National Pan-Hellenic Council
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The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) is a collaborative umbrella council composed of historically African American fraternities and sororities, commonly called the Divine Nine, and also referred to as Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs). The NPHC was formed as a permanent organization on May 10, 1930, on the campus of Howard University, in Washington, D.C., with Matthew W. Bullock as the active Chairman and B. Beatrix Scott as Vice-Chairman. NPHC was incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois in 1937.
The council promotes interaction through forums, meetings, and other media to exchange information and engages in cooperative programming and initiatives through various activities and functions.[citation needed]
Each constituent member organization determines its own strategic direction and program agenda. Today, member organizations' primary purpose and focus remains camaraderie and academic excellence for its members and service to the communities they serve. Each promotes community awareness and action through educational, economic, and cultural service activities.[citation needed]
History
The National Pan-Hellenic Council was established during the Jim Crow era when Greek letter collegiate organizations founded by white Americans did not want to be affiliated with Greek letter collegiate organizations founded by African Americans.
The organization's stated purpose and mission in 1930:
Unanimity of thought and action as far as possible in the conduct of Greek letter collegiate fraternities and sororities, and to consider problems of mutual interest to its member organizations.
The founding members of the NPHC were Alpha Kappa Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Delta Sigma Theta, and Zeta Phi Beta. The council's membership expanded as Alpha Phi Alpha (1931), Phi Beta Sigma (1931), Sigma Gamma Rho (1937), and Iota Phi Theta (1996) later joined. In his book on BGLOs, The Divine Nine: The History of African-American Fraternities and Sororities in America (2001), Lawrence Ross coined the phrase "The Divine Nine" when referring to the coalition. As required by various campus recognition policies, neither the NPHC nor its member national or chapter organizations discriminate based on race or religion.
In 1992, the first permanent national office for NPHC was established in Bloomington, Indiana on the campus of Indiana University through the cooperation of Indiana University and the National Board of Directors of NPHC. Before its establishment, for over 62 years, the national office would sojourn from one officer to the next.
Affiliate organizations
The members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council are shown below in order of founding:
| Name | Greek letters | Type | Founding date | Founding university | Headquarters | Chapters | Total initiates | Joined | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha Phi Alpha | ΑΦΑ | Fraternity | (1906-12-04)December 4, 1906 | Cornell University | Baltimore, Maryland | 706 | 200,000 | 1931 | First intercollegiate African American fraternity. Only NPHC organization to be founded at an Ivy League university. |
| Alpha Kappa Alpha | ΑΚΑ | Sorority | (1908-01-15)January 15, 1908 | Howard University | Chicago, Illinois | 1,074 | 360,000 | 1930 | First intercollegiate African American sorority. First NPHC sorority to be nationally incorporated. |
| Kappa Alpha Psi | ΚΑΨ | Fraternity | (1911-01-05)January 5, 1911 | Indiana University Bloomington | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 649 (active undergraduate & alumni chapters) | 250,000+ | 1930 | Founded as Kappa Alpha Nu. First NPHC organization to be nationally incorporated. |
| Omega Psi Phi | ΩΨΦ | Fraternity | (1911-11-17)November 17, 1911 | Howard University | Decatur, Georgia | 750 | 1930 | First fraternity to be founded at a historically black university. | |
| Delta Sigma Theta | ΔΣΘ | Sorority | (1913-01-13)January 13, 1913 | Howard University | Washington, D.C. | 1,060 | 350,000 | 1930 | |
| Phi Beta Sigma | ΦΒΣ | Fraternity | (1914-01-09)January 9, 1914 | Howard University | Washington, D.C. | 599 (active chapters) | 225,000 | 1931 | Constitutionally bound with Zeta Phi Beta. |
| Zeta Phi Beta | ΖΦΒ | Sorority | (1920-01-16)January 16, 1920 | Howard University | Washington, D.C. | 875+ | 125,000 | 1930 | Constitutionally bound with Phi Beta Sigma. |
| Sigma Gamma Rho | ΣΓΡ | Sorority | (1922-11-12)November 12, 1922 | Butler University | Cary, North Carolina | 500 | 85,000+ | 1937 | Only NPHC sorority founded at a predominately white institution. |
| Iota Phi Theta | ΙΦΘ | Fraternity | (1963-09-19)September 19, 1963 | Morgan State University | Baltimore, Maryland | 300+ | 75,000 | 1996 | Only NPHC organization founded in the second half of the 20th century. |
Traditional Greek housing
Traditional Greek housing amongst NPHC organizations is rare. Unlike most National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) and North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) organizations that have many traditional Greek houses primarily for undergraduate members on or near their college campuses, NPHC organizations have only a few. Most existing NPHC organization houses are untraditional and unaffiliated with a college. In recent years, a growing number of undergraduate chapters of NPHC organizations have advocated for convenient traditional Greek housing for recruitment, meetings, stroll/step practices, socializing, and storing chapter paraphernalia, but the lack of proper funding and coordination amongst members continues to be a major issue. In substitution, some undergraduate chapters have settled for small outdoor Greek plots to help substantiate their presence on campus.
See also
- College fraternities and sororities
- Concilio Interfraternitario Puertorriqueño de la Florida
- Cultural interest fraternities and sororities
- Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee
- List of African-American fraternities
- List of social fraternities and sororities
- National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations
- National Multicultural Greek Council
Further reading
- Brown, Tamara L., Gregory S. Parks, and Clarenda M. Phillips (2005). African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-2344-8.
- Parks, Gregory Scott (2008). Black Greek-Letter Organizations in the 21st Century: Our Fight Has Just Begun. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-2491-9.
- Skocpol, Theda, Ariane Liazos, and Marshall Ganz (2006). What a Mighty Power We Can Be: African American Fraternal Groups and the Struggle for Racial Equality. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-12299-1.