>>
GARY WALKER: JUST AHEAD ON "NEED TO KNOW," THEY'RE KNOWN AS
THE NOBLE NINE, NINE FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES THAT ARE CONSIDERED
TO BE SOME OF THE MOST POWERFUL AND INFLUENTIAL ORGANIZATIONS
IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY, AND THE NEARLY 100-YEAR HISTORY
OF BLACK GREEK FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES GOT ITS START PRETTY
CLOSE TO HOME. COMING UP NEXT ON "NEED TO KNOW," WE'LL TAKE
YOU TO THE FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES OF THE NOBLE NINE.
(MUSIC)
>>
THIS WAS A MEANS FOR LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS TO BE ABLE TO JOIN
TOGETHER FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE.
>>
THIS IS "NEED TO KNOW," THE ROCHESTER AREA'S ONLY IN-DEPTH NEWS
PROGRAM. "NEED TO KNOW" IS A PRODUCTION OF WXXI NEWS AND PUBLIC
AFFAIRS, COVERING ISSUES, POLITICS, EDUCATION AND CURRENT EVENTS.
>>
"NEED TO KNOW" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE DAISY MARQUIS JONES FOUNDATION,
BY DORSCHEL LEXUS, AND THROUGH THE SUPPORT OF VIEWERS LIKE YOU.
(MUSIC)
>>
GARY WALKER: THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. I'M GARY WALKER. THE
EARLY 1900S WAS AN OPPRESSIVE TIME FOR BLACK AMERICANS. RACIAL
INEQUITY AND SEGREGATION WERE COMMON PRACTICE AND HIGHER EDUCATION
MADE NO EXCEPTIONS. AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENTS WERE ISOLATED
FROM THE GENERAL STUDENT BODY. THERE WERE FEW STUDENTS, WITHOUT
MUCH OF A SUPPORT SYSTEM. MOST OF THE MINORITY STUDENTS DROPPED
OUT WITHIN THEIR FIRST YEAR, HENCE THE BEGINNING OF THE NOBLE
NINE, OR DIVINE NINE. ONCE ESTABLISHED AND AFTER THE FRATERNITY
REALIZED ITS SUCCESS AND CONTRIBUTION TO THE COMMUNITY, THEY
BEGAN TO EXPAND TO OTHER UNIVERSITIES. A FEW YEARS LATER, THE
FIRST SORORITY WAS FORMED, AND NOW, ALMOST A CENTURY LATER,
NINE GROUPS HAVE COME TOGETHER.
>>
MANY OF THE ISSUES THAT WE FACE TODAY ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE
ISSUES THAT WE FACED IN 1906 WHEN THE FRATERNITY WAS FOUNDED,
BUT THERE'S STILL VERY MUCH A NEED FOR LEADERSHIP, ESPECIALLY
AMONG BLACK MALES WITHIN THE BLACK COMMUNITY TO HELP LIFT THE
COMMUNITY TO HIGHER STANDARDS.
>>
WE WANT YOUNG WOMEN TO UNDERSTAND THAT ALL IS POSSIBLE AND THAT
YOU DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE A PART OF A GREEK ORGANIZATION
TO HAVE A STRONG FAITH, BE INVOLVED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY OR ANY
OTHER ACTIVITIES THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST TO YOU, BUT YOU DO
NEED TO BE WELL GROUNDED.
>> GARY WALKER: AND BEING WELL GROUNDED IS ON THE RISE. THERE'S
BEEN A RECORD INCREASE OF AMERICANS OVER THE AGE OF 25 WITH
A BACHELOR'S DEGREE OR MORE. RECENTLY RELEASED CENSUS 2000 STUDIES
ESTIMATES SAY 25.6% OF YOUNG AMERICANS HOLD A COLLEGE DEGREE.
