The divine nine is sort of a nickname for the organizations that make up the National panh helenic Council and um those are all historically black fraternities and sorties Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha side fraternity fi Beta Sigma Iota Theta fraternity and Omega sapphi UT fraternity Delta Sigma Theta sorority Zeta Beta Sigma gamma Rose
Sorority followed by my sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority we were established in 1908 our sorority is the first sority for African-American college educated women these organizations were founded at a time when the Collegiate Experience was mostly limited to white males when the Civil Rights Movement was going on
You know a lot of these organizations were able to present a strong unified voice and so a lot of these organizations were able to contribute to these issues issues civil rights uh representation in the Arts in local government uh politics they were at the Forefront of the Civil Rights Movement
The women’s suffrage movement in 1908 when our sorority was founded there were there were black women who wanted to do more they were black women who had hope for the future and they had foresight about what they wanted to do as far as social Outreach we uh we try to do
Things in the community that would uplift the community and and highlight the uh achievements of the fraternities sororities and what they do in the community to help the people I think really no matter what the organization is right all of us have uh pledged a commitment to public service in our
Communities and although we have a core group of leadership and directives from the national level all of these organizations are comprised of chapters that are based in local communities right now we have a program going on um with our local school districts where um we make sure children do not go without
Food over the weekend five bit of Sigma here in the city they have a big back to school drive backpacks uh and we all get together any school supplies previous year was at uh Miller High School and it was a great success we always have some Focus that’s going to help our community
Not just women with being healthier uh being stronger physically as well as intellectually we are fortunate to have uh members who are very prominent and who have been leading faces and voices of the Arenas that they’re involved in currently uh katangi Brown Jackson uh who is of course a Justice on the
Supreme Court the first African-American woman to sit on the Supreme Court she’s a member Alpha cap Alpha sority Incorporated produces a lot of um women like our vice president s our kamla Harris when you think of a figure like Dr Martin Luther King Jr he’s a member of alpha alpha Fraternity Incorporated
In my fraternity Omega sappire Shaquille O’Neal Michael Jordan Jesse Jackson Charles Drew Dr Charles Drew who was instrumental in his work in blood that started the first blood banks I have to say that my favorite part is The Sisterhood I love the service but you know the service doesn’t
Come without The Sisterhood you want to serve along somebody that you’re able to get along with and that you love and someone who shares some of the same ideas anywhere I go I can find a brother the first thing um I did when I moved to
Corpus chrisy was I reached out to my sority sisters here because I needed something that felt familiar I think that’s what the black community and corporate especially the Sor and fraternities give you as it’s like home this is probably a part of Corpus Christie history that you don’t hear a
Lot of and um we are proud of all of our D9 brothers and sisters and we we are always willing to support each other while we support the community and so it’s an important part of History quite frankly black history is American history it’s Rich it’s excellent It’s
Nuanced it’s diverse I applaud the City of Corpus Christie for taking the time to learn more about our organizations our Traditions our legacies and amplifying to the community so they know that we are more than steps and strolls and uh beyond that we believe in service and we’re here to serve everybody and
Have everybody be a part of it and so for that we say thank You and
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