CONGRATULATIONS TO CHEYNEY U's 180 YEARS AS AN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION - BUT LINCOLN U STILL THE FIRST BLACK UNIVERSITY

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Hello All:

As I have often stated, Philadelphia - Pennsylvania - is rich in Black History and Culture - too bad more Black Philadelphians don't know, understand and respect the greatness they have among them - and how many have actually contributed to the history of this great region.  It's like having an embarrassment of riches.  Pennsylvania is home to two of the first Black educational facilities in the US:  Lincoln University and Cheyney University - and they are a stone's throw from each other.

Each has made it's mark in the world and contributed mightily to Black education and intelligentsia.  

However, I just received an invite to attend the 180 anniversary of Cheyney as the "First HBCU in the US," and I was taken aback, somewhat by it.    

Cheyney University ------- to Celebrate 180th Anniversary March 1

CHEYNEY, PA – Cheyney University of Pennsylvania will celebrate 180 years of service to tens of thousands of students at its annual Founder's Day Convocation on Wednesday, March 1 at 12:30 pm in Marian Anderson Music Center’s Auditorium on the historic campus. The Cheyney Community and the outside public are invited to attend.  

Cheyney University alumnus and Chairman of Cheyney’s Council of Trustees, Robert W. Bogle ’75, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Philadelphia Tribune, will give the Keynote Address. The Tribune is the nation’s oldest and the Greater Philadelphia region’s largest audited newspaper serving the African-American community. Bogle, known for infusing virtually all facets of American society with the African American perspective, generously supports student scholarships at his alma mater, and encourages community leaders, corporations and foundations to do the same. His longstanding support of Cheyney University is a testament to the significant impact that Cheyney has on its students. It is also a testament to Bogle’s unwavering commitment to ensure a long-lasting and vibrant future for the university.

“We take great pride in welcoming our own Cheyney champion, Robert Bogle, as our 180th birth year speaker. Chairman Bogle is among a growing list of alumni, and supporters, who knows the importance of paying it forward,” shares Dr. Frank G. Pogue, Cheyney's Interim President.

It may be an "inconvenient truth," but the fact is that Cheyney is not the first Black HBCU - Lincoln University is.  However, Cheyney has the distinction of being the First Black Educational Facility for Black Youth.  It later became a University and began officially granting degrees in 1932.  By that time, Lincoln University, which was founded in 1854, hand been granting degrees for nearly 100 years. 

So that this does not become a diatribe about who's on first, I did some research - Wikipedia, Google, Lincoln Archives, Cheyney Archives, and I'm sharing this with you all here:  

Cheyney is not the nation's first HBCU  -  However, it is the first Black Educational Institution dedicated to the education of Black children in the US - opening in Pennsylvania in 1837 - definitely making it 180 years old, and certainly something wonderful to celebrate and acknowledge.  But let's keep the  history straight.

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, IS THE FIRST DEGREE GRANTING BLACK UNIVERSITY IN THE US - OPENED SPECIFICALLY WITH A COLLEGE EDUCATION CURRICULA IN 1954 - AND HAS BEEN CONTINUALLY DOING SO FOR 163 YEARS - IT DOES NOT TAKE AWAY FROM THE GREATNESS OF CHEYNEY - IT JUST KEEPS THE HISTORY CORRECT.  

WIKIPEDIA: The founding of Cheyney University was made possible by Richard Humphreys, a Quaker philanthropist who bequeathed $10,000, one tenth of his estate, to design and establish a school to educate the descendants of the African race. Born on Tortola, an island in the West Indies, Richard Humphreys came to Philadelphia in 1764. Having witnessed the struggles of African Americans competing unsuccessfully for jobs due to the influx of immigrants, he became interested in their plight. In 1829, after race riots occurred in Philadelphia, Humphreys wrote his will and charged thirteen fellow Quakers to design an institution: “…to instruct the descendants of the African race in school learning, in the various branches of the mechanic arts, trades and agriculture, in order to prepare and fit and qualify them to act as teachers….”  