THAT'S UP FROM THE 1990 CENSUS, SHOWING 21.3% HAVING COLLEGE
EDUCATIONS. AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENTS SHOW THE HIGHEST INCREASE
IN EDUCATION LEVELS: 16.5% OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS OVER THE AGE
OF 25 HAVE A BACHELOR DEGREE OR MORE. IN 1990, ONLY 11.3% OF
AFRICAN-AMERICANS WENT TO COLLEGE. HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMAS ARE
ON THE RISE AS WELL. TODAY, 84.1% OF AMERICANS HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL
DEGREE. THAT'S UP 6.5% FROM 1990. AND FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS,
78.5% ARE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES. THAT'S UP 12.3% FROM TEN YEARS
AGO. THE CENSUS REPORT SUGGESTS THAT GETTING AN EDUCATION IS
MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER, AND GETTING SUPPORT FOR THAT EDUCATION
GOES HAND IN HAND, WHICH IS THE BASIS OF THE NOBLE NINE AND
ITS 2.5 MILLION MEMBERS. WXXI'S ALICIA CLAUSSELL HAS THE STORY.
>>
ALICIA CLAUSSELL: MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.; CO-FOUNDER OF THE
NAACP, W.E.B. DU BOIS; TENNIS LEGEND ARTHUR ASHE; THE REVEREND
JESSE JACKSON; CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER A. PHILIP RANDOLPH; CONGRESSMAN
BOBBY L. RUSH, AND MANY MORE... THESE ARE SOME OF AMERICA'S
MOST FAMOUS AFRICAN-AMERICAN LEADERS, ALSO MEMBERS OF THE NOBLE
NINE, A NAME RESPECTFULLY GIVEN TO THE NINE BLACK FRATERNITIES
AND SORORITIES THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR ALMOST 100 YEARS. AND
THE VERY FIRST OF THOSE FRATERNITIES, ALPHA PHI ALPHA, WAS FOUNDED
IN THIS HOUSE, A FEW MINUTES FROM CORNELL UNIVERSITY'S CAMPUS
IN ITHACA, NEW YORK.
>>
THIS WAS THE HOME OF MR. EDWARD NEWTON, WHO WAS SUPPORTIVE OF
THE YOUNG MEN WHO ORGANIZED A SOCIAL STUDY CLUB.
>> THEY WERE KIND OF THE PRIDE OF THE COMMUNITY. HERE THEY WERE
GOING TO THIS IVY LEAGUE, OR WASN'T QUITE IVY LEAGUE AT THAT
POINT, BUT TO THIS MAJOR UNIVERSITY HERE, AND SO THEY WERE SUPPORTIVE
OF THEM.
>>
IT TALKS ABOUT ACADEMICS AND EVENTS OF THE DAY, BASICALLY. THOSE
WOULD HAVE BEEN TOPICS OF CONVERSATION, DISCUSSION. SOMETIMES
AN INDIVIDUAL WOULD SHARE INFORMATION THAT HE HAD GAINED IN
ONE OF HIS CLASSES WITH FELLOW MEMBERS OF THE FRATERNITY.
>>
ALICIA CLAUSSELL: IN 1906, SEVEN AFRICAN-AMERICAN MEN AT CORNELL
FORMED ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY. FOUNDED ON A PREDOMINANTLY
WHITE CAMPUS, THESE YOUNG BLACK STUDENTS WERE LOOKING FOR A
SUPPORT SYSTEM DURING A TIME OF SEGREGATION AND ISOLATION FROM
THE GENERAL STUDENT POPULATION AT CORNELL.
>>
THEY WERE INTERESTED IN DEVELOPING A STRONGER BOND AMONGST THEMSELVES.
THEY WERE ALSO INTERESTED IN SOCIAL SERVICE.
>>
ALICIA CLAUSSELL: PROFESSOR ROBERT HARRIS, MEMBER AND NATIONAL
HISTORIAN OF ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY:
>>
I THINK ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THEY DECIDED TO START A FRATERNAL
ORGANIZATION IS BECAUSE THEY WERE HERE IN UPSTATE NEW YORK;
THERE WEREN'T A LOT OF ACTIVITIES. THERE WAS A SMALL BLACK COMMUNITY
HERE IN ITHACA, BUT THERE REALLY WEREN'T MANY SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
THAT WERE AVAILABLE TO THEM. AS COLLEGE MEN, THEY HAD INTERESTS
THAT WERE SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT FROM THOSE OF THE GENERAL COMMUNITY,
SO THIS WAS A MEANS FOR LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS TO BE ABLE TO
JOIN TOGETHER FOR SOCIAL ACTIVITIES, ALSO FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE.
