The music and energy in the campus mall on the night of Sept. 20 lifted spirits and invited people to the Alpha Phi Alpha Yard Show, an event hosted by the Rho Alpha chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. This exhibition of Greek pride was meant to showcase the talents and sister- and brotherhood of various Divine Nine organizations.
Divine Nine is a term used to describe the nine organizations in the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), which is composed of African American fraternities and sororities that were formed at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The performances at the yard show are given by the groups Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc., with many more organizations in attendance to support their black brothers and sisters.
The planning behind this event came from President of the Rho Alpha chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, Alexander Leonty. Leonty and the other members of the brotherhood that were present at the event graduated from SUNY Brockport in 2020 and are part of a graduate chapter. Their goal was to visit their undergraduate alma mater to spark interest in their organization once again to reinstate an undergraduate chapter in Brockport.
“We’re trying to make this yearly thing, to come out and show that we exist and help boost interest. Hopefully, it catches on because that will really help the chances of being able to do something like this again,” Leonty said.
The inclusion of the other Divine Nine organizations was meant to promote other options for those that are interested and convey a sense of unity across the NPHC. Sergeant at Arms for the Rho Alpha chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Jahir Walters emphasized how important it is to show an array of groups during events like this.
“We’re not trying to impose in any way, just show that there are options. If people come through and see us, they may say, ‘Oh, Alpha Phi Alpha might not be for me,’ and that’s fine, because there are other organizations of interest,” Walters said.
Divine Nine organizations have a special culture that other social Greek life does not offer. The sense of unity and diversity between organizations is the highlight of their message, underlined by the group strolls they participate in. Strolls of choreographed dances that are performed by members of an organization to celebrate African American culture and history, and these dances are unique to Divine Nine culture.
Each fraternity and sorority have their own strolls that they rehearse and perform to recruit and show their pride in being part of their group, and they have group strolls with their sister or brother organizations. At the yard show, Alpha Phi Alpha performed with their sister sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha. Strolls are only meant for the members of a given fraternity or sorority, and only for the Divine Nine. Anyone can watch, but the choreography is reserved for those specific brothers and sisters, similar to only being able to wear the Greek letters of the organization you belong to.
Each organization’s colors were on display for the event, and they all cheered each other on as a show of respect and unity throughout the night. A crowd of students came out to the show out of interest in the performances and the groups themselves. Kya Foreman is one of these students that came to see what these groups are all about.
“I just think it’s a good way to be involved and get good connections and from good people. I think it’s interesting, so I’m looking into it,” Foreman said.
Divine Nine organizations put an emphasis on black leadership and success, with many of their undergraduate alum taking on high level positions in their fields and fostering networks for current members to grow their professional skills and succeed. The groups were formed back when traditional Greek life excluded black students, so they sought out a way to make their own voices heard and legitimize their success.
For more information on these organizations, you can check out Fraternity and Sorority Life here on campus. They plan to host more events throughout the year to garner interest, so keep an eye out through Student Union Leadership and Activities and Brockport Inter-Greek Council.
