Great Article on NPHC Sororities
 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Sep26.html

I read this with pride and I'm not even in an NPHC!

What a wonderful article. Yes, there are a few eyebrow-raising sentences, but an overall positive boon for their organizations.

BRAVO and CONGRATS!!!

I will read it later (on my way to work) :(
Here is the article

The Sisterhood, Taking On the Old Boy Network
For Black Women, Sororities Are More About Politics Than Parties

By Roxanne Roberts
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 27, 2003; Page C01


Do not be distracted by the pink-and-green sneakers. Oh, they're cute all right, especially on Diane Johnson, who also is sporting a lime green pantsuit. She is surrounded by about 100 women wearing variations of the color theme: hot pink, pale pink, bubble gum, sea green, olive, emerald.

But the living bouquet posing on the steps of Capitol Hill on Thursday afternoon is here for business. They're all members of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the oldest black sorority in the country. Once the group picture is taken, they spread into the offices of their senators and representatives, gently but firmly reminding them who they are (college-educated professionals), what they do (organize, network and raise lots of money) and what they care about (education, health, equal and civil rights).

"As women of Alpha Kappa Alpha, it's our responsibility to say, 'You can't fool us with this smoke-and-mirrors game,' " says Phyllis Young, president of the local Xi Omega chapter. "You can't play us."

The AKAs are in Washington for their Public Policy Conference, which coincides with this weekend's Congressional Black Caucus conference. Thursday was "pink and green" (the AKA colors) day on the Hill. Friday they were invited for a briefing at the White House.

And they aren't the only sisters in town. The ladies in red are Delta Sigma Thetas. Those in royal blue and white are from Zeta Phi Beta, and the ones in blue and gold -- they're from Sigma Gamma Rho. These historic black sororities -- three founded at Howard University -- boast an impressive network of professional women who run companies, campaigns, families and much more. They represent about 500,000 women known and trusted on the grass-roots level who stay active and involved for a lifetime. If you've never heard of them . . . well, you haven't been paying attention.

"People at work kid me because I wear a lot of pink and green," says Doxie McCoy, communications director for Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.). Then there's her gold-and-diamond AKA bracelet. "I wear it all the time."

She's not alone. Texas Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee and Eddie Bernice Johnson are AKAs. Civil rights leader Dorothy Height, former labor secretary Alexis Herman and presidential candidate Carol Moseley Braun are Deltas. And that's just the start.

"I'm with Senator Clinton's office -- but I'm a soror, too!" Leecia Roberta Eve tells the ladies assembled on the Capitol steps. A collective cheer goes up, and Eve, counsel to Hillary Rodham Clinton, jumps into the picture with her AKA sorors.

Then the AKAs who aren't twisting the arms of lawmakers troop over to the Russell Office Building, where the junior senator from New York takes time from a packed day to meet and greet and pose with the AKAs because. . . . well, because there are a lot of votes and green in all that pink and green.

Tapping Into the Network


Growing up in Alabama, Herman never thought of herself as sorority material. That was for the "other Mobile," she says; for the middle-class, educated black women. Not for a girl from a poor family.

But in 1977, just after she moved to Washington to work for President Jimmy Carter's administration, Herman got some advice from her friend and mentor, Dorothy Height: Join a graduate chapter of Delta Sigma Theta. "She really talked to me about this notion of network, of needing the support -- particularly when you are in public office," Herman says. "She said, 'Everyone will claim you. The Delta sisterhood will be with you for a lifetime.' "

The Deltas were smart, educated women who would quietly advise and help her, Height says. They were largely professional and upper class, and saw themselves as agents of change on a variety of social and political issues. They were connected to the local power structure all around the country; they tracked legislation, and they knew who was taking what position. "It was a trust network, and an informed network," Herman says. "These were women I could talk to about public policy issues."

Herman was inducted at the Delta national convention in 1978, and she happily embraced her new sisters. They, in turn, not only embraced Herman but were tireless advocates for her confirmation when President Bill Clinton nominated her to become his secretary of labor. Herman still remembers the senator who said to her, "Who are these Deltas? Tell them to stop calling! You've got my vote."

Think of it as a calling card: Membership in any of these sororities confers an instant acceptance within the sisterhood. You can be a stranger -- but there's a bond based on shared values, experience and expectations.

"It changes the dynamics right way," says Cora Masters Barry, former first lady of Washington and a member of the Delta National Social Action Commission. "There's an openness. If someone says 'I'm a soror,' whatever needs to happen, happens."

Increasingly, that means getting African American women into positions of power: political, business and economic.

