Bass booms from the speakers on a sunny Thursday afternoon as members of the Divine Nine hop and stroll to their iconic songs. While many people on campus gathered for Union Unplugged on Oct. 26, many are unfamiliar with the cultural and historical significance of Black Greek letter organizations and how they have shaped the culture of Ole Miss today.
Despite the University of Mississippi’s history of discrimination and exclusion, the National Panhellenic Council stands as a cultural symbol of the tenacity and diversity that many Black individuals, such as James Meredith, have fought for on campus.
The NPHC serves as a safe haven for Black students to form sisterhood and brotherhood and connect with their community in unique ways. The path to inclusion for the NPHC was a long journey to which many contributed, and the results of their work flourish today.
Before Black Greek letter organizations integrated onto campus, students of color were not included in Greek life or even afforded the opportunity to join the already existing Greek letter organizations on campus. The existence of Black Greek letter organizations was borne out of determination and a vision for social change.
The Eta Zeta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. was the first Black Greek letter organization to arrive on the UM campus on July 31, 1973. The trailblazers opened the door for other Black Greek letter organizations to soon join campus.
When the brothers of the Eta Zeta chapter arrived on campus, they initiated the Dr. Charles R. Drew Blood Drive, which encouraged more African Americans in the community to donate blood. Because sickle cell anemia disproportionately affects African Americans, the Eta Zeta chapter of Omega Phi Psi emphasized the importance of Black individuals donating blood.
Today, the Eta Zeta chapter of Omega Phi Psi leads several other programs geared toward the campus and Oxford community, such as the Social Action Program, Talent Hunt, voter registration, college endowment and health initiative programs.
UM senior accounting major Calviante Overton highlights one of the ways in which he connects with the community through his organization.
“My favorite program is the Talent Hunt Program. It provides exposure, encouragement and financial assistance to talented young people participating in the performing arts. Winners of the competition are awarded recognition and scholarships for their talents,” Overton said.
Overton states that the Eta Zeta Chapter of Omega Phi Psi helped him find community and a representation of his identity.
“Being a student at a (predominantly white institution), there are times that you feel that your culture is not represented as much as others, and Omega Phi Psi gave me the collective of like-minded individuals to help strive and give a representative of a young, educated African American male,” Overton said.
Soon after the Eta Zeta Chapter of Omega Phi Psi, the Theta Psi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. was chartered on May 12, 1974. This was the first Black Greek letter sorority to join campus. The Theta Psi Chapter was chartered by the 12 pioneers: Rachel Balentine, Dorothy Balfour, Demetria Barnes, Jerrie Bell, Linda Buford, Bobbie Carmichael, Juanita Everson, Berniece Polk, Margarie Richmond, Jerrylyn Royston, Barbra Walker and Dianne Wilson.
The members of the Theta Psi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority have devoted more than 1,000 hours to philanthropic service in the Lafayette and Oxford community. Their programs include Youth Leadership Institute, planting trees on Arbor Day, candle-making classes for Black-owned businesses and voter registration tabling.
Members of the Theta Psi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha have stood role models on campus and in the community. UM alumna Rose Jackson Flenorl was the first Black woman to be inducted into the Ole Miss Alumni Hall of Fame in 1998. A decade later in 2008, Flenorl was elected as the first Black president of the Ole Miss Alumni Association. In 2017, Leah Gibson earned the title Miss University, as one of the few African American women to hold the title.
A member of The Theta Psi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, junior public health and health sciences major Meghan Curry, shares the value in having role models from her own chapter.
“All of our alumni and like graduate members could basically go off and do great things. Knowing that they came from Theta Psi, and not only did they make change on campus, they continue to make change wherever they went after graduating. That’s motivation to continue to do well,” Curry said.
On Nov. 14, 1974, the Lambda Sigma Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. was chartered. The chartering members are are Ruth Adams Ball, Linda Ellis Bobo, Minnie Jones-Butts, Chris Carpenter, Joyce Martin Covington, Yvon Adams Foster, Myrtis Henley, Anita Irving, Vickie Davison Jackson, Kara Thomas Johnson, Gracie Jones, Evelyn Williams Lindsay and Diana Richardson.
