The Rho Eta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated. organized as a charter group in 1997. The group consisted of Alpha men in the Huntsville, Madison, and Decatur areas who felt there was a need to increase the scope of the fraternity’s work in North Alabama. The brothers officially became a charter group in Madison and Decatur. It initially held its meetings at the Global Village Childcare Center in Madison, AL.

The Executive Board of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, Inc. granted Rho Eta Lambda its charter on January 21, 2000, and a chartering ceremony was held on March 25, 2000, at the King’s Memorial United Methodist Church in Decatur, AL. Although seventeen gentlemen were listed as charter members, twenty-four brothers were active in the chapter at the time of its chartering ceremony.

Since its chartering, Rho Eta Lambda has participated in every district, regional, and national convention. The chapter consistently conducts Project Alpha in Madison to include “Go to High School, Go to College” and “A Voteless People is a Hopeless People” voter registration drive. The chapter also participates in Toys for Tots, various Christmas charities, the March of Dimes and Sickle-Cell Anemia Walk-a-thons, and it provides food baskets for families throughout the year in Decatur.