Central Florida Divine Nine members speak about lifetime commitment to service

ARREST. WELL, WHERE THERE IS UNITY, THERE IS STRENGTH. THAT’S A PART OF THE FOUNDATION FOR THE NATIONAL PAN-HELLENIC COUNCIL. ALSO KNOWN AS THE DIVINE NINE. THEY ARE THE NINE HISTORICALLY BLACK SORORITIES AND FRATERNITIES, MILLIONS OF PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD ARE PART OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS. THAT INCLUDES SEVERAL WESH TWO

STAFFERS ON AND OFF THE AIR LIKE MYSELF, SUMMER KNOWLES, AND CHRISTINA WATKINS. CHRISTINA SAT DOWN WITH SOME OF CENTRAL FLORIDA’S D9 MEMBERS AND TELLS US WHY THEIR SERVICE IS A LIFETIME COMMITMENT. PEOPLE IN EIGHTH AND LOVE FOR ALL MEN. AND WITH THAT, YOU KNOW, RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE THAT IT. THE AVERAGE.

SERVICE SCHOLARSHIP, SISTERHOOD AND BROTHERHOOD NINE. HISTORICALLY BLACK SORORITY AND FRATERNITIES CAME TOGETHER TO CREATE UNITY AND A BETTER TOMORROW. THINK ABOUT BLACK HISTORY MONTH AND WHAT THE PURPOSE OF DIVINE IDEAS. WE ALL SERVE THE SAME PEOPLE. THE NATIONAL PAN-HELLENIC COUNCIL OR THE DIVINE NINE AS IT’S KNOWN, WAS FOUNDED ON MAY

10TH, 1930 AT HOWARD UNIVERSITY IN WASHINGTON, DC. THIS IS THE DIVINE NINE. FROM 1906 TO 1963. BEGINNING IN 1906 WITH ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY INCORPORATED THROUGH 1963 WITH IOTA PHI THETA FRATERNITY INCORPORATED, THE ORGANIZATIONS EVOLVED DURING A TIME WHEN AFRICAN AMERICANS COULDN’T GET BASIC RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES, WAS CARRYING ABOUT

EVEN JUST DENYING AND OTHER HISTORICAL EVENTS AND COME AND MAKE THE COLLEGE AND THE ONE POSITION WAS FOUNDED IN THE HEAT OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, SOMETHING THAT INSPIRED ME JUST TO MAKE MORE CHANGE. THE FOUNDERS FROM ALL NINE ORGANIZATIONS HAD DIFFERENT IDEAS, YET SIMILAR MISSIONS, CREATING POSITIVE CHANGE FOR THE

COUNTRY THROUGH SOCIAL ACTION. THE JOURNEY OF SERVICE FOR MANY STARTS ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES, LIKE AT PLACES SUCH AS ROLLINS AMY AMY LU WAS THE FIRST SORORITY AND THE DENIED TO BE ON THIS CAMPUS FOR NOW. OVER 25 YEARS, AND IT WAS AMAZINGLY AWESOME. SO WELCOME THE LADIES OF ALPHA

KAPPA ALPHA TO, UM, CAMPUS THIS PAST FALL AND THE COMMITMENT TO GIVING BACK LASTS A LIFETIME. I JOINED THE CHAPTER OF KAPPA ALPHA PSI IN 1915, DECIDED. I JUST LOVED MY TIME. I LOVE SERVICE, THEY WERE JUST A BUNCH OF LIKE, BROTHERS TO ME. OF COURSE I HAVE BROTHERS AS

WELL, BUT WE’RE ALL SPREAD OUT OVER THE STATE OF FLORIDA. SO THIS MORNING I WOKE UP, MADE ME THINK ABOUT THE BREAKFAST DAY. THE COMMUNITY WE ARE THE VOICE OF THE COMMUNITY AND YOU KNOW, RECORDS IN THE PEOPLE REAL ABOUT MAKING OUR WORLD THAT WE CAME UP A BETTER PLACE.

BUT A YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WILL BE FOLLOWING US EACH ONE OF THESE BOXES REPRESENT ONE OF THE DIFFERENT RONALD MCDONALD HOUSES THAT WILL BE DROPPING THE LITTLE GIFT BAGS TO THE METRO. ORLANDO, MPHD CARRIES ON THE MISSION OF SERVICE ALL THROUGHOUT CENTRAL FLORIDA, FROM SOCIAL ACTION TO HELPING KIDS

AND FAMILIES IN OUR COMMUNITY, WORKING WITH THE YOUTH FROM THE FOURTH GRADE THROUGH HIGH STOVE, THOSE KIDS VERY BOTTOM CLASS SANDY NURSE SHOIGU AND AND COMMIT. NGOS. KAPRANOS KICK MEMBERS. YOU SEE HERE SERVE IN AND OUT OF THEIR LETTERS IN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY. WE PARTNER WITH SOME USA TO MAKE

SURE THAT WE’VE WORKED ON WATER LITERACY IN THE BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITY, WHETHER IT’S LITERACY, UM, OUR HOPE PROGRAMS FOR OUR YOUTH, FOR OUR ELDERLY, FOR, YOU KNOW, JUST HELPING ADOPT A SCHOOL, WHATEVER IT IS, MAKING IT VISIBLE, YOU SERVE IT SENIOR SERVICE, UH, VOTERS REGISTRATION. WHEN WE HAVE A HOUSING CRISIS,

ANYTHING WE CAN DO THAT CAN UPLIFT OUR COMMUNITY WITHOUT SOCIAL ACTION AND GOING OUT WITH VOTER REGISTRATION, VOTER EDUCATION, THEY CAN’T VOTE IF THEY DON’T KNOW THE EDUCATION BEHIND WHAT THEY’RE VOTING FOR. WE MOVE IN OTHER SPACES. YOU TAKE OUR ORGANIZATION WITH COME. AND THAT’S WHERE I THINK CONTINUES TO RESONATE, TO SHOW

OTHERS WHAT WE REALLY STAND FOR. AND THEY CARRY ON THE LEGACY OF THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE THEM. CREATING A PATHWAY FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW. YOU STAND ON THE SHOULDER OF GIANT. AND SO YOUNG PEOPLE IN MY VILLAGE ARE PREPARED FOR WHAT LIES AHEAD. IN ORLANDO, CHRISTINA WATKINS

WESH TWO NEWS AND ALL L THE ORGANIZATIONS DO SUCH FANTASTIC WORK. I WILL SAY. KAPPA ALPHA PSI DOES THE BEST WORK. NOT THAT I’M BIASED AT ALL. WHY? THERE ARE MANY PROMINENT PEOPLE WHO PROUDLY REPRESENT THE ORGANIZATIONS FROM THE NATION’S HIGHEST COURTS TO RIGHT HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA. HEAD TO

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