PER THE HISTORY OF CHEYNEY - TAKEN FROM CHEYNEY'S OWN HISTORICAL RECORDS, THESE ARE THE FACTS:  HISTORY OF CHENEY UNIVERSITY:  "From its initial founding {1937}  until 1852, the African Institute, as it was known, was located on a 136 acre farm seven miles from Philadelphia on Old York Road. In 1849, the farm school closed for re-evaluation and the farm was sold. On October 22, 1849, the board authorized the re-opening of the school, and on November 5, 1849, an evening school opened on Barclay Street in Philadelphia where it continued to operate through the spring of 1851 until suitable quarters could be found to resume a day school program. Toward the end of July, 1851, the board found a better location for the school on two contiguous lots on the south side of Lombard Street (716-18). The purchase price was $3,244. The board authorized the purchase of the lots and directed the committee to prepare a plan for the building as soon as possible. When the school opened in 1852 as the Institute for Colored Youth, a foundation had been laid for many years until the Lombard building was sold and the school moved to a new building at 915 Bainbridge Street in 1866 where a Pennsylvania state historical marker now stands.

In November of 1902, a committee of the Board of Managers recommended the purchase of a farm owned by Quaker farmer George Cheyney at Cheyney Station, Pennsylvania about twenty-five miles west of Philadelphia. The move to the expansive country location was deemed necessary in order for the Institute to increase academic offerings and, therefore, attract more students. In December, the Institute purchased the farm for $11,199. At the June meeting of the Board of Managers in 1913, the board accepted the resignation of Hugh Browne as principal, a position that he had held since 1902. But, by July, the board extended an offer to a young Harvard graduate, Leslie Pinckney Hill, who was principal at the Manassas Industrial School, in Manassas, Virginia. On July 10, Hill accepted the offer to lead the Institute for Colored Youth. One of Hill’s first official actions came in January of 1914 when he proposed to the board that the name of the Institute be changed from the Institute for Colored Youth to Cheyney Training School for Teachers to better reflect the purpose of the school and the nature of its work. The board concurred and in July, 1914, the school officially became Cheyney Training School for Teachers. Hill would go on to lead the school until 1951, a longer tenure than any other president. During that time, the name of the school would change several times to reflect the evolution in its status; in 1920, Cheyney Training School for Teachers: State Normal School (also known as Cheyney State Normal School). Records reveal that as early as the fall of 1919, the board, upon Hill’s recommendation, displayed interest in the establishment of Cheyney as a standard normal school. A high level meeting was arranged by influential members of the board for them to meet with Governor William Sproul and the state education superintendent, Thomas E. Finegan, to discuss the matter of a “closer union” of Cheyney’s work with that of the state system. The meeting took place in April of 1920. Events moved rapidly after this pivotal meeting. Senator Albert McDade of Delaware County visited the school and came away impressed enough to sponsor Senate Bill No. 338, forming section 2040 of the Pennsylvania School Code, the statute which authorized the purchase of Cheyney by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Senate bill #338 passed both houses and the governor signed it into law. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania paid $75,000 and assumed management and all expenses of Cheyney Training School for Teachers on January 1, 1922.

On October 3, 1930, the State Council of Education approved an extension of the curricula at Cheyney in elementary education, home economics, and industrial arts, all leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Education. Thus, on May 30, 1932, the first baccalaureate degrees were awarded. By June of 1951, the school had completed the implementation of certain recommendations of the first Middle States Association accreditation committee, one of which was to change the name of the school from Cheyney Training School for Teachers to the State Teachers College at Cheyney (also known as Cheyney State Teachers College). Cheyney became fully accredited shortly thereafter. By legislative act in 1959, the name of the school was changed to Cheyney State College.

The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education was established by statute on July 1, 1983. As a charter member of the system, Cheyney State College became Cheyney University of Pennsylvania in 1983, the oldest of the fourteen member institutions and the oldest Historically Black College/University (HBCU) in the nation.

Today, Cheyney University students represent a variety of races, cultures, and nationalities who receive educational instruction far beyond the vision of Richard Humphreys. Cheyney graduates still become teachers, but students also enter careers such as journalism, medicine, business, science/technology, law, communications, and government service. The university offers baccalaureate degrees in more than 30 disciplines and the master’s degree in education and public administration.

Cheyney University is proud of its more than 30,000 graduates. Well known alumni include the late Ed Bradley, a correspondent of the CBS program “60 Minutes;” Pedro Rivera, Pennsylvania Secretary of Education; Robert W. Bogle, publisher and CEO of the Philadelphia Tribune, the oldest newspaper continuously owned and operated by an African American; Dr. Audrey F. Bronson, a member of the PA State System of Higher Education’s Board of Governors, ordained minister and retired educator; Dr. Gladys Styles Johnston, former Chancellor of the University of Nebraska at Kearney; Thaddeus Kirkland, State Representative and Mayor of Chester, PA; and civil rights activist, the late Bayard Rustin.