>>
ALICIA CLAUSSELL: ALPHA PHI ALPHA'S SUCCESS EXPANDED TO HOWARD
UNIVERSITY IN WASHINGTON, D.C. ALTHOUGH THE FRATERNITY WAS FOUNDED
ON A WHITE CAMPUS, THERE WAS STILL A NEED FOR SUPPORT STRUCTURES
AT BLACK CAMPUSES LIKE HOWARD.
>>
THIS WAS A MEANS OF BRINGING TOGETHER BLACK COLLEGE MEN TO ADDRESS
SOME OF THE CONDITIONS THAT BLACK PEOPLE WERE FACING IN THE
COUNTRY DURING THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY.
>>
ALICIA CLAUSSELL: IN 1911, SIMILAR TO ALPHA PHI ALPHA'S EXPERIENCE
AT CORNELL, THE FOUNDERS OF KAPPA ALPHA PSI FRATERNITY CREATED
A BROTHERHOOD TO ALLEVIATE THE ISOLATION THEY FELT AT INDIANA
UNIVERSITY'S MOSTLY WHITE CAMPUS. LATER THAT SAME YEAR BACK
AT HOWARD, THREE BLACK MEN FELT IT WAS TIME FOR AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN
FRATERNITY TO BE FOUNDED ON AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN CAMPUS. THUS
OMEGA PSI PHI FRATERNITY WAS BORN. PHI BETA SIGMA, FOUNDED IN
1914 AT HOWARD UNIVERSITY, WAS STARTED FOR MANY OF THE SAME
REASONS THE OTHER ORGANIZATION BEGAN: ISOLATION, SEGREGATION.
KEENAN ALLEN, A CURRENT MEMBER OF PHI BETA SIGMA FRATERNITY,
TALKS ABOUT WHAT HIS ORGANIZATION STANDS FOR:
>>
BROTHERHOOD, SCHOLARSHIP AND SERVICE, THE WHOLE PRINCIPLE BEHIND
FRATERNITY, MEN COMING TOGETHER UNDER A COMMON GOAL AND PURPOSE,
SCHOLARSHIPS, THE PROMOTION OF EDUCATION, WITH EDUCATION BEING
ONE OF OUR NATIONAL PROGRAMS AND SERVICE, OF SERVING THE COMMUNITY,
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ABOUT, DOING GOOD THINGS IN THE COMMUNITY
TO BENEFIT PEOPLE.
>>
ALICIA CLAUSSELL: ONCE AGAIN, DURING A TUMULTUOUS TIME FOR BLACKS
IN AMERICA, UNIFICATION WAS THE KEY, AND IN 1963, THE LAST FRATERNITY
TO ENCOMPASS THE NOBLE NINE WAS IOTA PHI THETA, FOUNDED ON THE
CAMPUS OF MORGAN STATE COLLEGE.
>>
MANLY DEEDS, SCHOLARSHIP AND LOVE FOR ALL MANKIND: THESE ARE
THE TYPES OF THINGS THAT WE TRY TO SHOW ON CAMPUS EVERY DAY
AND THE PEOPLE THAT WE TALK TO, THE PEOPLE THAT WE TRY TO INFLUENCE.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT OLDER BROTHERS TAUGHT ME WAS,
YOU KNOW, YOU ALWAYS WANT TO CARRY YOURSELF AND YOU ALWAYS WANT
TO -- YOU WANT TO PORTRAY YOURSELF SO PEOPLE WILL RESPECT YOU.
>>
ALICIA CLAUSSELL: WHETHER YOU TALK TO NEW MEMBERS LIKE RON COLE
OF ALPHA PHI ALPHA OR OLDER MEMBERS LIKE KEENAN ALLEN OF PHI
BETA SIGMA, SERVICE, GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY, AND BROTHERHOOD
ARE ALL MENTIONED WHEN TALKING ABOUT THEIR ORGANIZATIONS. FOR
THE PAST 95 YEARS, IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY, THESE ORGANIZATIONS
HAVE FORMED AND THRIVED TO BECOME A PART OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN
HISTORY.