"Deltas are a huge part of my base of support," says Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio), the first black woman named to the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.

Jones joined a graduate chapter of the sorority 20 years ago, when she first ran for office in Cleveland. (Her campaign manager was a Delta.) It was something she had always wanted, but it also proved to be a career boost. Although the sororities are nonpartisan, individual sorors were instrumental in electing Jones to Congress in 1998. "They helped not only in terms of volunteer time, but in terms of money," she says. This year alone, Jones has spoken at more than a dozen Delta events about mandatory sentencing, teen pregnancy and education issues.

"No matter where I go in this country, there are members of my sorority," she says. "If they learn I'm in town, they make it their business to greet me and present me with a little token."

Sorors used to communicate by newsletters and telephones. Now they have e-mail and the Internet. It's a new-fashioned old girls network.

Making Change Happen


The sororities were founded at the turn of the last century, based on the radical notion that black women could benefit from a liberal arts education, says Paula Giddings, a professor of African American history at Smith College and author of "In Search of Sisterhood," a history of the Deltas.

Some social leaders, led by Booker T. Washington, thought blacks (especially black women) should concentrate on vocational education and training. The female students at historically black universities -- the fortunate few able to afford college -- had bigger dreams for themselves, and sororities gave them a collective voice and purpose.

Three of the four sororities were founded at Howard: AKA in 1908, Delta in 1913 and Zeta in 1920. The fourth, Sigma Gamma Rho, was founded in 1922 at the primarily white Butler University in Indianapolis.

Although all the sororities were committed to the concepts of community service and political rights, each developed a distinct reputation and personality. The AKAs were perceived as the social, privileged and fair-skinned. This caused some of the more politically active members of the sorority to break away and form the Deltas. The Zetas, still regarded as the brainiest, rejected what they saw as "sorority elitism and socializing" and concentrated on social issues. ("We're not as high-profile, but in the earlier days we were more emphatic about grade-point averages," says Lois Sylver, national executive director.) The Sigmas were established by schoolteachers and are still identified primarily with education.

The list of sorors is a who's who of black history: Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, Ella Fitzgerald, Coretta Scott King, Toni Morrison and Faye Wattleton (AKA); Mary McLeod Bethune, Barbara Jordan, Johnetta Cole, Camille Cosby and Lena Horne (Delta); Zora Neale Hurston, Minnie Riperton and Sarah Vaughan (Zeta); and Lorraine Hale and Hattie McDaniel (Sigma).

After almost 100 years, the stereotypes linger but the basic mission of all four sororities are essentially the same: health, education and community service. They sponsor hundreds of scholarship, after-school and reading programs for children nationwide. The Washington chapters of AKA handed out school supplies and books at the Black Family Reunion on the Mall earlier this month. The Deltas recently started a science, math and technology program for elementary students. The Zetas just launched their "Z-Hope" education program on preventable diseases and health care. The Sigmas teach young people about money and personal finance.

It's never just about race, and never just about gender. "They're not just blacks and they're not just women -- they're black women," Giddings says. "Black women have a distinct history and distinct needs and distinct identity from either black men or white women."

Sororities, Giddings says, are ideally placed to develop young black women into future leaders. They are self-supporting through dues and don't seek publicity. They allow women who don't want to be associated exclusively with feminist or black advocacy groups to participate in social issues. In short, it's the ideal training ground for future CEOs and politicians.

"It's a wonderful place to learn how to do it," Giddings says. "We don't have that many organizations where you get to be an insider."

Membership and Privilege


Being an insider always has benefits -- and detractors. The black Greek system is an ongoing source of lively debate within the African American community, both from supporters and those who dismiss the sororities and fraternities as elitist, exclusionary and snobbish (that is, "School Daze," Spike Lee's 1988 sendup of the Greeks at an all-black college.) One Internet critic calls them "Those Greek-letter wearin', fancy foot stepping, hand clappin', think they're God's gift to the black race, brothas and sistas."

The most serious criticisms involve hazing, something all Greek organizations have explicitly forbidden in any form. The late-night drowning deaths of two Cal State Los Angeles women last year were initially ruled accidental by police, but the students were at the beach with AKA members, and their families blame the sorority for the deaths. The sorority, which does not have a chapter on the campus, has denied the charge.

Charges of social climbing are harder to prove. It may have been more true in the early years, when there were fewer channels for upward mobility, members say, but today there are far more opportunities. Although some undergraduates might eye the sororities primarily for social reasons, the graduate alumni chapters are far more serious-minded. "To be characterized as someone who's just out for social things is an insult," says AKA chapter president Young.

