[1] Members of the close-knit afrocentric fraternity proudly embrace the organization’s youth, uniqueness, individualism (stereotyping discouraged) and modern idealism.

As a contemporary organization, many members have had the great honor of meeting, fellowshipping with, and/or engaging in personal or virtual discussions with one or more of their founders.

[2] On September 19, 1963, the twelve founders gathered together on the steps of Hurt Gymnasium on the campus of Morgan State College (now Morgan State University) and unyielding desired & agreed to form Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc., a support system for militant men of color in the era's turbulent social climate.

Influencers of Iota Phi Theta include organizations such as the Black Panthers, SNCC, the original Rainbow Coalition (Fred Hampton), and individuals like Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael.

[3] Many of them were three to five years older, worked and attended classes full time, had served in the military and had families with small children.

Based on their ages, heightened responsibilities, and increased level of maturity, the group had a slightly different perspective than the norm for typical fraternity members.

It was this perspective from which they established the fraternity's purpose, "The development and perpetuation of Scholarship, Leadership, Citizenship, Fidelity, and Brotherhood among Men."

In the 60s many African Americans began forming organizations based on their passion for social change and their alignment with the principles of the Civil Rights Movement.

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas; civil rights protests continued throughout the South, during which nonviolent activists were frequently met with beatings and arrests; 4 young girls were killed during the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing; over 200,000 people marched on Washington in support of civil rights; Kenya gained its independence; Medger Evers, NAACP field secretary, and civil rights leader was assassinated at his home in Jackson, Mississippi by a segregationist; Unemployment reached 6.1 percent, etc.

The first steps toward moving the fraternity from a regional to a national scope were taken with the creation of the Upsilon Chapter at Southern Illinois University in 1974.

It was also during this period that the fraternity's first four graduate chapters were formed across the South and the East Coast, which created a base for the organization in the Northeast, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest regions of the country.

The fraternity prioritized entering an affiliation that would provide resources and relationships essential for Iota's long-term growth and development.

[6] While its NIC membership was and is beneficial, later Iota began contact with the NPHC, which at the time had no expansion policy with which to accept new members.

Effective November 12, 1996, Iota Phi Theta was accepted as a full member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, with all its rights, privileges, and responsibilities.

The fraternity became an international entity with the establishment of a colony in Nassau, Bahamas in 1999, military chapters in South Korea (Alpha Rho Omega, 2005) and Japan (Beta Pi Omega, 2009), and Theta Mu (The Diego Luis Cordoba Tech University of Choco; Quibdó, Chocó, Colombia, South America, 2013).

The internal processes are catalysts for gaining access and influence in business, politics, higher education, entertainment, healthcare, law, etc.

Qualifying based on several years of existence, Iota Phi Theta has grown at a faster pace than all other Black Greek Letter Fraternities.

The fraternity and BLM maintain similar stances that societal inequalities and injustices must permanently end across the United States.

Also in 2020 Brother and Congressman Bobby Rush successfully passed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act (a bill he introduced in 2019) to the United States House of Representatives.

In the early growth and development of the fraternity, Morgan State College staff member Audrey Brooks assisted the Brothers and became a vital resource to Iota Phi Theta, providing protection and support for the fledgling organization.