For detailed information about Cheyney University's formation, please visit our History page."

Albert Einstein at Lincoln University

"Image Ownership: Public Domain" 

Lincoln University in Pennsylvania was founded in 1854 by John Miller Dickey, a Presbyterian minister and his wife, Sarah Emlen Cresson. It is located on Baltimore Pike in southern Chester County, a rural part of southeastern Pennsylvania. Lincoln was originally founded under the name Ashmun Institute, after the religious leader and social reformer, Jehudi Ashmun, to educate young men of African descent. It is the first degree-awarding school of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in the United States. 

Dickey, the first president of the institute, supported the establishment of Liberia as a colony for African Americans and encouraged the Institute's first students to support the movement. 

In 1866, about a year after President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, the school was renamed to Lincoln University. In 1945 Lincoln alumnus, Dr. Horace Mann Bond, was elected to be the first African American president of the University. Lincoln began accepting female students in 1952. In 1972 Lincoln formally associated with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and became a state-related coeducational university. It is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. 

The University has a number of notable alumni, including Langston Hughes, famous American poet, Thurgood Marshall, the first African American U.S. Supreme Court Justice, and Hildrus A. Poindexter, an internationally recognized authority on tropical diseases. The first president of Nigeria, Nnamdi Azikiwe, and the first Prime Minister of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, are also graduates of Lincoln. - 
FOR MORE LU HISTORY - CLICK ONTO THIS LINK:  

http://www.lincoln.edu/about/history

OR

See more at: http://www.blackpast.org/aah/lincoln-university-1854#sthash.NQssObKa.dpuf

Again, I wish to congratulate Cheyney on it's illustrious history of 180 years - a milestone in these United States where Black institutions of any kind are usually short-lived and the target of extinction under a not so benign regime.  I also congratulate the many graduates who have made, and continue to make their contribution to the world.

HBCUs throughout the US are national treasures and are integrally important to us all and the educational future of our Black youth and adults.  And any and all means at our disposal should be dedicated to their survival, expansion and excellence from now into the future.

Stay Blessed & 

ECLECTICALLY BLACK

Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Lincoln University '67

AU 25th Summit in June: Africans Called for Repatriation, Industrialization and Integration

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Hello All:

I just received this important communique a few minutes ago (3:00 AM, June 4, 2015) and wanted to make sure you're aware of it.

The World African Diaspora Union, WADU, will be participating in the upcoming African Union Summit Conference, which will take place in South Africa commencing on June 15.  The primary focus will be to enable people of African descent/heritage to repatriate to Africa.  

MAP OF THE CONTINENT OF MOTHER AFRICA

My personal hero, Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has long been in favor of enhancing the opportunities for African Americans and those of other parts of the diaspora - Jamaica, Trinidad, Canada, etc. - to return to their homeland and bring their skills, talents and abilities with them.  

I think it's wonderful that this will be the focus - but in view of the recent murder of two African women who had successfully repatriated to Ghana, only to be murdered by native Ghanaians because of a land dispute, a good portion of the emphasis of this conference should, of necessity, be focused on native Africans and their response and responsibility in welcoming their returning long lost brothers and sisters.  Similar circumstances of resentment have also reared their ugly heads in South Africa as well.  It can't be ignored - and must be addressed ahead of time with a positive campaign of reunity as well as repatriation as a theme.  

While we all have the idyllic dream of returning to our homeland, in much the same manner europeans have been able to do so by going home to Italy, France, Germany, etc., there has been a great deal of colonizing, brainwashing, victimizing, traumatizing, suffered on both sides - from the standpoint of Africans being invaded, colonized, and forced from their own homelands; to those of us who were stolen, transported, sold, and forced into free labor, rape, lynching, etc.

There needs to be an aggressive, but positive, education and public relations program launched and directed at the brothers and sisters of Africa who have had little to no interaction with Blacks of African Heritage, and only view them as getting privileges they themselves have not had access to.  This may cut down on the friction that can arise when there is a clash of culture, traditions and lifestyles.  *(SEE EXCERPT FROM ARTICLE BELOW: "Ex-Detroit activist, 75, and her sister slain in Ghana"   - TWO WOMEN MURDERED IN GHANA OVER LAND DISPUTE)

In addition, perhaps the repatriation efforts should likewise focus on those Africans who went abroad to study, but never returned - having distinguished themselves in America, England, France, and other countries, but, because of "leadership" that felt threatened by them, weren't respected in their own home.  There are millions of such individuals who have settled in, but would love to return home to help their people, but dare not do so for fear that corrupt leadership would incarcerate them from bringing modern technology and information to their communities - many of which are still existing without plumbing, electricity, transportation, etc.