"A lot of my friends said to me, 'When you become an AKA, don't change,' " says 31-year-old Nkeshi Free, who pledged as a graduate student in Akron, Ohio. "I have to be honest. Some people do use the organization as a reason to display a new persona. . . . I made a life commitment because I believe in community service, and this is the group of women with whom I choose to do it."

There's a lot of mentoring and coaching, a multigenerational network of grandmothers, mothers, daughters, friends, sons and husbands to call upon for advice and leads on internal e-mail groups. Free is trying to break into public relations. Being a soror, she says, won't guarantee her a job but it will probably get her an interview: "You might get the inside track."

Sorority members can tick off all the tangible benefits of their sisterhood, the people they help, the good they do. But the fact is that sorors are sorors because someone or something caught their imagination and never let go.

"It's something I always wanted," says LaFonda Fenwick, 38. Fenwick is a wife, registered nurse and mother of two daughters. She first noticed AKA sorors when she was in high school. "The women of the organization left a lasting impression on me," she says. "They were graceful, professional, ambitious. They instilled values. They motivated me to go to college, get a degree and become as successful as I could possible be."

This May, Fenwick realized the dream when she became an AKA. "For a long time I had this save-the-world mentality. At some point you have to realize you can't save the world by yourself. This gives me the opportunity to work together with other women for change."

'People Helping People'


While the AKAs were finishing up on the Hill on Thursday, the Zetas hosted a reception with the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity and the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund at the City Club of Washington.

Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele picked up an award, then shrewdly assessed the crowd. "It's not about Republicans or Democrats. It's about people helping people."

He had a good audience: In addition to the Zetas in their royal blue, Sigma's national executive director, Bonita Herring, dropped by, as did Delta president Gwendolyn Boyd.

The sororities, says Zeta president Barbara Moore, are helping to define the issues that affect African American women and their families. "They're service sororities, not social," she says. "It's for women who are truly committed to improving the human condition."

Women who like wearing pink and green or red or blue a lot. And maybe, in the process, becoming president one day.

Fabulous article. :D

Very well-written, and I'm glad they focused on the numerous positive aspects of NPHC membership.

Excellent article
 

As an NPHC sorority woman and journalist -- yes, I'm a member of the evil :p media that some on GC love to gnash their teeth about -- this is good to see. I also recognize some names in the article from other online communities I belong to.;)

I also loved that it focused on a pair of my sorors who received the opportunity to join in their 30s. I can relate.;)

that is great! i think it is wonderful that the nphc glos are so involved with social issues. way to go ladies!

[on my soapbox]

Okay, first, thank you for the compliment, but I have to ask, not just to you, but to others out there saying the same thing : Where the h#ll have you been for the past almost-100 years? NPHC greeks were founded on the principle of helping the community, particularly the Black community, because we recognized at each of our founding that there was a need in the Black community that was not being met by general (White) society.

We also recognized that if we come together we do have political power.

[off my soapbox]

Truthfully, many non-NPHC men/women may not have any idea of what the ideals/foundations of your organizations are. My cousin is a Delta, but she doesn't tell me squat when I ask her questions(and I'm not speaking about secret traditions/goings-on), nor does she even participate in her alumnae chapter (she claims it's too expensive, yet she just bought a $90,000 car!!)!

So, this is a great educational piece in that sense....

I know that, from my own personal observations, I haven't seen NPC sororities participate this fully in civic and political issues (like the ways stated in this great article) AND THEY SHOULD!!!! I've seen little teaser legislative lobbying here and there...but nothing as powerfully influential as this....

I was out to dinner the other night and my friend got all defensive because I was upset that both her best friend and her mother (who are MY Tri Sigma sisters) care NOTHING about what goes on in the sorority and she sniped at me and said "SOME of us just don't give a isht about that stuff after college!" :eek:

Well, thanks for the heartfelt support:rolleyes: ...but one of my many missions in life is to show alumnae sorority women that there is relevance and power to be had by participating in NPC life post college....You join in college, and now you can join after college, and the majority of your life is as an alumna, NOT a collegiate,. Your pledge ISN'T to be an active collegiate and that's it, it's to commit to the welfare, promotion, and continual growth of your sorority for life!!!

Great article! Thanks for posting it. :)

Our history books can be found in your campus library. That may answer some of your questions.

And now, those that are interested can go look at those, thanks to your letting us know :)

Thanks for that tip!

Maybe this article can be viewed as an intro to the NPHC story and maybe it will spark someone's interest to learn more!

