The Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World (IBPOEW) is an African-American fraternal order modeled on the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. It was established in 1897 in the United States. In the early 21st century, it has 500,000 members and 1500 lodges in the world.
North Side Lodge 124 I.B.P.O.E.W. marching club, Sunday, June 13th, 1925, Pittsburgh, taken outside of Watt School
The Order claims descent from the Free African Society, the first formal black society in America, founded in 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as a mutual aid society by Absalom Jones and Richard Allen. That organization later resulted in the founding of the first African-American congregation in the Episcopal Church, headed by Jones, and the founding of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the first independent black denomination, by Allen.
The formation of the Improved BPOE as a separate order, however, began in February 1897, when it was established in Cincinnati, Ohio, by city residents B. F. Howard and Arthur J. Riggs. The latter was a Pullman porter who had been born into slavery. The men had met in another fraternal association and wanted to establish a chapter of Elks; the white organization refused them admission.[1] (It was only in 1972 that the white-majority BPOE opened admission to African Americans and other minorities.)[2] Riggs had gained a copy of the BPOE ritual and received the first copyright for it, establishing their organization in September 1898.[3] The first meeting of the new IBPOEW organization was held on Thursday, November 17, 1898. This was a period of a rise in black fraternal associations, with men organizing to work in community and create strong networks.
The BPOE disputed the African Americans' use of the ritual, but they held the copyright. In 1912 the Improved, Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World was sued by the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks in the State of New York to keep them from using the "Elks" name. The New York Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the BPOE, with Judge Barlett stating, "If the members desired the name of an animal there is a long list of beasts, birds, fishes which have not yet been appropriated for such a purpose."[4] The decision was apparently ignored after the IBPOEW made a minor change in the letters on their seal.[5]
The IBPOEW founded a Civil Liberties department in 1926. It was active in opposing the segregation of schools in Gary, Indiana, the next year.[5] The number of blacks in the city had increased markedly during the Great Migration, as men were attracted from the rural South to the city's industrial jobs. At the same time, there were also numerous European immigrants settling in the city.
During the 1930s and 1940s, the IBPOEW was active in the effort of blacks to "gain work while resisting union exclusion, workplace segregation, and unemployment."[6] According to historian Venus Green, the Improved Elks labor activism was distinguished from other black fraternal organizations by their "cross-class alliances, male/female solidarity, racial unity, a willingness to join coalitions across ideologies and to engage in multiple forms of struggle, especially militant mass mobilization."[6] In the IBPOEW, ideologies ranged from Christianity to Communism, but the members worked together to achieve labor goals.
The Kennedy Farm meeting hall
From 1950 to 1966, the IBPOEW owned and operated as their National Shrine "The John Brown Farm" (also known as "The Kennedy Farm") in southern Washington County, Maryland. That property was the site where John Brown (abolitionist) had trained his troops in anticipation of his raid on Harpers Ferry, West Virginia in 1859; this was a catalyst for the American Civil War and the abolition of slavery. The Elks purchased the property as a memorial to Brown and built several buildings on the 235-acre property, including a 50' by 124' auditorium that was used as a meeting place for Elks gatherings of up to three thousand persons on Fourth of July and Labor Day weekends. The auditorium was rented on summer weekends by a local black entrepreneur, John Bishop, who booked into that venue dozens of the biggest stars of rhythm and blues, including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, B. B. King, Eartha Kitt, Otis Redding, Etta James, The Coasters, and The Drifters.[7]
The order's historical importance as a place of activism continues to be a central aspect of its public image, that has even reached the interest of scholars and historians.[8]
In 1923 the IBPOEW convention in Chicago was attended by 3,000 delegates. At that meeting J. Finley Wilson was re-elected "Grand Exalted Leader."[11]
Membership
In 1979, the Improved Elks had approximately 450,000 members.[5] In the early 21st century, they have 500,000 members in 1500 lodges around the world.[1] Like other fraternal associations in the United States, both black and white, the Improved Elks have been dealing with declining membership as older members die. Younger people face a different world, and seem less inclined to join such associations that purposefully discriminated against women and also require religious belief.