It will be interesting to see how - or if - they grapple with these issues during the upcoming summit in Johannesburg.

The following is the press release and an outline of the focus of the upcoming conference:

STAY BLESSED

Africa: 25th African Union Summit to hold in South Africa

The Twenty Fifth (25th) Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union is scheduled to take place on Sunday 14 and Monday 15 June 2015 at the Sandton Convention Center, Johannesburg. The opening session of the Summit will feature welcome remarks by H.E. Mr. Robert Mugabe, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Chairperson of the African Union... Full Report -

http://allafrica.com/stories/201506012018.html

 

                         WORLD   AFRIKAN   DIASPORA   UNION

WADU, P.O.B. 115073, Atlanta, Ga. 30310-0095/ Center for Culture 176-03 Jamaica Ave, Queens, NY11432-5503       GA-404-822-2049/ http://www.wadupam.org/ wadupam@aol.com / NY-718-523-3312/ 6/2/2015                      

 

Africans Called for Repatriation, Industrialization and Integration at AU Summit in June

 

NY – “We have a right to return Home to Africa” declared Attorney Empress Marina Blake because "A Jew will not convict a Jew on the word of a Nazi" Blake emphasized at the African Union - WADU Africa Day forum focused on Women and Youth Empowerment on May 22, 2015. The WADU Commissioner was addressing the need for African leaders to use African Liberation Day to legitim ize and expedite the process for former enslaved Africans to repatriate to Africa without colonial restrictions. The participants noted that unnecessary restrictions are blocking the mobilization of Africans in the Diaspora from using their enormous skills, education and capital necessary for the advancement of Africa.

In addition to the participation of the African Union Ambassador Tete Antonio, other presenters at the African Union Center in New York included Dr. B. Chitunya-Wilson, Dr. Georgina Falu, Attorney Empress Marina Blake, and Ms. Binta Terrier. The presenters collectively called for Africans to organize a robust economic development agenda to unify and advance Africa as part the 2063 AU agenda. The global Africa Day activities throughout the month of May culminating on May 25 are annual events to promote the long and great struggles for African liberation, resulting in the establishment of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), now African Union (AU).

The Africa Day gathering in New York, and elsewhere were also on the eve of the African Union Summit in early June 2015, and also during the centennial year of Marcus Garvey calling for a Government to protect African people. Garvey’s work continued with President Kwame Nkrumah who liberated Africa and was the key architect of the OAU, for a Union Government. The Africa Day in the month of May also coincided with the President of WADU participating in a pan African conference in Ghana with Black mayors and other Diaspora leaders to promote the Garvey- Nkrumah legacy for Africans in the Diaspora to help in the rebuilding of Africa as a Union. Other key leaders of the Diaspora and WADU at the meeting in Ghana were Dr. Julius Garvey and Dr. Shelby Lewis.

Leaders such as the late President Moumar Khaddafi also pushed for the creation of a Union government, influencing the transformation of the OAU into the African Union by 2002. Recently, Dr. Joseph Chilenga, the head of the African Union ECOSOCC, firmly reiterated the call for a Government after the Afro-phobic attacks by some South Africans on other Africans. Further, the President Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, reinforces the call for the expeditious integration of Africa as Kenya and other parts of Africa are bridled in crises as a consequence of the “war on terror”. Similar calls for a United States of Africa have been made by President Mugabe who is now the head of the African Union. Mugabe has declared the need for a “second liberation” for African people as he pushes a “Cape to Cairo” Africa trade and industrial ization zone.

WADU supports the urgent call for the Union of African people from the time of the Most Honorable Marcus Garvey as the sacred will of our African Ancestors from time immemorial. Therefore, WADU intends to promote the following at the June 2015 Summit: 1. Promote the immediate push for a United States of Africa during the United Nations Decade of Development of People of African Descent, with the integration of the key Diaspora nations such as Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Trinidad, and Jamaica; 2. Help to launch a WADU Women Project with sisters of Africa and the Diaspora to promote peace, health, education, justice, investment and Africa empowerment, as part of the AU 2015 theme; and 3. Continue to promote the economic “Legacy Projects”, focusing on Black youth to help shape new economic models for Africa n people. 

