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Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World
Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World
IBPOEW
Founded	1897; 128 years ago
Type	Fraternal order
Affiliation	Independent
Status	Active
Scope	International
Colors	Purple and White
Chapters	1,500 lodges
Members	500,000 active
Headquarters	101 Hobson R. Reynolds Road; P.O. Box 159; Winton, North Carolina 27986; United States
Website	ibpoew.org

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.

History

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.

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]

Symbols

The order's colors are royal purple and white.^[9]

Organization

The organization and titles of the Improved Elks are reportedly modeled on that of the BPOE. Its Grand Lodge meets annually, and the organization is headquartered in Winton, North Carolina.^[5] The Improved Elks have an officially recognized female auxiliary, the Daughters of the Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World.^[10] They were organized by Emma V. Kelley on June 13, 1902, in Norfolk, Virginia.^[1]

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]

Selected US lodges

Arkansas

William Townsend Lodge, No. 1149, of Pine Bluff

California

Clementine Lodge, No. 598, of San Diego
Warren McCree Lodge, No.1285, of Pittsburg

Colorado

Pikes Peak Region Lodge, No. 473, of Colorado Springs, CO

Empire Lodge, No. 1493, of Denver

Mountain Lodge, No. 39 of Denver

Connecticut

Shining Star Lodge of Stamford
Goodwill Lodge, No. 1325, Waterbury
New Nutmeg charter Oak, No. 67, of Hartford, Connecticut
Pride of Connecticut, New Britain, Connecticut
Carter L Marshall of Danbury, Connecticut

Delaware

Paul Laurence Dunbar Lodge, No. 106, of Wilmington

District of Columbia

Columbia Lodge, No. 85, of Washington, D.C.

Kansas

Peerless Princess Lodge, No. 243, of Wichita
Midwest Lodge, No. 1444, of Topeka

Massachusetts

Commonwealth Lodge, No. 19, of Boston
Quinsigamond Lodge, No. 173, of Worcester, Massachusetts
Harmony Lodge, No. 140, of Springfield, Massachusetts
Obie Knox Lodge, No. 1568, Holyoke, Massachusetts

Michigan

James L. Crawford Lodge, No. 322, of Ann Arbor

New Jersey

Sunlight Elks Lodge of Trenton, New Jersey
Monmouth Lodge, No. 122, of Asbury Park, New Jersey

New York

Imperial Lodge, No. 127, of New York City
Brooklyn Lodge, No. 32
Neptune Lodge, No. 743, of New York City
Industry Lodge, No. 889, of New York City
Syracuse Lodge, No. 1104, of Syracuse

Ohio

Alpha Lodge, No. 1, of Cincinnati, Ohio
Waldorf Lodge, No. 76, of Dayton, Ohio
Harvey H. Alston Sr Lodge, No. 1755, Columbus, Ohio
Spirit of Ohio Lodge, No. 52, of Cleveland, Ohio
Glenville Elks Lodge, No. 1494, of Cleveland
Prosperity Lodge No.1971 of Columbus, Ohio

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia

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]
Christopher Perry Lodge, No. 965, of Philadelphia
Leonard C. Irvin Lodge, No. 994, of Philadelphia
Edward W. Henry Lodge, No. 1235, of Philadelphia
O.V. Catto Lodge, No. 20, of Philadelphia

Rest of state

John A. Watts Lodge, No. 224, of Chester
B.F. Howard Lodge, No. 580, of Media
John F. Moreland Lodge, No. 801, of Monaca
Maple View Lodge, No. 780, of Elizabeth
North Side Lodge, No. 124, of Pittsburgh
Lawrence Lodge, No. 18, of New Castle
Berks Lodge, No. 47, Reading
Unity Lodge, No. 71, of Harrisburg
Conestoga Lodge, No. 140, of Lancaster
Capt. Levi M. Hood Lodge, No. 159, of West Chester
Cyrene Lodge, No. 169, of Steelton
Arandale Lodge, No. 184, of Altoona
Canon Lodge, No. 186, of Canonsburg
Twin City Lodge, No. 187, of Farrell
Clinton J. Lewis Lodge, No. 201, of Bristol
Edgar A. Still Lodge, No. 207, of Williamsport
Booker T. Washington Lodge, No. 218, of McKeesport
Brighton Pioneer Lodge, No. 219, of Beaver Falls
Valley Lodge, No. 294, of New Kensington
Gem City Lodge, No. 328, of Erie
Flood City Lodge, No. 371, of Johnstown
Elmwood Lodge, No. 438, of Norristown
Monroe Lodge, No. 513, of Stroudsburg
Okay Lodge, No. 697, of Monessen
William E. Burrell Lodge, No. 737, of North Hills
Twin County Lodge, No. 838, of Vandergrift
Montgomery Lodge, No. 1271, of Pottstown
Bethal Lodge, No. 1284, of Bethlehem

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Our Brief History", IBPOEW official website
^ Michelle O'Donnell, "Black Elks Honor Rituals as Membership Dwindles", New York Times, 20 September 2004; accessed 17 May 2017
^ 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
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Schmidt (1980), p.108
^ ^a ^b Venus Green, "Not your average fraternal organization: the IBPOEW and labor activism, 1935–1950", Labor History, Volume 53, 2012 - Issue 4, pp.471-494, Taylor and Francis Online; accessed 17 May 2017
^ Maliskas, Ed. John Brown to James Brown - The Little Farm Where Liberty Budded, Blossomed, and Boogied, Hagerstown, MD: Hamilton Run Press, 2016
^ Green, Venus (2012-11-01). "Not your average fraternal organization: the IBPOEW and labor activism, 1935–1950". Labor History. 53 (4): 471–494. doi:10.1080/0023656X.2012.731770. ISSN 0023-656X. S2CID 144964524.
^ "Meaning of the BPO Elks Colors". www.elks.org. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
^ Schmidt (1980), p. 107
^ Preuss p.179
^ Wilson, W. Rollo (August 9, 1930). "Elks Open New Home Sunday". The Pittsburgh Courier. August 9, 1930. p. 8. Retrieved September 22, 2017.