But, there are so many other NPHC members who will share with you their organizations' commitments to the social services. I know that my sister and cousin's respective alumnae chapters do more philanthropic events in a six month time span than my collegiate and alumnae chapters do in a year. There is, simply, a greater commitment to the community in the NPHC.

Even just looking at the national organizations' websites can give you an idea as to what these groups do; they tend to have interest in wider scopes: education, healthcare, as opposed to very specific ones like the NPC.

Oh, I'm not one of those who DOESN'T know....Personally, I've taken the time to educate myself about other GLOs, no matter what conference they belong to...

I'm just postulating as to why this article may be a first time education for some...

So, I personally don't have any questions. I meant that when I ask her to comment on current goings-on in her sorority, she hasn't a clue :(

Sad, really...

I was using the general "you." I'm sure you know other NPHC members. :) My post was more in line with the "I didn't know the NPHC was socially conscious!" posts.

Oh, ok, cool :)

NOW we're understanding each other! :D

What a great article--my mother is AKA and even though I pledged and love AOPi, it's nice to know I am still an AKA legacy.

Maybe it's just me, but pinkyphimu didn't say she didn't have prior knowledge of NPHC sorority social action.....she was just giving a compliment.

And, NPHC history books are not found in all campus libraries.....

And GOSH some people just don't know, that's why we're here on GC......I learn a LOT about how non-NPHC organizations operate through GC, and personally, I'm thankful nobody has said "We've been around for a hundred fifty years, why don't you read a book?"

There's no beef, but I just wish we weren't so touchy about these topics.

Great article!!

Originally posted by Senusret I
Maybe it's just me, but pinkyphimu didn't say she didn't have prior knowledge of NPHC sorority social action.....she was just giving a compliment.

And I thanked her and others for the compliment.

And, NPHC history books are not found in all campus libraries.....

You are right. I should have suggested the internet.

And GOSH some people just don't know, that's why we're here on GC......I learn a LOT about how non-NPHC organizations operate through GC, and personally, I'm thankful nobody has said "We've been around for a hundred fifty years, why don't you read a book?"

So have I. I really enjoy reading the rush threads probably as much as a NPC member does.

And not to call anyone one out, but I've read forums on here where pnms of BGLOs come on here and ask for info about the org and the members of that particular org will tell the pnms off in a much worse, very humiliating way. Besides, reading can open so many new worlds.



There's no beef, but I just wish we weren't so touchy about these topics.

I'm a bit touchy because now there is no excuse to not having the information you need or want. When I started my jouney into greek life many moons ago, the only reference I had about greek life was a 1920 edition of Baird's Manual. Today you have the internet. One of the better search engines is google, that is how I came across GC. I was looking up info on greek orgs.

That is a very well written article! I enjoyed reading it a lot! Awesome story!


http://burns.thefinaldimension.org/c...ye/stretch.gif

Woo hoo! Great story very informative! :)

Ditto. There is soooo much misinformation between members of different organizational conferences, and in this day and age--especially when it's obvious that we all know how to use the Internet--it's inexcusable.

I feel like I have to do double duty--telling NPHC members that no, we NPC members don't make our pledges drink, in fact we have alcohol-free housing (an NPHC relative swore me up and down that my pledge period was filled with drinking games--cause that's what "you all do."). On the other hand, I'm always informing my sorority sisters that the reason NPHC groups don't have housing isn't because they discriminate or haze. There is so much ignorance on both sides that is inexcusable.

And that's why I can be a little bitchy when it comes to this stuff.

Maybe it's time to not have separate organizational conferences.
Isn't that a little outdated? Our family has numerous conversations about this. I am AOII and an APhiA sweetheart. My mom is AKA, my dad is KAPsi, my cousin is DSTheta.

What do you all think?

But the NPHC and IFC/NPC has two TOTALLY different missions and ways of operating.

I think it would be a fab idea for ALL GLO's to work together. I was interested in joining a BGLO when I was in college, but could not find them on campus. My roomate and suitmates found out about other orgs through rush. I joined my org as a grad, but I know there are other girls out there like me. There should be some way to reach all of the kids who are interested in Greek Life.

I think they have more in common than they are different--it doesn't take away from their individual missions. AOII was very different from ADII too, but we could coexist in the same conference.

It would take some adjustments but the biggest concern would be seeing racism rearing its ugly head. All those who said they would welcome diversity in their pledge class would have to put up or shut up. It would be very obvious if all the diverse candidates were not asked back to an organization.

It would take a bit of courage on the part of pnm--no one likes rejection, but it sure would push the envelope toward desegregation.

I think the suggestion has merit, but I know toooo many grad members in the NPHC who would have such a thing happen only over their cold, dead bodies.