Dr. B. Chitunya will lead the WADU delegation to South Africa with Minister P.D. Menelik Harris to support President Mugabe’s Pan African initiatives to strengthen the African Union as a powerful instrument and government for African people. Both served in the liberation of Africa and have consistently supported Pan Africanism as the way forward. For more information or the support WADU and its mission, please contact us at http://www.wadupam.org/ or wadupam@aol.com.

                                                                           ###
 

 *Ex-Detroit activist, 75, and her sister slain in Ghana

Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press11:20 a.m. EDT May 8, 2015

(Photo: Family photo)

Inspired by the social movements at the time, Jeannette Salters of Detroit got involved in the early 1970s with African-American and feminist causes, helping lead a black women's group.That led her to discover her roots in west Africa, where she eventually settled in Ghana, changing her name to Mamelena Diop. Her journey to Africa was part of a movement of Detroiters who sought to reclaim their ancestral roots during a revival of black nationalist movements.

Diop loved it there, say friends and family. But this week, her body, along with that of her sister, Nzinga Janna, was found near their home in Ghana in what may been killings in a dispute over land. She was 75 and her sister was 60 at the time of death, according to reports in a Ghanian online news site and family members. Two men have been arrested, according to the Ghanian news report and family members.

"I feel terrible about what happened," said her son, Greg Salters of Detroit. "It's a tragedy. Words can't even explain how I feel about my mom being taken away from her home, murdered and put in a shallow grave 300 feet from her home."

Salters said his mother and aunt were killed by people who wanted land she had legally acquired from the government in Ghana.

"Some locals decided they wanted to take the land from them," he said. "My mom went to court over that" and won.

"I guess the locals decided they were going to take matters into their own hands," he said. "And they decided to abduct and murder them."

A report on MyJoyOnline.Com said the sisters "had gone missing and a search in their room Tuesday afternoon revealed blood on the floor and a bloodstained cudgel, believed to have been used to hit them."

Her dogs had been poisoned several weeks ago, said family members and the media report.

The report said the dispute also may have been over who has the authority to be a chief, with others trying to say that the sisters could not legally be chiefs. But family members in metro Detroit say that story doesn't add up since the sisters could not be chiefs in that area because they were women."

FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION log onto www.ghanaweb.com.  

Funeral services were held for the two slain women on June 3rd. My profound condolences to their families, friends, loved ones as well as the people of Ghana. May this horrific act lead to much more peaceful interactions in the future.

                                                            ###

 

ZIMBABWE'S PRESIDENT ROBERT MUGABE CHAIR OF THE AU

There is also much to celebrate in the upcoming 25th Annual AU Summit - and these tragedies should, by no means, overshadow those opportunities.  I, for one, am so glad that they are now under the leadership of the great Robert Mugabe, president of Zimbabwe, who has stood his ground and stood for his people in the face of white racist colonizers, who had tried to Black farmers from farming their own lands.  Mugabe has consistently put his constituents first, despite the negative campaigns in the meanstream media trying to paint him as a dictator.  Zimbabwe, formerly known as Rhodesia after interloper Cecil Rhodes - has thrived and survived under Mugabe's leadership, while neighboring countries, that did not take principled stands, found themselves continuing to be under the yoke of eurocentric/american duplicity, exploitation, and denigration.  

His example has been one that has demonstrated to other African leaders - finally!! - that Africa can be for Africans without white dictation or intervention.  Perhaps under his leadership, Africa can begin to forge ahead and become the UNITED CONTINENT OF AFRICA - with each country intradependent, working together, building, growing and developing our MotherLand into the wonderful oasis we've all dreamed she could (and should) be.

MARCUS - LEADER, VISIONARY, HERO

 As our great visionary and leader, Marcus Garvey said: "Africa for the Africans - at home and abroad!" and  "Rise up you mighty race, you can accomplish what you WILL!!"

We look forward to this being a successful, peaceful, constructive Summit.

Stay Blessed &

ECLECTICALLY BLACK

Gloria 

www.gloriadulanwilson.blogspot.com/ECLECTICALLY BLACK NEWS

 

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"This is Why We Step": DST Crystal A. deGregory, Ph.D SharesThe Value of Black Greek Letter Organizations in the 21st Century

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Hello All:

I just received this from my friend Zach Husser, Sr. who wrote:  

Family of Friends,  Please read the below email message. It's pretty saiwh '''''rem.