(MUSIC)
>>
GARY WALKER: TYPICALLY WHEN MOST PEOPLE THINK OF GREEK LETTERED
ORGANIZATIONS, THEY THINK ABOUT PARTIES, DRINKING, HAZING, JUST
ABOUT THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF WHAT THE NOBLE NINE STANDS FOR.
JOINING ME IN STUDIO RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE RODRIC COX-COOPER FROM
THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. HE'S THE CITY DIRECTOR OF HUMAN SERVICES.
HE'S ALSO A MEMBER OF ALPHA PHI ALPHA. HYSHA ROBINSON IS A CO-ADVISOR
TO THE NATIONAL PAN-HELLENIC COUNCIL AT R.I.T. MS. ROBINSON
IS A MEMBER OF ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA. AND DR. ANDREW RAY, PRINCIPAL
OF THE JAMES MADISON SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE RIGHT HERE IN ROCHESTER
AND A MEMBER OF OMEGA PSI PHI, A GROUP AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN
AS THE "Q" DOGS. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. AND, DR. RAY, LET
ME BEGIN RIGHT THERE. AS I READ THAT, I THOUGHT, "WHAT EXACTLY
IS A "Q" DOG?"
>>
IN THE HISTORY OF FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES, A NUMBER OF THINGS
DEVELOPED. PART OF IT WAS STEPPING THAT WAS VERY POPULAR AT
THE BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. AND EACH FRATERNITY HAD
A NICKNAME. FOR EXAMPLE, YOU HAVE THE "A'S" AND YOU HAVE THE
DUCKS AND YOU HAVE -- EVERY FRATERNITY HAD SOME TYPE OF NICKNAME
TO GO ALONG WITH IT. AND BECAUSE OF THE TENACITY AND THE KINDS
OF THINGS THAT WENT ALONG WITH STEPPING, THAT JUST CAME ALONG
WITH THE ORGANIZATION.
>>
GARY WALKER: STEPPING IS HUGELY POPULAR IN HIGH SCHOOLS NOW.
WE DID A PROGRAM ON IT. STUNNING, THE DISCIPLINE IT TAKES. I
WAS GOING TO ASK MS. ROBINSON, ALL OF THE BLACK LETTERED ORGANIZATIONS
ARE PART OF THE PAN-HELLENIC COUNCIL. WHAT EXACTLY DOES THAT
MEAN, FOR PEOPLE AT HOME THINKING "WHAT EXACTLY DOES THAT MEAN?"
>>
WELL, IT'S ACTUALLY N.P.C., WHAT YOU SAID, THE NATIONAL PAN-HELLENIC
COUNCIL, AND IT'S AN ORGANIZATION THAT WAS FOUNDED IN 1930 ACTUALLY
TO COMBINE ALL OF THE NOBLE NINE, OR THE DIVINE NINE AS YOU
HAVE CALLED THEM, AND BASICALLY JUST GIVING THEM AN OUTLET TO
ACTUALLY BOND AMONGST THEMSELVES, AMONGST ALL THE ORGANIZATIONS
TO COME TOGETHER. THEY DO PROGRAMS ON CAMPUSES; THEY DO THINGS
IN CHAPTERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IT'S JUST A GREAT OPPORTUNITY
FOR THEM TO BASICALLY DO SERVICE NOT JUST IN THEIR ORGANIZATION
BUT WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE THE SAME PURPOSES.
>>
GARY WALKER: ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WAS READING OUT OF THE
BOOK AND DOING SOME RESEARCH ABOUT THIS, IT STRUCK ME THAT SOME
OF THE FIRST FRATERNITY -- AND SORORITY -- I UNDERSTAND -- YOU
CAN REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW IT COMES TOGETHER AND THEN STARTS
SPREADING TO OTHER CAMPUSES, BUT THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN SPROUTS
UP ALL THESE OTHER LETTERED ORGANIZATIONS, AND I'M WONDERING,
YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE? IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
AN ALPHA PHI ALPHA AND OMEGA PHI AND KAPPA ALPHA PHI? OR IS
IT... I DON'T KNOW.
