In the first decade of the 20th century, six distinguished black professionals from the world of medicine came together and created Sigma Pi Phi, also known as the Boulé. Founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1904, Sigma Pi Phi is the oldest Greek-lettered fraternity for African Americans. The Fraternity’s founding members- Robert J. Abele, Eugene T. Hinson, Edwin C.J. T. Howard, Algernon B. Jackson, Henry McKee Minton, and Richard J. Warrick Jr. served as Boulé’s first Archons with the purpose of “Having the most able men of our race to help create future leaders.” From the group's inception, the Boulé sought out highly educated and well-to-do black professionals through outreach and recommendations from other Boulé Archons across the United States. During the late 1930s, the Phi Boulé saw membership growth due to the strength of the black middle and upper classes. With institutions such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities, black business and religious institutions, strengthening black life in the South, Phi Boulé created 17 new chapter members in cities such as Tuskegee, Montgomery, and Atlanta. This new shift in membership created a strong foundation for the Boulé, as the new members consisted of elite black professionals in spaces such as law, politics, Education, Medicine, Business, Academia, and Theology. Notable Boulé members include: W.E.B. DuBois, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Artist Hale Woodruff, and Athlete Hank Aaron. Due to the organization's highly selective membership process, the Boulé is the sole African American fraternity that does not have collegiate chapters and is designed to attract and seek out black male professionals who have established themselves in their professions, obtaining some level of notable success. Because of this, Boulé Archons mainly reach out to potential members during their mid-professional or late careers. While the Boule are not found in the collegiate institutions, they still maintain strong relationships with other black fraternities at colleges and universities. Currently, Sigma Pi Phi has over 5,000 members and 139 chapters throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Bahamas. Its national headquarters is in Atlanta, Georgia.