 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject.(April 2011) |
Lawrence Ross | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 20, 1966 Los Angeles |
| Nationality | American |
| Genre | fiction. non-fiction |
Lawrence C. Ross Jr. (born February 20, 1966) is an author of historical texts and fiction. [1]
He was born in Los Angeles, California, and attended Loyola High School and then University of California, Berkeley, and UCLA, where he earned a degree in History. Ross has a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, in screenwriting.
Ross worked as a reporter, for the Los Angeles Independent Newspaper and was appointed managing editor of Rap Sheet magazine, hip hop's first West Coast magazine in 1997.
In 1997, Ross, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, began writing The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities ( ISBN 0758202709). [2] The Divine Nine was the first book written that covered the members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC). The book has appeared on the bestseller lists of the Los Angeles Times, Essence and Blackboard magazine. As a result of Ross's Divine Nine, he toured the campus lecture circuit. In the past ten years, Ross has lectured at over 300 colleges and universities, on the topics of the NPHC and hazing and how black fraternity and sorority members can fulfill their promise.
He has also written commentaries for The Root.com, The Grio.com and CNN.com about African American fraternal life and education. [3]
In 2001, Ross's second book, The Ways of Black Folks: A Year in the Life of a People, [4] was published. In it, Ross chronicles the stories of black people from throughout the African diaspora. It was selected as a "Fall Must Read", by the National Association of Black Journalists.
Ross's third book and fiction debut, Friends With Benefits, [5] was chosen as a main selection, by Doubleday's Black Expressions Book Club.
In October 2007, his fourth book, Skin Game, [6] was published by Kensington Books. In September 2007, his fifth book, Money Shot: The Wild Nights and Lonely Days in Black Porn, [7] was published by Thunder's Mouth Press. Money Shot was the first book written about the black adult industry. In February 2016, St. Martin's Press published his sixth book, Blackballed: The Black and White Politics of Race on America's Campuses.
Ross has appeared as a guest on National Public Radio and on television shows, such as Good Morning Atlanta. He has been interviewed in Ebony , Savoy , Essence and Newsweek magazines, the Los Angeles Times , Africana.com and The Times .
In 2018, Ross received an honorary PhD from the University of La Verne. [8]
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The North American Interfraternity Conference is an association of intercollegiate men's social fraternities that was formally organized in 1910, although it began at a meeting at the University Club of New York on November 27, 1909. The power of the organization rests in a House of Delegates in which each member fraternity is represented by a single delegate. However, the group's executive and administrative powers are vested in an elected board of directors consisting of nine volunteers from various NIC fraternities. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, the NIC has a small professional staff.
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. (ΩΨΦ) is a historically African-American fraternity. The fraternity was founded on November 17, 1911, the first at a historically black university, by three Howard University students, Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper and Frank Coleman, and their faculty adviser, Dr. Ernest Everett Just. Since its founding the organization has chartered over 750 undergraduate and graduate chapters.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (ΑΚΑ) is the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at the historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of sixteen students led by Ethel Hedgemon Lyle. Forming a sorority broke barriers for African American women in areas where they had little power or authority due to a lack of opportunities for minorities and women in the early 20th century. Alpha Kappa Alpha was incorporated on January 29, 1913.
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. (ΦΒΣ) is a historically African American fraternity. It was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C., on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students with nine other Howard students as charter members. The fraternity's founders, A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I. Brown, wanted to organize a Greek letter fraternity that would exemplify the ideals of Brotherhood, Scholarship and Service while taking an inclusive perspective to serve the community as opposed to having an exclusive purpose. The fraternity exceeded the prevailing models of Black Greek-Letter fraternal organizations by being the first to establish alumni chapters, youth mentoring clubs, a federal credit union, chapters in Africa and a collegiate chapter outside of the United States. It is the only fraternity to hold a constitutional bond with a historically African-American sorority, Zeta Phi Beta (ΖΦΒ), which was founded on January 16, 1920, at Howard University in Washington, D.C., through the efforts of members of Phi Beta Sigma.
The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) is a collaborative umbrella council composed of historically African American fraternities and sororities 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.
Stepping or step-dancing is a form of percussive dance in African-American culture. The participant's entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken word, and hand claps. Though stepping may be performed by an individual, it is generally performed by groups of three or more, often in arrangements that resemble military formations.
The Syracuse Triad is the name given to the three women's sororities founded at Syracuse University in the USA. Alpha Phi was founded in 1872 by 10 of the first 20 women admitted into the university. Gamma Phi Beta was founded in 1874 and with it came the term "sorority", which was coined for it at the time of its founding. Alpha Gamma Delta completed the triad in 1904.
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. (ΙΦΘ) is a historically African American fraternity. It was founded on September 19, 1963, at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, and is currently the 5th largest Black Greek Lettered Fraternity. Members of the close-knit afrocentric fraternity proudly embrace the organization’s youth, uniqueness, individualism and modern idealism. As a contemporary organization, many members have had the great honor of meeting, fellowshipping with and/or engaging in personal or virtual discussions with one or more of their founders. Today there are over 301 undergraduate and alumni chapters, as well as colonies located in 40 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, The Bahamas, Colombia, South Korea, and Japan.
Charles Henry Chapman was an American academic and one of the founders of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first Greek letter fraternity for African American men. He is known for advancing agricultural education and fraternal organizations.
Ethel Hedgeman Lyle was a Founder of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (ΑΚΑ) at Howard University in 1908. It was the first sorority founded by African-American college women. Lyle is often referred to as the "Guiding Light" for the organization.
Sigma Phi Omega (ΣΦΩ), also known as Sigmas, is an Asian American interest sorority founded at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California
Marjorie Arizona Hill was an American educator and one of the nine founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. at Howard University. Alpha Kappa Alpha was the first sorority to be founded by African-American women.
Nellie Pratt Russell was an incorporator of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the first sorority founded by African-American college women. The sorority has continued to generate social capital for over 110 years.
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is host to 13 national fraternity and sorority chapters. The Greek system at North Carolina A&T is very selective, with roughly 1.4% of undergraduate male students and 1.2% of undergraduate female students involved in fraternities and sororities.
Fraternities and sororities at the University of Virginia include the collegiate organizations on the grounds of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. First founded in the 1850s with the establishment of several fraternities, the system has since expanded to include sororities, professional organizations, service fraternities, honor fraternities, and cultural organizations. Fraternities and sororities have been significant to the history of the University of Virginia, including the founding of two national fraternities Kappa Sigma (ΚΣ) and Pi Kappa Alpha (ΠΚΑ).