>>
I THINK THERE ARE MORE SIMILARITIES THAN DIFFERENCES. ALL OF
US STRESS COMMUNITY SERVICE, ACHIEVEMENT, ACADEMICS, COMMUNITY
INVOLVEMENT OVERALL. THE ONLY DIFFERENCES, I BELIEVE, IS THEN
CERTAINLY IN STYLE, MAYBE EVEN IN MEMBERSHIP. IF YOU'RE ON A
CERTAIN COLLEGE CAMPUS, YOU MAY BE MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE BROTHERS
OF A CERTAIN ORGANIZATION AND CHOOSE TO TAKE THAT APPROACH.
YOU MAY BE WHAT'S CALLED A LEGACY. YOU MAY HAVE RELATIVES OR
FATHER, GRANDFATHER WHO WAS PART OF THE ORGANIZATION AND YOU
WANT TO CONTINUE THE TRADITION. SO IT'S A MATTER OF CHOICE,
BUT IN THE END, I THINK WE ALL ARE HERE TO MAKE A BETTER COMMUNITY.
>> GARY WALKER: IN THE TIME THAT THESE ORGANIZATIONS WERE FIRST
FORMED, I MEAN WE HAVE THE SUPREME COURT DOING PLESSEY VERSUS
FERGUSON; BASICALLY SEPARATE ACCOMMODATIONS WERE THE LAW OF
THE LAND AND LEGAL. YOU CAN UNDERSTAND HOW A GROUP CAN COME
TOGETHER AND SAY, "MY GOD, WE HAVE TO DO THIS ON OUR OWN!" BUT
I'M STRUCK BY THE IMMEDIATE FOCUS ON SOCIAL SERVICE, ON COMMUNITY
SERVICE. WHY DID THAT COME TO BE? I WOULD THINK THEY COME TOGETHER
TO HELP STUDY, TO HAVE A SUPPORT ORGANIZATION WITHIN THAT, BUT
IMMEDIATELY THE FOCUS SEEMED TO BE ON COMMUNITY SUPPORT.
>>
ONE THING YOU CAN GARNER FROM THAT, CONSIDER THE PERIOD OF TIME
THAT THE ORGANIZATIONS WERE FOUNDED. AND DURING THAT PERIOD
OF TIME, YOU MUST REMEMBER MANY OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WERE
GOING TO COLLEGE DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME, THEY WERE THE FIRST
OF THEIR FAMILY TO EVER STEP FOOT ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS. THEREFORE,
THEY UNDERSTOOD THE NEED FOR SERVICE; THEY UNDERSTOOD THE NEED
TO REACH BACK, TO OPEN THE DOOR FOR THOSE WHO WERE COMING BEHIND
THEM. THEY REALIZED THAT THEY WERE THE FIRST OF A GENERATION
MOVING FORWARD. SO THAT COMMITMENT TO REACHING BACK AND COMMITMENT
TO MAKING A DIFFERENCE WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO THEM.
>>
GARY WALKER: IT SEEMS THAT MUST HAVE BEEN TOUGH. YOU HAD TO
WALK IN TWO WORLDS, IT WOULD SEEM. WE HEARD IN THE REPORT THAT
WHEN YOU'RE IN HIGHER EDUCATION, LEARNING, YOU DO HAVE SOME
OTHER INTERESTS OTHER THAN THE SMALL COMMUNITY OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS
THAT WERE IN, SAY, ITHACA IN 1906. THEY HAD A DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCE.
THEY WERE PART OF A COLLEGE, PART OF UNIVERSITY LIFE, YET THERE
WAS THAT OTHER WORLD THAT THEY HAD TO WALK OUT -- IT SEEMS LIKE
A DIFFICULT THING TO DO, TO WALK BOTH THOSE AREAS.
>>
WELL, ABSOLUTELY. AND YOU FOUND THAT THE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN
WHO WERE PART OF THAT FIRST WAVE, TO START THESE ORGANIZATIONS,
YOU WILL FIND THAT THEY DID THAT VERY WELL. AND THEY UNDERSTOOD
THE NEED TO OPERATE IN TWO WORLDS BECAUSE SEGREGATION WAS NOT
DEAD, YET THEY WERE FUTURISTIC AND LOOKING FORWARD. SO IN ORDER
TO BE BOTH HISTORICAL AND IN ORDER TO BE PART OF THE PRESENT,
IN ORDER TO LOOK FORWARD TO THE FUTURE, YOU HAVE TO BE A PERSON
WHO CAN DO MANY THINGS, MULTITALENTED.
