TRAPPED IN A MASONIC WORLD

Black Greek Fraternities
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The Inter-Fraternity Council [IFC], and the National Pan-Hellenic Council [NPHC], are collaboration
of nine organisations representing the African American international Greek lettered fraternities and
sororities. 2010 marked the 80th year of the NPHC. Each of the nine - termed The Divine Nine when
referring to them as a coalition, - as the NPHC evolved during a period when African Americans were
being denied essential rights and privileges afforded to others. Racial isolation on predominantly white
campuses and social barriers of class on all campuses created a need for African Americans to align
themselves with other individuals sharing common goals and ideals. With the realisation of such a need,
the African American Black Greek-lettered organisation [BGLO] movement took on an identity which
could foster brotherhood and sisterhood in the pursuit to bring about social change through the
development of social programs that would create positive change for Blacks and the country. [1]
The BGLO‘s currently compose of nine International Greek letter Sororities and Fraternities: Alpha
Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Zeta Phi
Beta Sorority, Inc., Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho
Sorority, Inc. Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Kappa Alpha Psi [KA?] is
a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership.
Since the fraternity‘s founding on the 5th January 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the
fraternity has never limited membership based on colour, creed or national origin. The fraternity has over
150,000 members with 700 undergraduate and alumni chapters in every state of the United States, and
international chapters in the United Kingdom, Germany, Korea, Japan, the Caribbean, Saint Thomas, Saint
Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Nigeria, and South Africa. Delta Sigma Theta is a Greek-lettered sorority of
college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American
community. Delta Sigma Theta was founded on the 13th January 1913, at Howard University by twentytwo
young women. The Grand Chapter has a membership of more than 350,000 predominantly African-
American, college-educated women, and educated Caucasian, Asian, Native American, Hispanic, and
[1] [2] [3]
African women.
BGLO‘s, such as the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity was founded on the 4th December 1906 at Cornell
University in Ithaca, New York, and as I‘ve said before, the founders are collectively known as the Seven
Jewels. Alpha Phi Alpha is the first intercollegiate Greek-letter organisation established by African
Americans. It uses motifs and artefacts from Ancient Egypt to represent itself. From 1908, Alpha Phi
Alpha became the prototype of other BGLO‘s.
Starting with the Prince Hall Masons, there‘s been a number of African American based fraternal
groups. The members range far and wide from Martin Luther King, an Alpha Phi Alpha, Sigma Pi Phi
member, to Jesse Jackson who belonged to Omega Psi Phi and basketball player Wilt Chamberlain who
was a Kappa Alpha Psi member, whilst the word on ‗frat street‘, is that Barack Obama is also a member of
that same fraternity. Any of these BGLO‘s include a virtually who‘s who of African Americans. Some
groups including, Swing Phi Swing and Groove Phi Groove don‘t use Greek letters or call themselves a
sorority or fraternity but by definition the membership is similar. The Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity has over
185,000 members and has been open to men of all races since 1940 [4] .
Today there are over 680 active chapters in the Americas, Africa, Europe, Caribbean, and Asia. - Delta
Sigma Theta is a Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place
emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta was founded on the 13th January 1913,
at Howard University by twenty-two young women. Today, the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority is the largest
African-American Greek-lettered sorority in the world, and currently has 950-plus alumnae and collegiate
chapters located in the United States, England, Japan [Tokyo and Okinawa], Germany, Bermuda, the
Bahamas, Seoul, Saint Thomas and Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; Haiti and Jamaica. Delta Sigma
Theta is a member of the NPHC, the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People
[NAACP], and the National Council of Negro Women [NCNW]. Kappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greekletter
fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. The president of the national
fraternity is known as the Grand Polemarch, who assigns a Province Polemarch for each of the twelve
provinces [districts/regions] of the nation. [4][5]