My response, upon reading the article, was:    
Hi Zach - I love this - and to tell you the truth, I fell in love with the Q's when I first saw them step at Hampton Institute - I'd never seen anything like that before in my life - amazing!!  And that was in the 60's! None of the Sororities at Hampton "stepped" - the other frats had their own repertoire, but the Ques were off the chain.  As far as I'm concerned, stepping started with you guys - and most closely resembled the South African Boot Dances - I often wondered whether there was someone in the Frat who had either gone to South Africa, had South African origins, or had been exposed to it.  Watching those brothers at Hampton was both mesmerizing and exciting!


That said, I'm sharing this article with all who are members of the DIVINE NINE BLACK SORORITIES AND FRATERNITIES, as well as those of you who chose not to pledge a Fraternity or Sorority.  It is essential that we all understand and respect the roles they play in the cultural history of Black people.  We know that there are those who look upon Black Greek organizations as either elitist or a joke - and fail to realize the benefit derived from the continuity of our cultural ties, coupled with our combined community involvement.  The fact that we are even more now than ever a part of a collective, cohesive standard of quality in our communities - despite efforts to desecrate and denigrate who we are and what we stand for - is testimony to the viability of time honored standards, practices of excellence.

The young woman who wrote this article, Dr. Crystal A. deGregory, Ph.D is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.  She gives a wonderful overview of the relevance and value the Black Greek Organizations bring to our community and to society as a whole.

I am sharing this here with  no editorial commentary other than the introductory remarks - the article stands on its own.  
Enjoy
Stay Blessed &
ECLECTICALLY BLACK
Gloria Dulan-Wilson - DST '83

 

 '83

This is Why We “Step” | A History of Stepping in Black Greek-Lettered Life + Culture

 

By Crystal A. deGregory, Ph.D.

Posted on May 22, 2015

22 Comments

Greetings to the ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Greetings to the ladies of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated.
Greetings to the ladies of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated.
Greetings to the men of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.
Greetings to the men of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated.
Greetings to the men of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated.
Greetings to the men of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Incorporated.

Greetings to the “Sons of Blood and Thunder,” the men of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated.

And my warmest greetings to my Sorors, the Dynamic Divas who wear the Delta symbol, the ladies of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

 

It is my pleasure to offer you an introduction to the nine Black Greek-Lettered Organizations (BGLO), dubbed the “Divine Nine.” These black fraternal groups first emerged shortly after the turn of the twentieth century to help black college students, who W.E.B. Du Du Bois famously dubbed the Talented Tenth survive the racially hostile environment of daily life as blacks in America which even educated, middle and professional class blacks could not escape.

 

By May 1930, Omega Psi Phi and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternities and Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta and Zeta Phi Beta Sororities recognized the need for “unanimity of thought and action” among Black Greek letter organizations. These organizations served as the charter members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council and were joined the following year by Alpha Phi Alpha and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternities. Sigma Gamma Rho joined in 1937 and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity completed the list of member organizations in 1997.

 

I’ve set my sights on a noble but admittedly lesser goal of introducing to some and presenting for re-examination to others, a few of the most popularly shared practices of Black Greek-Lettered Organizations. It is not intended to be definitive in nature. Instead, it explores the history, application and transformation of some of the most beloved traditions in the black fraternal experience.

 

Believe it or not we’ve already shared one of the Divine Nine community’s most beloved traditions, that of the call. At any public gathering of BGLO members, it is not uncommon to hear vocal utterances, either words or sounds. These calls are not only coined for use by their respective organizations, but distinctive to each BGLO affiliation. Its common usage is in the call-and-response style so familiar with the African-American church tradition. Similarly, a call is begun by one member or members who are joined by other members with the same or a responding call.

 

The origins of these calls however, stretch back to the continent of Africa where, calls were used to communicate one’s location most often over long distances. Once enslaved in the Americas, Africans continued to use their call-and-response traditions to communicate with each other, protect themselves from danger and to express emotion. In the fields, they’d often sing out in songs in the call-and-response tradition to ease the pain associated with the harsh labor conditions they endured, while carrying out their daily tasks. But once slavery ended, it diminished the value of call-and-response tradition in the everyday black experience and northern blacks often looked at the tradition with scorn. The same is true of some BGLO members, who frown on the practice of calls, since they are “unofficial” practices in some Black Greek-Lettered Organizations. Like hand signs, whether official or unofficial, calls serve as an integral part of the black fraternal experience and as such should not be used by non-members to fake membership. It is not only looked at unfavorably, but it viewed as an affront to BGLO members.

