The Divine 9: The Importance of Black Excellence & Unity

It’s no secret that the South is Greek life central. For schools in the SEC (Southeastern Conference), it’s basically a part of the culture. Based on stats from the 2022-2023 school year, nearly 1 in 4 (22%) undergrads at my school, the University of Florida, were involved in Greek life. At the University of Alabama, this shoots up to 30% and 43% for fraternity and sorority members, respectively. I don’t think that these numbers would surprise most people. After all, the “rush” process at these schools has taken over social media every summer for the past few years, so much so that legacy media companies are providing coverage. I mean, there’s literally a full-blown HBO documentary about the phenomenon, aptly titled Bama Rush. However, despite all the buzz, I’m not sure that most people know that A) there are other councils and chapters outside of the ones mentioned on TikTok and B) that there are chapters and councils at all. 

In case you didn’t know, Greek life participation (at most schools) is governed by four different councils. There’s the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), which oversees most women’s social sororities. The Interfraternity Council (IFC) does the same for most male male social sororities. The Multicultural Greek Council (MGC), as the name implies, governs the multicultural-specific frats and sororities. At most schools, this includes Latino-specific or Asian-specific organizations as well. Lastly, the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) oversees the Black Greek-letter organizations (BGLOs), often referred to as the Divine 9. 

The History of the Divine 9 (CliffNotes Version)

The Divine 9 truly has a beautifully storied past that showcases the value of Black unity and perseverance in the face of social isolation and racism. If I were to dig into all of the nuances of the foundations of each sorority and fraternity, I would literally need hours of your time. PBS has a documentary called Making Black America: Through the Grapevine, and it even leaves a ton of stuff out. However, with that understanding in mind, here’s a CliffNotes version of the history of the Divine 9.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, desegregating schools and public places in the process. However, to understand the history of these organizations, we’ve gotta go back a little further. The year was 1906. Race relations in the United States were … abysmal. Desegregation wouldn’t be nationally mandated for nearly 60 years, however, Black students were sparsely admitted into predominantly white institutions (PWIs). The first BGLO, Alpha Phi Alpha (ΑΦΑ) was formed with goals of forging a brotherhood between the seven founding members and uplifting the Black community at large through service and activism. A little less than two years later, at Howard University, Ethel Hedgemon and a group of other women would found the first female BGLO, Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA). Similar to Alpha Phi Alpha, AKA’s founders were activists within the Black community, leading suffragette movements and fundraising for children in need. 

A few years later, Kappa Alpha Psi (ΚΑΨ) was founded at Indiana University in 1911. After the formation of AKA, Howard University students would go on to create four more BGLOs:

• Omega Psi Phi (ΩΨΦ – fraternity – 1911)
• Delta Sigma Theta (ΔΣΘ – sorority – 1913)
• Phi Beta Sigma (ΦΒΣ – fraternity – 1914)
• Zeta Phi Beta (ΖΦΒ – sorority – 1920)

Sigma Gamma Rho (ΣΓΡ) was founded in 1922 at Butler University, the first female BGLO founded at a PWI. 

The National Pan-Hellenic Council wasn’t actually founded until 1930. It largely came about because the existing (white) Greek letter organizations were not interested in accepting the newly formed BGLOs into their council. Despite the foundation of eight BGLOs by this time, only five were founding members of the NPHC: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Delta Sigma Theta and Zeta Phi Beta. Alpha Phi Alpha and Phi Beta Sigma joined in 1931, and Sigma Gamma Rho was added in 1937 The last member of the NPHC, Iota Phi Theta (ΙΦΘ), was founded in 1963 and joined the NPHC in 1996.

The Divine 9 Today

Every member organization of the NPHC is extremely active today, each boasting thousands of members across hundreds of U.S. universities and colleges. The University of Florida’s National Pan-Hellenic Council chapter was chartered in 1993 and has eight active chapters (only missing Iota Phi Theta). Read on to learn a little more about UF’s member orgs.

Theta Sigma Chapter of ΑΦΑ – @uf_alphas

Charter Date: August 9, 1973

Colors: Black and old gold

Motto: “First of all, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All”

Iota Lambda Chapter of AKA – @ufakas

Charter Date: May 17, 1975

Colors: Salmon pink and apple green

Motto: “By Culture and By Merit”

Zeta Phi Chapter of ΚΑΨ – @ufnupes 

Charter Date: March 2, 1972

Colors: Crimson and cream

Motto: “Achievement in Every Field of Human Endeavor”

Omicron Zeta Chapter of ΩΨΦ – @uf_ques 

Charter Date: November 5, 1973

Colors: Royal purple and old gold

Motto: “Friendship is Essential to the Soul”

Lambda Psi Chapter of ΔΣΘ – @lambdapsidst

Charter Date: March 11, 1975

Colors: Crimson and cream

Motto: “Intelligence is the Torch of Wisdom”

Zeta Kappa Chapter of ΦΒΣ – @ufsigmas

Charter Date: March 1, 1974

Colors: Royal blue and pure white

Motto: “Culture For Service and Service for Humanity

Mu Epsilon Chapter of ΖΦΒ – @ufzetas

Charter Date: April 3, 1974

Colors: Royal blue and pure white

Motto: “A community-conscious, action-oriented organization”

Lambda Rho Chapter of ΣΓΡ – @ufsgrhos

Charter Date: April 21, 1990

Colors: Royal blue and gold

Motto: “Greater Service, Greater Progress”

The Divine 9 Tomorrow

As social media squeezes every corner of our world closer and closer together, we all get to learn more about the people and cultures around us. However, one of the underscoring properties of the NPHC is a level of respect and secrecy. Historically, this was used as a safety mechanism against Black students organizing within PWIs with less-than-supportive administration and fellow students. Today, this solemnity is more than just a tradition; it serves as a protective shroud over the rituals and history of each chapter and organization. An example of why this secrecy is still important is the growing TikTok “trend” of people who are not affiliated with ΚΑΨ (the “Nupes”) strolling. If you don’t know what strolling is, here’s a quick example. It may look like a fun little dance, but this is a culturally significant tradition that should be reserved for those who are a part of Kappa Alpha Psi. Although I’m not affiliated with any BGLOs, I think that it’s critical to understand the difference between appreciating a part of someone’s culture and appropriating it and behave in a way that exemplifies the former.

PS: If you’re interested in learning more about UF’s NPHC events and organizations, be sure to follow them on Instagram – @ufnphc1993

• BGLOs
• Black History Month
• D9
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• fraternities
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