MIT and Black Greek Letter Organizations: An Interview, 2020

A few weeks ago, I called three friends, AudreyRose ‘21, Nikayah ‘19, and Kenneth ‘19, to talk about their experiences as members of historically Black Greek letter organizations. My goal is to illustrate that there is a D9 presence at MIT and show the many benefits of joining one.

D9 is a shorthand for “Divine Nine”, a casual label that refers to nine historically African American Greek-lettered fraternities and sororities. Officially, the nine organizations constitute the National Pan-Hellenic Council. The first Black intercollegiate Greek fraternity is Alpha Phi Alpha, founded in 1906 at Cornell University. In the next sixty years, eight other organizations would form at different universities, namely Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (AKA), Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity (KAΨ), Delta Sigma Theta Sorority (ΔΣΘ), Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. (ΩΨΦ), Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity (ΦΒΣ), Zeta Phi Beta Sorority (ZΦB), Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority (ΣΓΡ), and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity (ΙΦΘ). Each organization has a rich and unique history, culture, and traditions, and its members can span several generations. 

Kidist Adamu '22