There’s been a spotlight on african-american sororities and fraternities lately ever since vice president kamala harris thanked members of her sorority and the divine nine for supporting her campaign what exactly is the divine nine and how are black fraternities and sororities different from all the others cbs 2’s elise finch gives us an introduction
From the outside looking in black greek life might look like one big party and most people will tell you it is a lot of fun there are four african-american sororities and five fraternities that make up the national panhellenic council together known as the divine nine each has their own
Colors meaningful symbols unique hand gestures and even calls that you’ll hear during social events But black greek life is also a serious matter because these organizations share a commitment to academic achievement and uplifting the black community african american fraternities and sororities are just as integral of the black community as the black church they represent kind of the um the the idea that african
Americans who are going to college can also be something larger than themselves lawrence c ross is a member of alpha phi alpha fraternity incorporated he’s also the author who coined the phrase the divine nine for one of his books they’re working together to kind of to basically
Go into society and to in some ways prove that one is a first-class citizen in contrast to what america is saying to the black community so who are the members of the divine nine alpha phi alpha fraternity incorporated founded at cornell university in 1906. alpha kappa alpha sorority incorporated
Founded at howard university in 1908 capital alpha side fraternity incorporated founded at indiana university 1911. omega sci-fi fraternity incorporated was founded november 17 1911 at howard university in washington dc delta sigma theta sorority incorporated founded at howard university in 1913. phi beta sigma fraternity incorporated founded at howard university
In 1914. zeta phi beta sorority incorporated was founded on the campus of howard university on january 16 1920 sigma gamma rho sorority incorporated was founded at butler university in 1922 iota 5 theta fraternity incorporated founded at morgan state university 1963. each of the organizations exists in part to bolster african-american college
Students while they’re on campus academically and socially shyla crawford-hyman is an aka and a senior at montclair state university basically i just love what i saw i loved the sisterhood i loved how they supported each other even if you only had one friend that one true friend can get you through anything
And that’s what we ought to each other but they’re also devoted to serving their communities and it’s not just a collegiate endeavor mary bentley lamarr is the north atlantic regional director of alpha kappa alpha sorority incorporated many greek organizations are started in college and once your college years are over you
Are pretty much finished with your activity with that organization whereas in the divine nine we commit to service sisterhood brotherhood in the case of fraternities for a lifetime the divine organizations have what we call graduate or alumni chapters where we then go into our respective communities and continue the work that
We started on our campus at a national level we set forth the initiatives andre manson is the international grand polaris of iota phi theta fraternity incorporated the undergrads and the alumni chapters actually do all the footwork both undergraduate and alumni members of all the groups routinely collect and distribute food clothing and other
Necessities leadership and mentoring programs for young people are cornerstones so are voter registration drives and fundraisers to provide scholarships my particular chapter donate over 26 000 a year for high school graduates and it’s been a great benefit but we have fun doing it most of the organizations have hundreds
Of chapters in the united states and even more abroad because of the way they’re structured you can join a divine nine organization years after graduating from a four-year college and many professionals do they often enjoy career support and provide career guidance valerie hollingsworth baker is the international president of
Zeta phi beta sorority incorporated we have so many members who are lawyers and doctors and and aerospace engineers and they’re able to steer you in the direction of where you may want to go and when you’re thinking about a career in life with so many similarities you might wonder how people choose the
Organization that’s right for them for many it’s the group that made them feel at home here i was on campus and they literally reached out and gave me a sense of a bond and a brotherhood i do not have a biological brother so it was an instant
Magnet for me to be drawn to them i was influenced by somebody when i got to college she was my mentor we had the same major the same interests she was just everything i wanted to be and for her to be an sg row i said okay
Like i want to be a nice hero too for others they were influenced as children most of my teachers were delta and they always seemed to be you know women who were extremely brilliant well-spoken and just about uplifting the community there’s this brownstone on 141st and
Convent avenue and in the window of the brownstone there were three greek letters with lights with seven lights and it said a phi a i read up on alpha phi alpha and i see men such as martin luther king jr i see duke ellington adam clayton powell jr
And i was just intrigued by these lights for some people black greek life is literally a family affair there are lots of greek couples many of whom met in college like my parents and you’ll often find fathers and sons who are members of the same organization biological sisters and of course mothers
And daughters that’s the case for my mother sister niece and me we are all members of alpha kappa alpha sorority incorporated my mother joined 57 years ago i know that it was a lifelong commitment i knew that i would be active had no idea how active and wasn’t sure what my children would
Do or my grandchild would do so i am amazed the work of the divine nine is amazing from their famous members to their community outreach to the millions of dollars raised to send young people to college and help them graduate african americans still face unique challenges on college campuses and in our communities
So the divine nine is as necessary today as it was more than a century ago when most of the organizations were founded elise finch cbs 2 news
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