6 African-American Institutions That Have Lasted Over Time

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The Divine Nine

On Oct. 23, 1906, an informal circle of friends at Cornell University decided to adopt the name Alpha Phi Alpha. On December 4th that same year, they decided to call themselves a fraternity, becoming the oldest black Greek letter organization. A second chapter developed at Howard University. Before long, five more Greek letter organizations were founded at Howard, including the first black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, in 1908.

All together, nine black Greek letter organizations were formed. In addition to the first two, there are Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity (1911), Omega Psi Phi fraternity (1911), Delta Sigma Theta sorority (1913), Phi Beta Sigma fraternity (1914), Zeta Phi Beta sorority (1920), Sigma Gamma Ro Sorority (1922) and Iota Phi Theta (1963).

The organizations cement bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood, and encourage community activism. They mentor youngsters, fund scholarships, volunteer at soup kitchens and hospitals, and conduct voting registration drives. They also have a rich legacy of serving as a source of financial and moral support in the black community.

Past and current members read like a Who’s Who list: W.E.B. DuBois, Martin Luther King Jr. and Thurgood Marshall were members of Alpha Phi Alpha. Among Delta Sigma Theta members are Nikki Giovanni, Barbara Jordan and Shirley Chisholm.

 

 

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