One of the things that seperates NPC and NPHC is the relative influence of alumnae. In out orgs they do most of the real work, and they have pretty much ALL of the real power.

Yes, NPHC sororities and NPC sororities do recruitment of new members in completely different ways.

As far as power relative to voting is concerned, that depends a lot on the org. Some are undergrad controlled, some are pretty much run by the alumnae and volunteers.

That would be an interesting subject for a thread.

I don't know about other NPC orgs, but a lot of the time if it weren't for our alumnae, AOII wouldn't be as strong as it is now. AOII alumnae are encouraged and welcomed to continue their bonds of sisterhood through the international organization and various alum groups. Speaking for myself, I am advising a chapter and helping out with their redevelopment as well as being part of an alum chapter. It's not like I don't have a say in what direction my fraternity goes, because I do. All alums do, some are just more vocal than others.:D

That's really great but it's just different for us.

I don't know if I can really even describe it. I'll say it like this- our orgs are not centered around college life, although that is a major part of their functioning. They are centered around service, and life-long service at that. Almost all of the major positions are for grads. The major service projects are spearheaded by grads. Grads have their own seperate pledge process which brings in a large percentage of the members, as opposed to the occasional few that are what I have seen to be the norm in NPC orgs. Their involvement with UGs is advisory, but that is the least of what they do.

Our grads are really the functioning body of our orgs on many levels. And they would never, ever allow such a thing.

I think it's nice in theory, but it would NEVER work, for lots of different reasons. But what I would like to see more of is interaction between NPC/IFC/NPHC at the (Inter)National level.

Well Bobra while that is a nice idea it could never work. First of all as organizations NPC and NPHC are set up for two different reasons. NPHC is first and foremost about community service and while NPC orgs stress that as well they were founded as social organizations. Plus I think that the two different kinds of orgs are run very differently have different goals in mind. Plus how could they join up and not have to follow each other's recruitument/intake rules. Would be just abolish the NPC Greenbook?

I'm not seeing much difference in my involvement in my alum chapter as my mom's involvement as an AKA alumna. We're doing the same kind of service projects.

Most organizations in both conferences have alumnae initiation programs. Admittedly, it's a newer concept for NPC, but that's one area where I see NPHC being a mentor since they are stronger at that.

Likewise, I think there are some areas where NPC could mentor and strengthen NPHC.

We'd have to get over the competition thing--there are plenty of amazing women in the world for every organization to have an abundance of members.

People are people--across the board their reasons for joining are both social and service related. Maybe Sistermadly said it better-
If they can't be one conference, they certainly can have a stronger interconference relationship.

I agree. Even though I am apart of neither... It just doesn't seem like it would work. How would recruitment be done...

The meeting of the two conferences
 

I don't know if it would "never" work. I don't think we would ever meld the conferences into one, for a whole host of reasons (including the fact that the NPHC conference is composed of both male and female organziations). The two conferences (NPHC and NPC) are about as different in mission and scope from each other as the NIC and NPC are from each other, IMHO.

However, this is not to say that the NPHC sororities and the NPC sororities could not have a bi-yearly roundtable, forum or workshop on fostering some sort of relationship between the two groups. I agree with an earlier poster that mentioned that the "old school" of the NPHC might have a difficult time understanding why we would want to foster any sort of relationship: many of them went to HBCUs where the point was moot (no NPC groups) or recall the mood at the time they joined. I was listening to an album recorded at occasion of my Sorority's 50-year celebration, and I recall our Basileus at the time mentioned she has called up presidents of the NPC and NIC [I don't know how many], and said that one of the NPC presidents told her "we didn't have a chance." Now, I don't know that was in reference to, but the point is that the members that were privy to that type of behavior (accurate or not) are still alive and well in the Sorority.

I do think, though, that its time that the groups of sororities begin to have a more formalized relationship with each other, even if it's just information sharing and knowledge gathering.

Re: The meeting of the two conferences
 

WELL SAID!

DITTO!

Communication, yes. Conglomeration, no.

There are also some NPC alumnae who wouldn't let this happen, either. :mad:

I think that there ought to be more communication among all groups, NPC, NPHC, NIC, IFC, and the multicultural groups. We have many of the same concerns, problems, interests, and goals. I think that our similarities outweigh our differences. I think that through increased communication, we all can better understand and learn from each other and work together. I do think it is important to respect our differences as individual organizations and conferences. :) The NPC was an idea that seems to have worked well and has lasted for over a century. Maybe there will be another umbrella organization for all greek letter organization in the future.