Back in January, when I saw a news article headlined, “Sen. Kamala Harris' secret weapon: The sisters of AKA,” I sighed, and muttered to myself, “Secret to whom?” Then I had to take a deep breath, and accept the fact that, for many white people in the United States, the social and political networks within the black community, other than the black church and perhaps the NAACP, remain relatively unknown.
That’s about to change.
Sen. Harris is using that network as a key part of her voter outreach in the black community.
Though I’m focusing on the sororities for this story, I’m including some of the fraternity history too.
Just who are they, and how are they part of our political world?
This documentary covers the early beginnings at Howard University and explores the birth of Delta Sigma Theta:
Full-length documentary feature chronicling the lives of 22 Howard University Women who marched in the Women's Suffrage March of 1913 and changed the course of history forever.
(A few corrections have been made to some of the opening attributions in the documentary.)
The Divine Nine and the National Pan-Hellenic Council
There are nine historically Black Greek letter organizations (BGLOs) that make up the NationalPan-Hellenic Council. Collectively, these organizations are referred to as "The Divine Nine." Each of these fraternities and sororities is rich in history - ties to one or more of these organizations may be found in many college-educated Black families in the United States.
- Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Founded 1906, Cornell University
- Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Founded 1908, Howard University
- Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Founded 1911, Indiana University
- Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Founded 1911, Howard University
- Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Founded 1913, Howard University
- Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Founded 1914, Howard University
- Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Founded 1920, Howard University
- Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Founded 1922, Butler University
- Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Founded 1963, Morgan State University
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Seasoned white politicians who have ties to the black community are well aware of these networks. I wrote about Hillary Clinton being urged to run for the presidency in 2013 in “If my mom was alive, she'd probably be voting for Hillary.”
Why would my mom more than likely be voting for Hillary Clinton? Because my mom was a Delta. For those of you who have no clue what that means, Deltas are not an airline—it is the short name for a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, the second oldest, and the largest, black female Greek letter organization in the world, with over 900 chapters worldwide, and over 250,000 members.
In 2013, Hillary Clinton spoke to 14,000 Deltas in Washington, DC. There were 20,000 of them at a convention celebrating celebrating its 100th anniversary.
I pointed out:
African Americans also have informal networks of social clubs, barber shops, and beauty parlors, where black Americans of differing social strata interact as they do in church. But if a politician wants to plug into an organized and historic powerhouse of black womanhood, he or she had better find the black sororities. The same is true for men and black fraternities.
Before you liken "sororities" and "fraternities" with a set of images that apply to the dominant culture like Animal House, it is important to understand that black Greek networks have provided our community with political leadership. The church was a cornerstone, and the black Greeks were those African Americans who had the opportunity to get an education at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
One of the asides in that story was about Zeta Phi Beta and its community engagement in Baltimore. The sorority was mistaken for gang members by a clueless reporter, CNN anchor Erin Burnett:
In the midst of the Baltimore uprising, the Bloods and Crips announced they had put aside their differences for the greater good and joined efforts to heal the community. They were due to attend a town hall meeting, where CNN had set up shop.
As their camera panned the audience before the meeting began, three rows of Zeta Phi Beta sorority members were shown. Apparently, Burnett saw the sorority’s blue and white colors and assumed they were Crips.
“You’ve got the gang members right there,” she said.
During the Ferguson protests following Michael Brown’s death-by-cop, there was this incident:
Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson is not a gang member. He’s just a Kappa.
Today in Ferguson, Mo., news, The Washington Post takes on the assertion that Missouri Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson has been photographed flashing gang signs with members of the community.
He has not.
To reiterate: Capt. Johnson is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, a black fraternity that was formed in 1911 at Indiana University in Bloomington, and the hand sign you see in the pictures below is a Kappa greeting. The Kappas are part of the Divine Nine or the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the nine historically black fraternities and sororities that include Delta Sigma Theta, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Alpha Phi Alpha, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta Sigma, Zeta Phi Beta, Sigma Gamma Rho and Iota Phi Theta, none of which are gangs.
This particular piece of misinformation, asserting Johnson was aligning himself with the Bloods, appears to have originated in a post on CNN’s iReport site — since removed — and then circulated on Twitter by user @DixielandDiva, an account that no longer exists.
Reportorial cluelessness repeated itself this year, though with no gang references.
