Every year, right after the start of the new year, members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), celebrate Founders Day, the day when their respective fraternities and sororities were each originally chartered.
Throughout the month – starting with Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated – you’ll see the Sigmas, Alphas, AKAs, Zetas and Deltas celebrating their Founders’ Day, honoring the principles of their organizations that were all started over 100 years ago. These institutions were born out of adversity, in culture and with distinction. They represent great pillars of service in our communities today.
Founders Day is a day to look back over the history of sisterhood and service, and to celebrate the achievements of each organization.
More often referred to as The Divine Nine, or D9, an abbreviation the first nine fraternities and sororities founded between 1906 and 1963, these organizations were the early foundations of establishing unity and scholarship through their communities. They are Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Incorporated, and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Incorporated. All nine make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) which was founded May 10, 1930, at Howard University.
Though the words may be different depending on the fraternity or sorority, all were founded to provide an avenue of service and social enrichment for African-American students who were not allowed to join the segregated white Greek organizations.
The history of Black Greek Letter Organizations
BGLOs were launched on the campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the early 1900s to create spaces for Black students to build and strengthen professional and social bonds.
They combated racism as, at the time, many campus membership organizations excluded Black people. Most importantly, BGLOs were built on the principles of educational advancement and attainment, scholarship and service to promote excellence in the Black community.
Then, on May 10, 1930, The National Pan-Hellenic Council Inc. (NPHC) was formed on the campus of Howard University. It was chartered by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. In 1931, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., joined the council, followed by Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. in 1937. The NPHC incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois in 1937 and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc., joined the NPHC as its ninth affiliate member in 1997.
The power of these organizations
Over time, the cluster of organizations became known as the “Divine 9”, yielding some of the most influential leaders of color in healthcare, fashion, business, global affairs, politics and more. Also, leaders from the Divine 9 have been credited with pushing some of the most transformative change in our communities and throughout the world.
Alpha Kappa Alpha pushed anti-lynching legislation in 1921 and created the first congressional lobby for a racial minority group’s civil rights in 1938. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. played a critical role in the Women’s Suffrage March in 1913, ensuring women’s right to vote. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the first Black greek-letter fraternity, launched a voter-education program called “A Voteless People is a Hopeless People,” way back in the 1930s when Black citizens faced extraordinary voter suppression efforts.
Late congressman and civil-rights icon John Lewis was a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Shirley Chisholm, a member of Delta Sigma Theta, was the first Black woman to seek the presidential nomination of a major political party. House Majority Whip James Clyburn is an Omega man.
The first Black U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall, was a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Senator Raphael Warnock are also brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha and the leaders of the iconic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Last but not least, our nation’s first Black Woman Vice President, Kamala Harris, is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha.
Other Black Greek giants include W.E.B. DuBois, AL Roker, Toni Morrison, Arthur Ashe, Corretta Scott King, Zora Neale Hurston, Maya Angelou and an endless list of celebrities and entertainers.
- December 4, 1906 – Alpha Phi Alpha, Cornell University
- January 15, 1908 – Alpha Kappa Alpha, Howard University
- January 5, 1911 – Kappa Alpha Psi, Indiana University
- November 17, 1911 – Omega Psi Phi, Howard University
- January 13, 1913 – Delta Sigma Theta, Howard University
- January 9, 1914 – Phi Beta Sigma, Howard University
- January 16, 2020 – Zeta Phi Beta, Howard University
- November 12, 1922 – Sigma Gamma Rho, Butler University
- September 19, 1963 – Iota Phi Theta, Morgan State University