>> GARY WALKER: WE HAVE ABOUT A MINUTE IN THIS SEGMENT. I WAS
GOING TO ASK THIS: THERE STILL MUST HAVE BEEN SOME SORT OF SOCIAL
ASPECT TO THESE ORGANIZATIONS AS WELL. A LOT OF COMMUNITY SERVICE,
BUT I WOULD IMAGINE IT WOULD HAVE TO BE SOME SORT OF SOCIAL
BONDING OF THESE INDIVIDUALS COMING TOGETHER AND TRULY A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND
ORGANIZATION. CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE ABOUT THAT?
>>
I THINK YOU HAD LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS. YOU HAD PEOPLE WHO
FELT THE SAME WAY, WHO WANTED THE SAME THINGS, WHO WANTED IMPROVEMENT,
AND THEY CAME TOGETHER OUT OF A COMMON CAUSE. IT WAS NO DIFFERENT
THAN OTHER FRATERNITIES THAT HAD BEEN FORMED. IT'S JUST THAT
THESE WERE SPECIFICALLY FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDENTS WHO HAD
MAYBE SOME DIFFERENT NEEDS THAN THE NEEDS THAT HAD EVER BEEN
ADDRESSED BEFORE. SO YOU SEE THAT BONDING ALMOST NATURALLY AND
IT JUST GROWS AND MOVES FORWARD FROM THERE.
>>
AND DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME, BLACKS WERE SOCIAL OUTCASTS
TO AMERICA. THEREFORE, SOCIALIZATION WITHIN THE ORGANIZATIONS
PROVIDED A VERY IMPORTANT OUTLET.
>>
GARY WALKER: WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT SORORITIES NEXT. FOUR
OF THE NOBLE NINE ORGANIZATIONS ARE SORORITIES AS WELL. AND
SOME OF THE PAST AND PRESENT MEMBERS ARE PROMINENT WOMEN LIKE
ROSA PARKS, MAYA ANGELOU, AND DIONNE WARWICK. WXXI'S MATT CUMMINGS
REPORTS ON THE SISTERHOOD OF THE NOBLE NINE.
>>
MATT CUMMINGS: AS THE PRINCIPAL OF FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL, KIM
DYCE HAS REACHED A MEASURE OF PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS. SHE'S FACED
WITH THE CHALLENGE OF EDUCATING MANY OF ROCHESTER'S YOUTH, A
DEMANDING TASK TO BE SURE, BUT ONE WHICH SHE FEELS QUALIFIED
FOR AFTER COMPLETING HER UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE AT THE UNIVERSITY
OF ROCHESTER. BUT SHE FEELS IT WASN'T JUST HER EDUCATION THAT
PREPARED HER FOR A SUCCESSFUL CAREER. SHE FEELS BEING A MEMBER
OF THE DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY PROVIDED HER WITH A STRONG
BASE FROM WHICH TO GROW.
>>
FOR ME IT ACTUALLY CAME DOWN TO WANTING TO HAVE A CONNECTION,
WANTING TO BE AMONG WOMEN WHO WERE FOCUSED, HAD HIGH GOALS,
ASPIRATIONS, WANTING TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH WOMEN WHO HAD SET
THE PATH FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN TO, YOU KNOW, BECOME PART
OF A PRESTIGIOUS ORGANIZATION AND KNOW THAT WHEREVER YOU GO
NATIONWIDE, YOU KNOW, THAT WHETHER YOU'RE WEARING THE THREE
GREEK LETTERS OF DELTA SIGMA THETA, OR ANY OTHER GREEK ORGANIZATION,
THAT YOU HAVE THAT CONNECTION AND YOU KNEW THAT NATIONWIDE THINGS
WERE GOING ON AND THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE AMONG THE MOVERS AND
SHAKERS IN BUSINESS AND EDUCATION.
