city. New brothers have carried the work forward. New programs have taken root. The names of the founders live on in the Foundation that funds scholarships for Orlando students every year.
A chapter built to last.
Key moments in the history of Delta Xi Lambda. This timeline will grow as brothers contribute their recollections, records, and photographs to the chapter archive.
Delta Xi Lambda chartered
Twelve brothers formally charter the Delta Xi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. on December 22, 1953. Key #202, Orlando, Florida.
MLK Commemorative Luncheon founded
Delta Xi Lambda launches what becomes one of Orlando's longest-running civic tributes to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The luncheon celebrated its 40th year in 2026.
I.S. Hankins–F.A. Johnson Education Foundation established
Named for two of the chapter's twelve founders, the Foundation is incorporated as a 501(c)(3) to formalize DXL's scholarship and community investment work.
Year to confirmYoung Men of Distinction launched
DXL launches YMOD, a male mentoring program that will go on to graduate more than 500 young men over its history.
Year to confirmSeven decades and counting
Delta Xi Lambda remains one of Central Florida's most active alumni chapters, running eight programs, funding local scholarships, and welcoming new brothers into a legacy that started in 1953.
The chapter your chapter built.
Seventy years from that December evening, the work continues. Brothers still meet. Programs still run. Scholarships still fund students who will never know the names of the men who made it possible. That is exactly how it was meant to be.
If you are an initiated brother with memories, photographs, or records from this chapter's history, we want to hear from you. Every story adds to the record.