White Woman Reporter Calls AKA Skee Wee “Screeching” & Was Dragged Into A Teachable Moment
This discussion presented itself yesterday when a young, White reporter for the Washington Post, Chelsea Janes, was covering Senator Kamala Harris’ book event at George Washington University. Janes was live-tweeting the event and shared what can only be described as some ignorant observations about the crowd’s response to Harris, a Howard alum and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated (AKA).
Janes wrote:
“Kamala Harris listed Thurgood Marshall as one of those lawyers she admires, a fellow Howard alum. Someone shouted, “Me too!”
Someone corrected Janes letting her know that the person likely shouted, “HU” for Howard University.
But she didn’t stop there. In a since-deleted tweet she also shared this loaded observation:
“Members of her Howard sorority are in the room, and screeched when she mentioned her time there. Did not expect to hear screeches here.”
Black frats and sororities have sound cues or calls:
… Calls are audible sounds made by members as a means to signify or acknowledge membership in a particular organizations, or to acknowledge or “call” a member who might be in range where they could hear the call and respond. Instead of yelling the person’s name, the fraternity brother or sorority sister would use the call to get the person’s attention.
There is also color-coding. A room full of black women in salmon-pink and apple-green are AKAs; in crimson and cream are Deltas; Zetas wear royal blue and white; and the Sigmas don royal blue and gold.
Why do these errors continue to pop up?
Because our lives as black people exist as if we are not a part of the fabric of American life. Few white journalists have more than a surface connection (if any) to black life. The default “American” is white. The default “working-class” person is white. The default Rhodes scholar in the presidential race is Pete Buttigieg, not Cory Booker. The default Rust Belt interviewee or farmer (reported on daily by the media) is white. The middle-class suburban soccer mom is white.
Yet the Democratic Party depends upon having a large block of voters who are black. Our votes matter, so how we live and structure our lives should matter too.
That’s what the 101 in the title is about. This is a brief introduction.
For those of you interested in taking a more detailed look at both the history of and contemporary issues for black Greeks, I’d suggest you read Black Greek-letter Organizations in the Twenty-First Century: Our Fight Has Just Begun, by Gregory S. Parks (Editor), Julianne Malveaux (Foreword), Mark Morial (Afterword).
During the twentieth century, black Greek-Letter organizations (BGLOs) united college students dedicated to excellence, fostered kinship, and uplifted African Americans. Members of these organizations include remarkable and influential individuals such as Martin Luther King Jr., Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, novelist Toni Morrison, and Wall Street pioneer Reginald F. Lewis. Despite the profound influence of these groups, many now question the continuing relevance of BGLOs, arguing that their golden age has passed. Partly because of their perceived link to hip-hop culture, black fraternities and sororities have been unfairly reduced to a media stereotype -- a world of hazing without any real substance.
The general public knows very little about BGLOs, and surprisingly the members themselves often do not have a thorough understanding of their history and culture or of the issues currently facing their organizations. To foster a greater engagement with the history and contributions of BGLOs, Black Greek-Letter Organizations in the Twenty-first Century: Our Fight Has Just Begun brings together an impressive group of authors to explore the contributions and continuing possibilities of BGLOs and their members. Editor Gregory S. Parks and the contributing authors provide historical context for the development of BGLOs, exploring their service activities as well as their relationships with other prominent African American institutions.
The book examines BGLOs' responses to a number of contemporary issues, including non-black membership, homosexuality within BGLOs, and the perception of BGLOs as educated gangs. As illustrated by the organized response of BGLO members to the racial injustice they observed in Jena, Louisiana, these organizations still have a vital mission. Both internally and externally, BGLOs struggle to forge a relevant identity for the new century. Internally, these groups wrestle with many issues, including hazing, homophobia, petty intergroup competition, and the difficulty of bridging the divide between college and alumni members. Externally, BGLOs face the challenge of rededicating themselves to their communities and leading an aggressive campaign against modern forms of racism, sexism, and other types of fear-driven behavior. By embracing the history of these organizations and exploring their continuing viability and relevance, Black Greek-Letter Organizations in the Twenty-first Century demonstrates that BGLOs can create a positive and enduring future and that their most important work lies ahead.
It should come as no surprise that many black elected officials are affiliated with black Greek organizations.
Julia Carson was a member of Zeta Phi Beta:
As is civil rights legend Autherine Lucy Foster.
