Since 1930, the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) has served as a premier organization for African-American fraternities and sororities.
The NPHC was founded at Howard University to support black college students who were searching for a voice, community, and shared identity as they pursued their education.
This organization played a vital role in uniting black collegiates as they fought for equal rights and fair treatment under the law, and today the NPHC continues to bring young men and women together as they honor the history, traditions, and values of their Greek organizations.
The NPHC currently has nine (9) members and these Greek organizations are commonly referred to as “The Divine Nine”.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (ΑΦΑ) is the first intercollegiate historically African American Greek-lettered fraternity.
It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the 1905–1906 school year at Cornell University but later evolved into a fraternity with a founding date of December 4, 1906, at Cornell.
Its aims are “Manly Deeds, Scholarship, and Love For All Mankind,” and its motto is “First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All.”
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (ΑΚΑ) is the first intercollegiate historically African American Greek-lettered sorority.
The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at the historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of sixteen (16) students led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle. Forming a sorority broke barriers for African-American women in areas where they had little power or authority due to a lack of opportunities for minorities and women in the early 20th century.
Alpha Kappa Alpha was incorporated on January 29, 1913.
kappa Alpha psi
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. (ΚΑΨ) is a historically African American Greek-lettered fraternity.
Since the fraternity’s founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never restricted membership on the basis of color, creed or national origin.
The fraternity has over 160,000 members with 721 undergraduate and alumni chapters in every state of the United States, and international chapters in the United Kingdom, Germany, South Korea, Japan, United States Virgin Islands, Nigeria, South Africa, and The Bahamas.
omega psi phi
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. (ΩΨΦ) is a historically African American Greek-lettered fraternity.
The organization has over 750 undergraduate and graduate chapters. The fraternity was founded on November 17, 1911 by three (3) Howard University juniors, Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper and Frank Coleman, and their faculty adviser, Dr. Ernest Everett Just.
Omega Psi Phi is the first fraternal organization founded at a historically black university.
delta sigma theta
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (ΔΣΘ) is a historically African American Greek-lettered sorority.
The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the African American community.
Delta Sigma Theta was founded on January 13, 1913, by twenty-two (22) women at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Membership is open to any woman who meets the requirements, regardless of religion, race, or nationality.
phi beta sigma
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. (ΦΒΣ) is a historically African American Greek lettered fraternity.
It was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three (3) young African-American male students with nine (9) other Howard students as charter members.
The fraternity’s founders, Abram Langston Taylor, Leonard Frances Morse, and Charles Ignatius Brown, wanted to organize a Greek letter fraternity that would exemplify the ideals of Brotherhood, Scholarship and Service while taking an inclusive perspective to serve the community as opposed to having an exclusive purpose.
zeta phi beta
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. (ΖΦΒ) is an international, historically African American Greek-lettered sorority.
In 1920, five (5) women from Howard University envisioned a sorority that would raise the consciousness of their people, encourage the highest standards of scholastic achievement, and foster a greater sense of unity among its members.
These women believed that sorority elitism and socializing overshadowed the real mission for progressive organizations.
sigma gamma rho
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. (ΣΓΡ) is a historically African American Greek lettered sorority.
ΣΓΡ was founded on November 12, 1922, at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana by seven (7) young educators. It was incorporated within the state of Indiana in December 1922 and became a national collegiate sorority on December 30, 1929, when a charter was granted to the Alpha chapter.
The sorority is a non-profit whose aim is to enhance the quality of life within the community. Public service, leadership development and the education of youth are the hallmark of the organization’s programs and activities.
iota phi theta
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. (ΙΦΘ) is a historically African American, Greek-lettered fraternity.
It was founded on September 19, 1963, at Morgan State University (then Morgan State College) in Baltimore, Maryland, and now has initiated over 30,000 members.
The Honorable founders of Iota Phi Theta® were: Albert Hicks, Lonnie Spruill, Jr., Charles Briscoe, Frank Coakley, John Slade, Barron Willis, Webster Lewis, Charles Brown, Louis Hudnell, Charles Gregory, Elias Dorsey, Jr., and Michael Williams.
Based upon their ages, heightened responsibilities, and increased level of maturity, this group had a slightly different perspective than the norm for college students. It was this perspective from which they established the Fraternity’s purpose, “The development and perpetuation of Scholarship, Leadership, Citizenship, Fidelity, and Brotherhood among Men.” Additionally, they conceived the Fraternity’s motto, “Building a Tradition, Not Resting Upon One!”
