National Pan-Hellenic Council

Not to be confused with National Panhellenic Conference.

National Pan-Hellenic Council
NPHC
Founded	May 10, 1930;94 years ago (1930-05-10) Howard University
Type	Trade association
Affiliation	Independent
Status	Active
Emphasis	African American fraternities and sororities
Scope	National
Members	9 organizations active
Headquarters	P. O. Box 5821 Philadelphia , Pennsylvania 19128 United States
Website	www.nphchq.com

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) ^[1] . 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. ^[2]

The council promotes interaction through forums, meetings, and other media for the exchange of 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, the primary purpose and focus of member organizations 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. ^[3]

The organization's stated purpose and mission in 1930:

Marcia Fudge speaking at the 2017 National Pan-Hellenic Council Forum.

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. ^[4]

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 ^[5] . 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. ^[6] As required by various campus recognition policies, neither the NPHC, nor its member national or chapter organizations discriminate on the basis of 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 joint cooperation of Indiana University and the National Board of Directors of NPHC. Prior to its establishment, for over a 62-year period, the national office would sojourn from one officer to the next. ^[4]

Affiliate organizations

The members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council are shown below in order of founding: ^[4]

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 [7]	200,000 [7]	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 [8]	360,000 [8]	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) [9]	250,000+ [9]	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 [10]	350,000 [10]	1930
Phi Beta Sigma	ΦΒΣ	Fraternity	(1914-01-09)January 9, 1914	Howard University	Washington, D.C.	599 (active chapters) [11]	225,000 [11]	1931	Constitutionally bound with Zeta Phi Beta.
Zeta Phi Beta	ΖΦΒ	Sorority	(1920-01-16)January 16, 1920	Howard University	Washington, D.C.	875+ [12]	125,000 [12]	1930	Constitutionally bound with Phi Beta Sigma.
Sigma Gamma Rho	ΣΓΡ	Sorority	(1922-11-12)November 12, 1922	Butler University	Cary, North Carolina	500 [13]	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 [14]	1996	Only NPHC organization founded in the second half of the 20th century.

Traditional Greek housing

See also: North American fraternity and sorority 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 of the few 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 substitute of it, some undergraduate chapters have settled for small outdoor Greek plots to help substantiate their presence on campus. ^{[15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23]}

See also

• 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
• Racism in Greek life

References

1. Ruiz-Paz, C. M. (2014). "Rituals, Symbols & Non-Traditional Greek-Letter Organizations" (PDF).
2. "Mission – National Pan-Hellenic Council, Incorporated". February 16, 2016. Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
3. Gillon, Kathleen E.; Beatty, Cameron C.; Salinas, Cristobal (2019). "Race and Racism in Fraternity and Sorority Life: A Historical Overview". New Directions for Student Services. 2019 (165): 9–16. doi: 10.1002/ss.20289 .
4. "About the National Pan-Hellenic Council". nphchq.org. Archived from the original on December 22, 2009. Retrieved January 16, 2008.
5. Ross, L. C. (2001). The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities. Kensington Books. ISBN   0-7582-0270-9.
6. • Ross, Jr, Lawrence (2001). The Divine Nine: The History of African-American Fraternities and Sororities in America. New York: Kensington. pp. 37–38. ISBN   0-7582-0325-X.
7. "Home". Alpha Phi Alpha. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
8. "Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc". aka1908.com. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
9. "Home". Kappa Alpha Psi. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
10. "Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc". deltasigmatheta.org. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
11. "Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc". Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
12. "Home". Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
13. "Sigma Gamma Rho Home". Sigma Gamma Rho. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
14. "Home". Iota Phi Theta® Fraternity Inc. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
15. Richmond, Mckenzie (October 11, 2018). "NPHC Greek houses absent on Fraternity and Sorority Row". The Daily Mississippian. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023.
16. Blake, Suzanne (August 21, 2018). "Black fraternities and sororities get new home in Ram Village". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
17. Mauldin, Amelia (October 11, 2018). "MGC and NPHC houses still not on campus maps". The DePauw. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023.
18. Smith, Maya (August 16, 2019). "U of M Students Look to Raise Funds for African-American Greek Organizations". Memphis Flyer . Retrieved July 22, 2023.
19. "Membership". Charlotte Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021.
20. White vs Black Greek Life: "There's a Greek letter … for everyone"
21. "EDITORIAL: Greek life has lost its identity at IU". January 13, 2019.
22. "Greek plots return to Morgan's campus | the Spokesman". October 11, 2018.
23. "Exploring Black Greek Life". March 15, 2017.

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.

External links

• Official website