Its birth, however, dates back to 1906 when a group of friends, the Los Amigos Club, discussed the "need of Christian men for a place to live and study that was within their [financial] means."

These eleven men celebrated as the Fraternity's founders, were: After assisting in the cleanup of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, four of the group re-addressed their desire to organize a house club during a YMCA conference in Pacific Grove, California.

The Great Depression and World War II disrupted the geographic expansion of the fraternity until 1949 when it hired its first full-time employee.

An Α and a Λ rest in the background, covered with the flowers of a dogwood, representing Christian principles, and a Κ that is raised, set with eleven whole pearls.

[2] Its motto is Alethia Kai Logos which means "The Truth and the Word " in Classical Greek; the motto's'initials are the same as the fraternity's abbreviated name.

These Hands Don't Hurt is the fraternity's response to the sexual assault problem on college campuses and was founded in 1996 by the Beta Zeta chapter at East Tennessee State University.

In the spirit of "growing the movement," Alpha Kappa Lambda has allowed other student organizations from around the country to use the program as a way to raise awareness about domestic violence.