The Founders of MALIK Fraternity, Incorporated are collectively known as Crowns. 

 

Those fifteen men are:

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James Banks

Joseph Diaz, Jr.

Edward Harris

Roland K. Hawkins

Ernest Heyward

Lethorne Johnson

George J. Lambrecht

Kyle H. Little

Larry B. Martin

Darryl L. Mitchell

Anthony Pitts

Edward Rivers

Kevin Simon

Bryant Stafford

Albert Dehart Washington

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There is a distinction to be made, as all fifteen Founders are referred to as Crowns. However, three of the fifteen are also called Khalifahs.  The three Khalifahs are:

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Roland K. Hawkins

Larry B. Martin

Darryl L. Mitchell

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It was the three Khalifahs that originated the concept of the fraternity and in turn recruited the other twelve men. This is why the Khalifahs have a special distinction.  The Crowns are called so as a symbol; every king tends to have a crown and you might agree that he is not quite complete without it.  Although a fraternity, the Founders set the precedence of being very open with information, symbols, and knowledge. It was their belief that our communities have had an absence of awareness for so long that we cannot afford to withhold valuable information from the masses.  This represents a major departure from the very secretive nature of traditional fraternalism. Another such departure is finds its origins in the heritage of specific Crowns.  One of the Crowns, Joseph Diaz, Jr., is Puerto Rican and thus brings to our organization the incorporation of more than just African-American men, truly creating an organization that embraces the entire African diaspora.  As Khalifah Larry B. Martin has said (being both Black and Latino), “the fraternity is an organizational representation of my racial background.”