The History of Sigma Pi Phi

The History of Sigma Pi Phi
Author: Hobart Sidney Jarrett
Publisher: Quantum Leap Publisher (CA)
Total Pages: 594
Release: 1995-04-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9780962716188

Black Greek-letter Organizations in the Twenty-First Century

Black Greek-letter Organizations in the Twenty-First Century
Author: Gregory S. Parks
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Total Pages: 521
Release: 2008-06-13
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0813172950

During the twentieth century, black Greek-Letter organizations (BGLOs) united college students dedicated to excellence, fostered kinship, and uplifted African Americans. Members of these organizations include remarkable and influential individuals such as Martin Luther King Jr., Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, novelist Toni Morrison, and Wall Street pioneer Reginald F. Lewis. Despite the profound influence of these groups, many now question the continuing relevance of BGLOs, arguing that their golden age has passed. Partly because of their perceived link to hip-hop culture, black fraternities and sororities have been unfairly reduced to a media stereotype—a world of hazing without any real substance. The general public knows very little about BGLOs, and surprisingly the members themselves often do not have a thorough understanding of their history and culture or of the issues currently facing their organizations. To foster a greater engagement with the history and contributions of BGLOs, Black Greek-Letter Organizations in the Twenty-first Century: Our Fight Has Just Begun brings together an impressive group of authors to explore the contributions and continuing possibilities of BGLOs and their members. Editor Gregory S. Parks and the contributing authors provide historical context for the development of BGLOs, exploring their service activities as well as their relationships with other prominent African American institutions. The book examines BGLOs' responses to a number of contemporary issues, including non-black membership, homosexuality within BGLOs, and the perception of BGLOs as educated gangs. As illustrated by the organized response of BGLO members to the racial injustice they observed in Jena, Louisiana, these organizations still have a vital mission. Both internally and externally, BGLOs struggle to forge a relevant identity for the new century. Internally, these groups wrestle with many issues, including hazing, homophobia, petty intergroup competition, and the difficulty of bridging the divide between college and alumni members. Externally, BGLOs face the challenge of rededicating themselves to their communities and leading an aggressive campaign against modern forms of racism, sexism, and other types of fear-driven behavior. By embracing the history of these organizations and exploring their continuing viability and relevance, Black Greek-Letter Organizations in the Twenty-first Century demonstrates that BGLOs can create a positive and enduring future and that their most important work lies ahead.

African American Fraternities and Sororities

African American Fraternities and Sororities
Author: Tamara L. Brown
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Total Pages: 744
Release: 2012-02-29
Genre: History
ISBN: 0813140730

The rich history and social significance of the “Divine Nine” African American Greek-letter organizations is explored in this comprehensive anthology. In the long tradition of African American benevolent and secret societies, intercollegiate African American fraternities and sororities have strong traditions of fostering brotherhood and sisterhood among their members, exerting considerable influence in the African American community and being in the forefront of civic action, community service, and philanthropy. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Toni Morrison, Arthur Ashe, and Sarah Vaughn are just a few of the trailblazing members of these organizations. African American Fraternities and Sororities places the history of these organizations in context, linking them to other movements and organizations that predated them and tying their history to the Civil Rights movement. It explores various cultural aspects of the organizations, such as auxiliary groups, branding, calls, and stepping, and highlights the unique role of African American sororities.

Brothers and Sisters

Brothers and Sisters
Author: Craig LaRon Torbenson
Publisher: Associated University Presse
Total Pages: 328
Release: 2009
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9780838641941

The 1950s are arguably the watershed era in the civil rights movement with the landmark Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955, and the desegregation of Little Rock (Arkansas) High School in 1957. It was during this period--1955 to be exact--that sociologist Alfred M. Lee published his seminal work Fraternities without Brotherhood: A Study of Prejudice on the American Campus. Lee's book was the first and last book to explore diversity within college fraternal groups. More than fifty years later, Craig L. Torbenson and Gregory S. Parks revisit this issue more broadly in their edited volume Brothers and Sisters: Diversity in College Fraternities and Sororities. This volume draws from a variety of disciplines in an attempt to provide a holistic analysis of diversity within collegiate fraternal life. It also brings a wide range of scholarly approaches to the inquiry of diversity within college fraternities and sororities. It explores not only from whence these groups have come but where they are currently situated and what issues arise as they progress.

W. E. B. Du Bois, 1919-1963

W. E. B. Du Bois, 1919-1963
Author: David Levering Lewis
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 756
Release: 2001-09
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780805068139

Lewis charts the second half of Du Bois's career, from the end of World War I on.

The Divine Nine

The Divine Nine
Author: Lawrence C. Ross
Publisher: Kensington Books
Total Pages: 532
Release: 2001-01-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9780758202703

From the creation of the first black fraternity at Cornell in 1906 to the present day, a fascinating history of America's nine black fraternities and sororities explores the roles of these organizations in shaping generations of African-American leaders. Reissue.

Black Bourgeoisie

Black Bourgeoisie
Author: Franklin Frazier
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 276
Release: 1997-02-13
Genre: History
ISBN: 0684832410

Originally published: Glencoe, Ill.: Free Press, [1957].

Our Kind of People

Our Kind of People
Author: Lawrence Otis Graham
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 452
Release: 2009-03-17
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0061870811

Now a TV series on FOX starring Morris Chestnut, Yaya DaCosta, Nadine Ellis, and Joe Morton. "Fascinating. . . . [Graham] has made a major contribution both to African-American studies and the larger American picture." —New York Times Debutante cotillions. Million-dollar homes. Summers in Martha's Vineyard. Membership in the Links, Jack & Jill, Deltas, Boule, and AKAs. An obsession with the right schools, families, social clubs, and skin complexion. This is the world of the black upper class and the focus of the first book written about the black elite by a member of this hard-to-penetrate group. Author and TV commentator Lawrence Otis Graham, one of the nation's most prominent spokesmen on race and class, spent six years interviewing the wealthiest black families in America. He includes historical photos of a people that made their first millions in the 1870s. Graham tells who's in and who's not in the group today with separate chapters on the elite in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Nashville, and New Orleans. A new Introduction explains the controversy that the book elicited from both the black and white communities.

Black Greek 101

Black Greek 101
Author: Walter M. Kimbrough
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2023-09-12
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1493081985

Black Greek 101 analyzes the customs, culture, and challenges facing historically Black fraternal organizations. The text provides a history of Black Greek organizations beyond the nine major organizations, examining the pledging practice, the growth of fraternalism outside of the mainstream organizations, the vivid culture and practices of the groups, and challenges for the future.