Members of the Lambda Sigma Chapter have influenced the community through historical contributions to the community, academically as well as through service. Dr. Keyana Mitchell Washington, member of the Lambda Sigma Chapter, became UM’s first Black Truman scholar recipient in 2001.
One of the biggest services for the campus and community was Thanksgiving Dinner, cooked and hosted by the Lambda Sigma Chapter for community members. Today, they volunteer and fundraise through the Mr. Lambda Sigma Pageant, Habitat for Humanity, Pregnancy Center Drive, Dare to Care Event and Beauty is Skin Deep event.
Erica Avent, primary graduate adviser of the Lambda Sigma Chapter, shares that her organization not only allows her to connect with the community but also fosters connection to organizations with similar objectives and interests.
“We’re always trying to collaborate because we’re great, but we’re better when we work with each other,” Avent said. “We all want to make a difference. So that impact is so much greater when we reach out. We can’t operate in isolation.”
The Nu Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. was chartered on March 20, 1978. Nu Upsilon strives to make personal connections with the community through programs such as A Voteless People is a Hopeless People, Go to High School, Go to College, Project Alpha and Brother’s Keeper.
Senior public health and health sciences major Jatoni Donelson states that his organization represents the values of academic devotion and service within the community.
“Just as most organizations do, my organization prides itself on being servants to the community and making sure we uplift those around us,” Donelson said. “We greatly value our academics and making sure we hold ourselves and each other to very high standards.”
The Xi Zeta Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. was chartered on Oct. 28, 1994. Dorothy Henderson was the first Sigma Gamma Rho member of Xi Zeta Chapter.
Members of the Xi Zeta Chapter have made history on the campus of Ole Miss. Henderson was the first African American faculty member to work at the School of Education at Ole Miss in 1978. Jessica Crockett, member of the Xi Zeta Chapter, was the first African American to become a captain of the Ole Miss Rifle team.
The Xi Zeta Chapter impacts the community through various service projects. The most prominent are OperationBigBookBag, Women’s Wellness Initiative, Swim 1922 and Project Cradle Care.
UM alumna and graduate adviser of the Xi Zeta Chapter Lasheba W. Hilliard, shares how her organization aims to touch the community through their projects.
“Sigma Gamma Rho stands out among other NPHC organizations due to its dedication and commitment to community service through specific service projects such as OperationBigBookBag and our Golden Alert social justice platform, which addresses issues that perpetuate social inequalities and continues to be catalysts for change to dismantle systemic barriers,” Hilliard said.
The Tau Eta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. was chartered on Nov. 13, 1976. Chartering members are Betty Boyd, Debbie Bridges-Brown, Allyese Brown-Davis, Cassandra Ivy-Vaughn, Sharon Burgess-Sayles and Valerie Willingham-Morgan.
The Tau Eta Chapter has interacted with the community through service projects including Adopt a School, Diabetes Walk, Salvation Army Bell Ringing, Storytime at Oxford Library and Voter Registration.
Raven Graves, junior finance major and president of the Tau Eta Chapter, shares her personal motivations for her favorite service project.
“One of my favorite projects is to participate in giving back and helping make strides against breast cancer. This is important to me because breast cancer hits close to home,” Graves said. “It is really important that the organization I am in cares so much about the community and those who are less fortunate — because no matter what, everyone needs help.”
After decades of dedication to the community and campus, the National Pan-Hellenic Council chapter at Ole Miss was officially chartered on September 24, 2023. This date marks a moment when Black Greek letter organizations were recognized as their own entity and paid respect for the work that they’ve devoted to their community and campus.
Graves highlights her role in this momentous event.
“Recently, I had the honor of representing Zeta Phi Beta, Sorority Inc. in the chartering of our National Pan-Hellenic Council here at the university,” Graves said. “This is such an important moment in history, because it solidifies the council that all of the Divine Nine organizations operate under.”
