Hi welcome to another episode of the fit in I’m your host Martina Barksdale here at the sit in you ain’t got to get up we focus on marginalized communities specifically black people giving them a platform to talk about their struggles successes and all that jazz we have an
Exciting show for you today I’m excited about it we have what I like to call a millennial divine 9 episode if you all don’t know what the divine 9 is we got reps from each org we could go and get these introductions started my name is Philip Francis a number of pop medicine
Fraternity incorporated across the time State University I’m Shaina Sawyer’s I am Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated Representative Mike Ross at Morehead State spring 13 my name is Joe Martin spring 11 News Club I came in at design a chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority hello my name is Kiara I’m a
Representative Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated and I am a solo bass club a Baylor chapter at Eastern Kentucky University hello my name is Isaac ups my name is demanding we’ll watch this in Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity incorporated Gamma Phi the pinnacle chapter that’s the University
My name is Eli Tevis I’m a problem at the Frankfurt alumni chapter cap off this opportunity I’m graduated from Kentucky State University hi my name is Lila where I’m a representative Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated across spring 15 at Morehead State University name is Alex I map I’m a member of Omega
Sapphire fraternity cross it out Eastern Kentucky University that dr. Sewell chapter 2013 alright I appreciate you all being with me today for viewers that are not necessarily familiar with Greek life orgs how would you describe that in a few short sentences how would you describe what Greek life is or orgs like
For people that are just not familiar I’m talking about never heard of it or or what it is I would describe it as a legacy of black Americans from dating all the way back in 1906 to create a space for the upper echelon of black folks who were going to college because
There was a time where secret societies or secret social groups were being started in colleges and black posts and hair space to get in so these organizations were first out knowing that we needed this space that we deserve to space and since May when invited soon we waited for ourselves
Being that your orgs a majority if I’m correct our Centennial or over a hundred years Zeta just celebrated their Centennial ooh okay so Lela how has how do you think it’s changed over the course of over 100 years for organizations um it’s just greatness to me being able to
Connect people in their network with people being able to meet people from all over having chapters all over just a big giant describe it yeah and we talk about networking Emmanuel how has you know being an Alfa helped you with networking and your business and growing your career what was anniversary birds live
In the community of family networking is just saying hello and that’s from the Jets you learn a lot about how to actually be a man speak and to be the support mechanism and the voice of your community I mean to join it’s a one common pole so networking is really not
About what organization you’re a part of it’s really about the community that you’re part of and what your golden God is too up live in to leave the community that you are a part of whether you are black white but as long as your power organization you take on the mission all
Right so being that you’re talking about the community and I think I know you are from Louisville you went to UK and now you’re in Atlanta how has your frat helped you just with your transition my career at home accounting it was I was inspired to encounter a fraternity
Brothers here at the University of Kentucky and when I moved to Atlanta a lot of the brothers from the Midwest which is where my childhood said a lot of Mutola as well set me up and got me organized there to tell me the locations to live and make sure that you know
Linked with me and getting connected to their email serves and everything so and not just within like he said just within my own word but other words and Philip I know you have experience at a PWI and also HBCU can you talk about your experience there and what made you want
To even join actually a funny story was in the interstate the first probate I seen was a single probate this really it was a culture shock transmitted from Indiana state to Kentucky State and wouldn’t have people dress and really just how business is conducted to me a
Flare about the scent of saying me joining the train taught me how to conduct business the way as possible and I think that really sounds to me from a PWI to HBCU especially the group is a lot stronger to me everybody’s not so separated I can’t speak for everybody
Else but in case how close I was kind of weave my stuff together really quick so that this is my personal take on it connected as a family you crossed undergrad as well so so most of you crossed undergrad but we do have a grad tell us about a little bit about your
Grad experience Elijah um it’s really two big things when you plays bad any players bad chapter I think like a lot of the motivation has to be in time cuz you’re not gonna reap something like you’re still gonna see some of the hardships of pledging but you don’t get
Them you don’t get to do the step shows you don’t get to vote under graduate parties and all that stuff so my biggest reason for pleasant is like my older cousin Dennis happens to be a captain that was something that I wanted to start a tradition in my family and the
Second thing is like growing up the way a lot of young black men grow up you don’t have like the male role models and stuff like that so a lot of times I met these chapter means me and my line brothers are the youngest people in the
Room so they kind of showing us like how to conduct her stuff like a man and what you’re supposed to do and we talk about our families and their wives and their kids and this that’s something like really drawn for me and I don’t think like I would have gotten that pledging undergrad
Right right it does definitely brings a different perspective and speaking of family and I know some of you especially Kia your mom was a delta sure a little bit about your experience and does she have any influence and why you pledged yes become a delta it was something that was
