Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World
Founded in 1898 in Cincinnati, Ohio, by Arthur J. Riggs (1855-1936) and Benjamin Franklin Howard (1860-1918), the Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World (I.B.P.O.E.W) is an African American fraternal organization that supports its members and fights for their social, economic, and civic equality. Fraternal organizations provided unmeasurable aid, both financial and social, to their members throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Historical Black fraternal organizations were especially vital in providing access to services and opportunities withheld from African Americans in American society.
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