 

Just as calls have their origin on the continent of Africa, the practice of branding, most popular among black Greek letter fraternities, are purported to have roots in African scarification rituals. Others claim that the practice is connected to cattle branding and slavery; and others still, claim that the practice was popularized during times of war as a means to identify the bodies of black servicemen. And herein lies the paradox of the ritual. As a practice often unrecognized by BGLO national governing bodies, branding, while widely practiced by some, is scorned by others, leading to a general lack of consensus about its function in the black fraternal community. But as Marcella L. McCoy observed, “a ritual is an act to which someone gives meaning, emotion, and order but that may seem insignificant to others.”

 

One shared ritual over which there is little debate is the syncopated, percussive rhythms that emerge from the marriage of precise and stylized movements of the body capture the audio and visual imaginations of observers. This art is dubbed stepping. “Frequently coupled with songs, chants, and verbal calls,” Carol D. Branch describes stepping as “a vibrant performance that has been shaped by the experiences of blacks, yet continues to evolve.” Generally performed in groups, stepping helps maintain the social cohesiveness of the black fraternal community. The practice’s origins are also African, and can boast roots in the call-and-response tradition as well as in games played by Congo children and in the gum-boot dancers of South African mines. Historians of Phi Beta Sigma contend that its member Kwame Nkrumah, first prime and later president of Ghana, introduced the heavy West African influence on BGLO stepping as well as the cane, although I am certain that the men of Kappa Alpha Psi would invite a healthy debate over the introduction of the cane to the black fraternal tradition.

 

It is difficult, if not impossible however, to draw a straight line from African traditions to supposed manifestations in black fraternal life. Yet, as Alpha Phi Alpha member W.E.B. Du Bois in his 1908 publication The Negro Family, pointedly asserted:

“In each case an attempt has been made to connect present conditions with the African past. This is not because Negro Americans are Africans, or can trace an unbroken social history from Africa, but because there is a distinct nexus between Africa and America, though broken and perverted, is nevertheless not to be neglected.”

 

The powerful African symbolism behind the circle is something upon which all BGLOs agree. In Africa, the circle dance predominated everywhere, sometimes with solo dancers or musicians in the middle, other times with couples and was an essential element of both religious and secular ceremonial dancing. When viewed in a broader context, the anthropological influence of the circle as representative of consistency, continuity and endurance as most commonly displayed in the exchange of wedding rings during marriage ceremonies, also lends the symbol to uses in the black fraternal tradition. Hence any circle of BGLO members should, as Marcella McCoy observed, “never be broken and all those who wish to pass must walk around the circle.” This deference is also extended to the stroll, which is an extension of the circle, and similarly, should never be broken by non-members.

 

Believe it or not, stepping and step shows were not always a part of the black fraternal tradition. Most older members of BGLOs readily acknowledge that the present incarnation of stepping is a rather recent phenomenon in the long history of black fraternal life. Up until the 1940s and 1950s, stepping was virtually unheard of.

 

Fisk University librarian, and William and Camille Cosby Professor, Dr. Jessie Carney Smith, who was initiated into Alpha Kappa Alpha at North Carolina A & T during the 1940s, said that there was no stepping among BGLOs during her time in undergrad. Her first encounter with the emerging tradition was viewing the Omega men of Marching Eta Psi, after she joined the staff at Fisk University during the 1950s. Similarly Dr. Frederick Humphries, former president of Tennessee State and Florida A & M universities, who pledged Alpha Phi Alpha during the 1950s at Florida A & M, recalled that he never stepped. In jest, he said, “We were too dignified to step. We stuck to recitations, poetry and serenades.” Mrs. Barbara Murrell, who was initiated into Delta Sigma Theta at Tennessee State during the 1950s likewise recalled, “We did march in line to the center of campus, but what we did was perform things more akin to little ditties—you know, cute stuff.”

 

What we can be sure of, is that the explosive popularization of stepping in its modern day form, is owed to Spike Lee’s 1988 cult classic School Daze. Likewise, its performance as a part of the 1996 Olympic Games opening pageant catapulted the practice to global fame. Today, the ever-growing popularity of the art-form is evident in movies, music videos and even, exercise videos. The nation’s attention was drawn to stepping during the Sprite Step Off in Atlanta, Georgia in February 2010. But when the all-white Zeta Tau Alpha team from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville won the competition (which was later changed to a first-place tie with Indiana University’s Alpha Kappa Alpha chapter), heated debates ensued between supporters and detractors of the white Zeta’s undoubtedly masterful performance over supposed cultural theft.