Always around me I didn’t know at the time when I was little that you know what it was exactly she didn’t really explain it but I was in the youth programs I even had a little team cup the same future it’s all great but with
Her and my godmother I saw all of the work that they were doing out in the community and it was either Church work or Delta and I was always around those strong women and it was a no-brainer for me once I became of age like this
Organization I want to be a part of it also and speaking of family I actually have my cousin here Alex Webb awake a sci-fi so being that we don’t necessarily have a bunch of Omega men in our family I know our experience in church our past there as well did that
Have any influence on why you decided to play I would say that did have an influence I really didn’t think about it until I got to school and so I found out that I was interested in this organization I feel like I found it but
It was all flight it found me as well like it like you said pastors RQ and I feel like that that definitely had an influence and I didn’t really realize it until I got older I’m seeing all these different signs like okay so he was in
My life he was Omega he was in my life he was an Omega I see how they do things I was like you know what I really feel like I want to be a member of their organization and I just let me to where
I am now so I know you all can’t reveal too much but if anyone’s comfortable about just telling me a little bit about the process not thoroughly because I know that’s tight lip but can anybody speak to their experience going through actually pleasure one of me renders no excuses by any
Means so just get things done I’m supposed to be down there for those who are not familiar with Greek life or anything like that every organization has a state GPA that you have to meet a set credit hours which alibis very set credit credit hours that you have to
Attend community service and things like that boy just to even be seen right because it’s almost like a process before the process like you don’t even know it’s not like I could just hang out with a pledge like it’s not like that so can somebody tell this fer viewers out
There that might be undergrad or even grad who are interested in joining some part of the divine nine like how does that process go if I wanted to do a grad chapter and get information about that as far as grad chapter it might be a little bit different
I’ll speak on underground first so just because I’m more familiar with it but basically for undergrad you know if you’re interested in organization you make sure that you’re you know studying all that you do else you can find about that organization as well as other organizations to figure out why it’s
This organization that you want to be a part of undergrad one big question is – yes this is undergrad so you want to surround yourself with people who you look up to who are doing things but I also remember this is a lifelong commitment – so yes the underground
Maybe pop in or whatever you might have it but you gotta think about this is you know weed out yeah and I’m saying this is like long you just don’t go in unless they’re lewin things like that you need to make sure this is connected you do
Like right and I think that’s where black orgs differ from white orgs I talked to some people that I know even black people that I know that did a white organization in college and and it stops after and I’m like I’m like look that’s not the way I didn’t know that
Like you’re like yeah I’m not part of it anymore I’m like I thought you’d die with this and it’s like no only in black words so what do you say to like the naysayers you know in the age of social media everybody got something to say about somebody in the divine nine and
Talking about this that day I don’t feel like some people always see the benefits of that so what do you all say to the naysayers just like it’s the process then any organization regardless of who you join should be able to if you’re in development should be able to help you
Communicate to help you unify and should help you to think it’s on any one of those three things that fall apart and as a team you have friction but then that’s the biggest thing within our community is being able to communicate unifying thinking is what’s going to
Move our community as a whole black work organizations black communities forward and that’s the biggest thing that I would say or knowing that you need to be able to learn or dude and if organization is going to help you do that what I was saying is I think everybody’s
Entitled to their opinion and I would never try to like discredit somebody for saying what they feel but the night as far as like the naysayers is like just hating like it’s like what we saw in you at the interests meetings UK like it’s that part that I don’t like about but
Everybody else who kind of feels the way they feel like I get it but it’s not really it’s not it’s not your business and we talked about how you know I think you all have done a great job of communicating how this has helped you grow into who you are today and has
Helped you in your personal life and career life but let’s talk about the fun stuff a little bit let’s talk about the strolling and all that happens so for those who don’t know what strolling is or did somebody have a brief definition of that sorry well yato stroll
I’ll start by saying as a memorable sob we do not stroll we ha and we set out marches so definitely you know seeing that when I first saw that like it definitely gave me Coach just like he was saying like my first probate was acute probate and I was just like
Man like this energy here like what what these guys are doing like this stuff is crazy I wanted I want to do this stuff and I can remember times before I joined the organization I was in the mirror practices definitely just makes you that that visual aspect right there seeing
The marches and seeing the hops and everything and just seeing all the energy and enthusiasm that people have I feel like that really draws you to it as well to define that mission whether you’re strolling I’ve been setting out on March whatever it is that you’re
Doing it in a unifying set and it’s powerfully in your confident which is what we stand for I think yeah because I don’t I’m not gonna lie sometimes I’ll be doing it but I can’t do it like you know my friends they can’t do it I’ll just be like my
Like because I’m not trying to get beat up the new street so not that y’all would ever do that well you know not that I would ever do that I’m just saying you all worked hard to get where you are and I would never want to