Ritual
Just like the BPOE, the Improved Elks have kept much of their original ritual intact.[5]
Benefits and philanthropy
The Improved Elks in the United States sponsor scholarship programs, youth summer computer literacy camps, help for children with special needs, and extensive community service activities.[1]
Quaker City Elks Lodge No. 720, IBPOEW, Philadelphia, was founded in 1926. In 1945 it was the reportedly the second-largest African-American Elks lodge in the country. In 1930, the Lodge erected a home at 1943 Christian Street, in the area now known as the Christian Street Historic District.[12]
The Improved Order of Red Men is a fraternal organization established in North America in 1834. It claims direct descent from the colonial era Sons of Liberty. Their rituals and regalia are modeled after those assumed by men of the era to be used by Native Americans. Despite the name, the order was formed solely by, and for, white men. This whites-only rule was part of their bylaws until 1974, when the all-white clause was eliminated. Their current position is that they are now open to people of all ethnic backgrounds. In 1935 the organization claimed a membership of about half a million but, by 2011, that declined to a little more than 15,000.
The Loyal Order of Moose is a fraternal and service organization founded in 1888 and headquartered in Mooseheart, Illinois.
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. It has more than 750,000+ at 1,928 lodges. The fraternity currently focuses on Community, Friendship, and Charity.
Charles Harris Wesley was an American historian, educator, minister, and author. He published more than 15 books on African-American history, taught for decades at Howard University, and served as president of Wilberforce University, and founding president of Central State University, both in Ohio.
The Naval Lodge Elks Building, also known as Naval Lodge No. 353 BPOE Temple is a historic building located at 131 East First Street, Port Angeles, Washington. It was first envisioned on September 28, 1896 when the city leaders of Port Angeles, Washington met with members of the Navy to found Naval Lodge No. 353 of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. The lodge also received special approval from the national Grand Lodge of Elks to become the only Elks Lodge in the country whose name was not based on its location. The lodge was built in 1927 following designs by architect J. Charles Stanley. When dedicated in 1928, the building was the largest fraternal lodge in the city. It is still used today as an Elks Lodge.
Elks of Canada is a fraternal organization that was founded in 1912 as a separate but affiliated entity of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Although the Elks of Canada became a separate entity in 1970, the two "share a common history and enjoy a friendly relationship."
The Philadelphia Lodge No. 2 BPOE, also known as the Philadelphia Athletic Club, was a historic American Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) lodge that occupied 306-320 North Broad Street in the Logan Square neighborhood of Center City Philadelphia.
There have been a number of interlocking fraternal orders known as the beavers. The Fraternal Order of Beavers was created in 1911. The relationships between these and the Beavers Reserve Fund Fraternity, Beavers National Mutual Benefit and the National Mutual Benefit is complex. The North American Order of the Beaver was founded in 1990.
The Supreme Emblem Club of the United States of America is the unofficial auxiliary of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
The Degree of Honor Protective Association is a fraternal benefit society. It was originally organized as a female auxiliary to the Ancient Order of United Workmen, but split off in 1910 to become its own independent group. It merged with Catholic Financial Life in 2017.
The Daughters of the Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World are the female auxiliary of the Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World, an African American spin off of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Like the latter organization, which officially has female auxiliaries, the Daughters are also officially recognized and encouraged by its male counterpart. The organization was founded by Emma V. Kelley in 1903 and the organization awards an annual Emma V. Kelley Achievement Award in her honor.
The Order of Royal Purple was the female auxiliary of the Elks of Canada. Unlike their counterparts in the United States, who have never been officially recognized by the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the OORP was officially recognized by the Elks of Canada.
The Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, American Jurisdiction is a jurisdiction of the Grand United Order of Oddfellows in the United States, Jamaica, Canada, South America, and other locations. Since its founding in 1843, its membership has principally included African Americans, due to their being discriminated against in most other fraternal orders in America at the time.
The Carver Center, formerly known as the Sunlight Elks Lodge, is a historic Colonial Revival style brick building located at 40 Fowler Street in the City of Trenton in Mercer County, New Jersey. It was named after George Washington Carver, African-American agricultural scientist and inventor. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 7, 2022, for its significance in ethnic heritage.
William Clarence Hueston Sr. was an American lawyer, magistrate, and community leader. Hueston was the first African-American graduate from the University of Chicago Law School. He served as the first African-American judge in Gary, Indiana, as president of the Negro National Baseball League, and as the first African-American Assistant Solicitor in the United States Post Office Department within the Hoover administration. Hueston practiced law in private firms and was an influential activist for African-American civil rights throughout his life. An active member of fraternal organizations, Hueston served as education commissioner and grand secretary within the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks of the World.
↑ Schmidt, Alvin J. Fraternal Organizations, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1980, pp. 107-8
↑ Preuss, Arthur. A Dictionary of Secret and other Societies, St. Louis: B. Herder Book Co., 1924; republished Detroit: Gale Reference Company, 1966; p.206
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