 

What followed in its wake, were accusations of reverse racism as well as race-based taunting and name-calling. Now, placed within the broader context of black fraternal traditions, members of the BGLO-community can readily acknowledge that good-natured and sometimes, not-so-good-natured taunts have long been par for the course. Most recently, a video surfaced featuring Virginia Tech’s Farmhouse, a white fraternity, as the winners of the institution’s Greek Unity stroll-off, reigniting debates over mimicry and cultural appropriation.

 

That being said, what we must address now is the question, “Who owns these traditions?” And does the spread of them to non-black fraternal life amount to cultural theft any more than the spirituals, jazz, the three-part gospel harmony, rhythm and blues or hip-hop?

 

There is, however, another on-going debate surrounding BGLOs, that I’d like to address before closing. Recently, the secret nature of black sorority and fraternity rituals have come under attack by a small sect of members and some non-members, who have characterized by them as being ungodly. Such characterizations are not only inaccurate but also stem from what Charles S. Finch III recognized as the “certain tendency in modern Western culture to disparage and dismiss the values and customs of the past [and] to view with condescension and scorn the lifeways, practices, and cultural perspectives of ancient and traditional peoples. Passwords, secret knowledge, symbols, peer group bonds and lifelong relationships of mutual support,” noted Finch, “all reflect sociocultural institutions whose origins are discernible in the dim mists of antiquity.” For it is precisely the open nature of their secrets which make these fraternal groups so attractive to nonmembers. As Mary H. Nooter keenly noted, “To own secret language, and to show that one does, is a form of power.”

 

The degree to which Black Greek-Lettered Organizations have power, and are able to harness their power to positively impact college campuses, communities, the nation and world, lies within the willingness of the black fraternal community to constantly assess and reassess themselves. Leading this charge, are the respective national governing bodies of BGLOs, which is in part, why it is necessary for members to remain personally, ideologically and financial connected with their respective fraternal organizations. Black lives must matter to us.

 

The truth of the matter is that while the popularity of stepping may make it seem as though black Greekdom is “steppin’ to survive,” BGLOs must negotiate the more treacherous waters surrounding things such as rites of passage as well as “unofficial” rituals if black fraternal life is to thrive in the 21st century. As a community, we must decide whether our futures must look exactly like our pasts, in order to keep alive the dreams of our founders. Collectively, we must recommit ourselves to our most scared tenets and continue to share the mantle of fraternity and collective responsibility, through scholarship and service. These are the aspects of black fraternal life which are central to BGLO history and while they have not been captured by popular culture, these are the traditions that are most important as we step into the future.

 

 

A member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Crystal A. deGregory, Ph.D. is a graduate of the historic Fisk University ’03. She received her master’s and doctoral degrees in history from Vanderbilt University. She also holds a master of education degree in curriculum and instruction from Tennessee State University, ’14, where she formerly taught in the department of history, geography and political science. A professional historian and passionate HBCU advocate, she is editor-in-chief of the forthcoming The Journal of HBCU Research + Culture. She is also a regular contributor to HBCU Digest, is a co-host of Black Docs radio show, and offers a wide-range of expertise on multiple topics including history, culture, education, black fraternity and sorority life and of course HBCUs. Follow her on twitter at @HBCUstorian, visit her website at http://www.CrystaldeGregory.com, or contact her via email at cadegregory@HBCUstory.com.

 

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Tags: BGLO, Black Fraternities, Black Greeks, Black History, Black Sororities, Greeks, HBCU, HBCUstory, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Stepping, Strolling. Bookmark the permalink.

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There are those who would throw out the proverbial baby with the bath water in a mistaken effort to be current with the times, rather than to respect, pay homage, and expand the time honored values that have now endured for over 100 years -  no small feat for a Black organization of any kind in a society whose overlay has been one of racism, blockages, and denigration.  The principles upon which our BGLOs were founded must not now be abandoned in the face of challenges, misinterpretations, or some ill-conceived idea that to do so would please or appease the meanstream.  We are now, and will always be relevant, valuable, viable and an essential part of Black life and Black culture.

Many thanks again to brother Zach Husser of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity (NYC) for sharing this with me.  Hope it will bring enlightenment and value to those who read it as well.

Stay Blessed & 
ECLECTICALLY BLACK
Gloria



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