Disrespect that but it does look fun but piggybacking off of that being that I’m not part of the divine Niner and organi thing there’s been a little controversy over the internet with a boo see where Kappa sweatshirt so how do you all feel about non Greek people participating in Greeks
Disrespectful like yeah because like I was kids to say that the mothers wasn’t giving right it was earned and a lot winning to them you know I’m saying I didn’t just wake up one day and decide I want to be a K I just didn’t go sign my
Name on the dotted line like this took time I had you know bill with my life sister I had Bill character I don’t want values you know and it just was something that was gifted so when people do it it’s like you didn’t work for this you know saying this just like
Somebody born into your profession who has no training nothing tell you what to do it you didn’t you didn’t go so what about what do you say about and I think you wanted to say something Isaac about like what if they say I want to play up
Amish what if I want to pay respect to because it is a part of black history so what do you say to that no no that’s the hardest part about being a millennial in group I know because there’s low ignorance those times when they’re doing these things
Who’s he had a little dignity did you know they can wear the cap sure he’s seen in the logs they liked it so I thought he was paying homage to Rico this so I think we have a we want to be respected and we have to learn
Informing people in a direct way so that we’re not making awkward seem like you know it’s us against everyone else in the white community we Alice’s you know who see wasn’t weird kawasaki eriko and he blatantly said that he knew and he just didn’t care yeah after after
Hearing his brothers speak on his life because he wouldn’t disrespect his brother like this I mean he took it a step further and did a little shimmy I mean it happened I think he did a way of like flipping it to a positive you know
He was you know people attack you we go your first part is to be but now he’s going the busi back where he’s gonna have Kappas compete for money so in a way you know now you can give back to your organization so I do appreciate him
For doing that like if he could just left it alone okay since I did this at least let me write so basically he missing your on to pay homage and respect and then actually turn into the father of what he actually thought would actually help the community which policy has been through
A lot based on his own profile man I mean he wants to actually unify another well well if nothing else came out of this I felt like people were more aware of you know Greek orgs to respect them to understand that you all did have to go through a large challenges I’ll make
It plural to get to where you are and and we have to wrap up now but if you could like Kajal rep y’all set real quick I just want to go down the line throw up whatever y’all can’t would anybody like to leave us with some last
Words to people who may be interested in joining the org or might have misconceptions or you know just want to know more I’ll say whatever you whatever you choose to do just make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons because one of the most cringeworthy things that
People in Greek life hate to see is like when somebody pledges and then they get a couple years out of school and then they turn out to their letters or something they decide if they don’t believe in it anymore it’s like make sure that you’re prepared to do the work
These organizations are all about work and it’s a life committee and it’s about service to the community so it’s not just supposed to be self-serving like take your influence and help somebody else help the next person you know be you you know say no like I’m this I’m that now but let it
Add to your character let it you know build you up like if you know if you understood Shana in 2012 I was a hot mess but I didn’t let the letter it’s like a llama aka but it helped build character don’t let it be like you talk to a new
Person because you’re Greek but let it build you and then if that’s what you’ve learned and put it into someone else I was gonna say just do your research like not every organs for everybody so make sure you pick the org that is right for you that is comfortable for you so you
Make the right decision yeah I mean if you just if you don’t do it then do it you know don’t don’t join an organization in half acid and you know be some timing like if you’re gonna do it do it you know participate in advance go to functions everything just make
Sure you’re getting the full experience of read as much as you can membership cost money to be in our organization first to join and then is money to help search your survey it requires getting that and then follow up with somebody in that organization and ask all your
Questions and be fully aware like a game of cards between organizations Wilbur unifier from usually you may see us a lot of us working for our organizations doing a lot can you serve don’t get it twisted like your org can work for use with Network messed up like it’s been
Multiple times work I’ve been out of state I might even show up some change like I was in with the tuskegee had a football game after that you know I went out with something to test people brothers had 20 people in the yard at the time and like they welcomed me and
Fed me help me with jobs resumes organization can work for you as well as we work Amazed that we are registered nonprofit organizations you are really running a budget you’re running an events I mean there’s so many there’s so much that you can take from the experience that is healthy personally I would say discretion as well flag when you know when you’re interested in organization
That shouldn’t necessarily be something that everybody should know you just want to make sure the only people that know this are you know yourself and the people of that organization that you want to join you know it’s not something that should be broadcasting all right I can I can dig it thank you
I’m coming here I cannot believe I got all nine in the room such a good conversation my production is over here like wrap it up so with that being said thank you all for coming and sitting in at the sit-in here you are belong here
You are heard here you are seen this is the sit-in you ain’t got to get up
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