The Frontiers International, Inc. originally called Frontiers of America. The Club was founded in Columbus, Ohio, on November 10, 1936, and incorporated on December 10, 1038, by Nimrod B. Allen, a former Executive Director of the Akron YMCA and a well-known leader in the African community. The primary purpose of the organization was established to provide African American men with an outlet and opportunity to collectively serve their communities through a civic and service‑oriented leadership organization at a time when other organizations discriminated against them.
On December 24, 1938, the name was changed to The Frontiers International and was also incorporated in Ohio. In the early days, Frontiers International was very instrumental in setting a platform for local politicians to speak to the African-American community. The club did not endorse candidates, but welcomed them to speak to the group. Contrary to the foundation on which the organization was founded, after hearing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Frontiers International Club began to based its mission and values on the outstanding philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s concept of service. He believed that a person’s worth should not be measured by his or her color, culture, or class but rather by his or her commitment to making a better life for all. King said, “We must work increasingly to uplift this nation that we love to a higher destiny, to a higher plateau, to a more noble expression of humanness.” As he once said, “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.’’ The Frontiers International also began to open its membership to both men and women interested in service, establishing ‘Service to the Community’ as the overall theme of the Frontiers.
Members are called ‘Yoke Fellows’ yok’-fel-o (sunzugos, “yoked together”): “which is derived from the oxen bearing the burden of work through the yoke it wears. To accomplish more together than alone.” Our purpose is quite simple, to foster a relationship with the community in which one lives is the plot of ground given to till and to develop.
More than seveny-nine years later, men and women of color are providing community service through this organization, in more than thirty local clubs around the country. The clubs are divided into nine regions throughout the country. Each district elects a director, who services as the interface between the district clubs and the Frontiers Executive Board.
The annual convention, held in July, provides an opportunity for Yokefellows (as we are known) to reunite and exchange information, while serving as the primary Frontiers business meeting. The kinds of service each chapter provides to their communities are varied. Some clubs focus most of their attention on mentoring of youth in their cities through Adopt A School. Some work with groups who feed the hungry and clothe those moving from welfare to work. Many clubs emphasize the Martin Luther King Holiday through annual luncheons. The raising of funds for and giving of scholarships to students is a major activity for many clubs.