Sigma Gamma Rho:
The world of black Greeks and HBCUs has also crossed over into contemporary popular culture, though white fans of Beyoncé who have flocked to download her Homecoming documentary film, derived from her "Beychella" 2018 performance at Coachella, may not be aware of the deeper significance of her tribute to HBCUs and black Greek sororities and fraternities.
Arianna Davis wrote movingly in “Beyoncé's Homecoming Documentary Is a Long Overdue Gift for Black Women Like Me”:
… it was when Beyoncé walked out in her now-iconic yellow hoodie featuring Greek letters that a tear formed in my eye. I'm a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated; my aunt was a member of the organization, as was my grandmother and even my great grandmother, who joined in the early 20th century during a time when Black women going to college was still a rarity. In the world of Black Greek organizations, that makes me a "legacy." Growing up, my grandmother would take my sister and I to sorority events, and I always knew that if I ever got the opportunity, I would become an AKA.
Still, I've found that outside of the Black Greek community, many Americans don't know much about Black Greek letter organizations, despite the fact that they've provided a voice and safe spaces for millions of Black Americans since the early 1900s. So seeing Black Greek life celebrated on such a large stage by the world's most well-known pop star was beyond meaningful for me—but also long overdue. Unlike many fraternities and sororities, for Black college students, joining a Greek organization is not just something you do for fun—it's the decision to join a brotherhood or sisterhood for life, while also committing to better serve the world around you, uplift the Black community, and continue a legacy.
Davis briefly mentions the history:
Many of the nine official Black Greek letter organizations—known as the Divine Nine—were founded at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, institutions of higher education that were established before education was equal for all in this country. (And whether it's equal for all today is, sadly, up for debate.) It's the experiences at those schools that inspired the entire theme of Beyoncé's show. The very type of homecoming the singer presented is exactly what you see at HBCUs every fall, complete with boastful marching bands, step shows, and events thrown by Black Greeks. As someone who often finds herself in mostly-white spaces, I have never seen that aspect of our culture lifted up and presented on a platter to the mainstream the way Beyonce did with Coachella and now Homecoming. But to me, perhaps the best part about both the performance and the documentary is how, in addition to introducing the world to these elements of who we are, Bey also incorporated subtle nods to Black folks in a way that let us know they were for us, by us.
The audience for the film’s premiere was heavily black and heavily female:
What’s notable is the predominantly young, female and African-American composition of the viewers who watched the Beyoncé special.
On premiere day, the film’s audience was 63% African-American, Nielsen found. Within the first seven days of release, the “Homecoming” viewership was 55% African-American within its first seven days — higher than any other original streaming series or film tracked by Nielsen to date. “Bird Box”’s audience was the closest, with an audience that was 24% African-American. Hispanics were 15% of “Homecoming”’s audience and Asians accounted for 5% in the first seven days.
Beyoncé’s Netflix special also skewed heavily female. Within the first seven days of its premiere, the film’s audience was 70% female, more than Netflix’s “Orange Is The New Black” season 6 (66%), “House of Cards” season 6 (54%) and “Bird Box” (57%). In addition, 43% of “Homecoming”’s audience 18-34, 12% were 2-17 and 27% adults ages 35-49, according to Nielsen.
Bey’s No. 1 fan, FLOTUS Michelle Obama, clearly understood the significance and the symbolism.
Mrs. Obama was offered an honorary Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) membership in 2008, though she ultimately declined so that she could work with all of the sororities. When this was reported by The New York Times’ Caucus Blog, most of the comments were predictably clueless (and some were racist), though a black woman showed up to chastise and educate other commenters.
Not all black folks are part of this particular segment of our community; however, many of our most active black Democrats in office are. That fact alone should make Democrats pay closer attention.
HBCUs have been in existence since Cheyney University was founded in Pennsylvania in 1837. Black Greek organizations have stood the test of time for over 100 years. Their members are a part of our past and our present:
Alpha Phi Alpha brothers include W. E. B. DuBois, Thurgood Marshall, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; A. Philip Randolph and Congressman John Lewis are Phi Beta Sigma; Omega Psi Phi includes poet Langston Hughes and the Rev. Jesse Jackson; Kappa Alpha Psi members include Arturo Schomburg and Charles Blow; Delta Sigma Theta sorors include Barbara Jordan and Dorothy Irene Height; Zeta Phi Beta gave us Zora Neal Hurston; and Alpha Kappa Alpha has enriched us with Toni Morrison.
The young black college students who are just now pledging will play no small role in building our future.