>>
MATT CUMMINGS: KIM IS A SUCCESS STORY. BUT DO THE VALUES OF
COMMUNITY SERVICE THAT HELPED SHAPE HER DEVELOPMENT STILL PLAY
OUT FOR TODAY'S MEMBERS? MICHEE HOLLAND AND NICOLE GOLDBERG
ARE CURRENT UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT R.I.T. AND THE U OF R
RESPECTIVELY. THEY ARE ALSO MEMBERS OF ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA, THE
NATION'S OLDEST AFRICAN-AMERICAN SORORITY.
>>
THE PURPOSE IS MAINLY COMMUNITY SERVICE AND SERVICE TO ALL MANKIND,
BUT WE DO TRY TO FOSTER HEALTHY AND POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG
ALL COLLEGE WOMEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE OUT OF COLLEGE AS WELL.
>>
MATT CUMMINGS: TRINA DUNCAN WORKS AT FRONTIER COMMUNICATIONS.
BRANDE HUNT IS IN THE MILITARY. BOTH ARE GRADUATE CHAPTER MEMBERS
OF SIGMA GAMMA RHO. FOR THEM, LOCAL COMMUNITY SERVICE EFFORTS
FOCUS ON STRESSING EDUCATION FROM THE START.
>>
I'LL START WITH WEE SAVERS, WHICH IS A FINANCIAL PROGRAM WHERE
WE HELP ASSIST THE YOUTH AND CHILDREN, RANGING IN AGE FROM 6
TO 18 YEARS OLD, MANAGE THEIR FINANCES. WE HOLD SEMINARS, TAKE
TRIPS TO FINANCIAL INSTITUTES, AND IT'S JUST THE HELP OF GIVING
THEM MORE KNOWLEDGE ON HOW TO SAVE, WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT.
WE THINK THE YOUTH NEED TO KNOW THAT. THAT'S ONE OF THEM. WE
ALSO HAVE A PROJECT CALLED PROJECT REASSURANCE WHICH WAS DEVELOPED
TO HELP YOUNG MOTHERS TO SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO CONTINUE
THROUGH COLLEGE AND TO CONTINUE WITH THEIR EDUCATION THOUGH
THEY, YOU KNOW, WERE PREGNANT, AND JUST TO GIVE THEM THAT EXTRA
PUSH.
>>
MATT CUMMINGS: AS UNDERGRAD MEMBERS, NICOLE AND MICHEE RECOGNIZE
MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS PRIVILEGES. SORORITY MEMBERS MAKE VALUABLE
CONTACTS WITH POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS THROUGH JOB FAIRS HELD AT
REGIONAL SORORITY MEETINGS.
>>
WHEN YOU GO THERE, I HAVE HAD PEOPLE E-MAIL ME AND CONTACT ME
AFTERWARDS, "ARE YOU INTERESTED IN THIS JOB? WE KNOW ALPHA KAPPA
ALPHA ARE HARD WORKERS AND DILIGENT PEOPLE," AND THAT'S A DEFINITE
PLUS AS FAR AS NETWORKING GOES.
>>
IT IS VERY INTRIGUING AND COMFORTING TO GO TO A CAREER FAIR
AND SOMEONE WILL SEE YOU WEARING A PIN AND THEY'LL SAY -- OR
THEY'LL SEE IT ON YOUR RESUME AND "OH, I'M AN A.K.A." OR "MY
MOTHER'S AN A.K.A. I'LL PUT IN A SPECIAL WORD FOR YOU."
>>
MATT CUMMINGS: MEMBERSHIP OFFERS MANY PERSONAL GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES.
BUT IT'S THROUGH SERVICE TO THEIR COMMUNITY AND CAMARADERIE
AMONG ALMOST HALF A MILLION MEMBERS OF THE FOUR ORIGINAL AFRICAN-AMERICAN
SORORITIES THAT ALLOWS FOR THEIR DEVELOPMENT. ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA
WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1908 BY A GROUP OF NINE HOWARD UNIVERSITY
AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN LED BY ETHEL HEDGEMAN LYLE. THEY WERE
FOLLOWED BY DELTA SIGMA THETA, ZETA PHI BETA AND SIGMA GAMMA
RHO. THEY WERE ALL FOUNDED BY 1922.
>>
IT WAS A TIME FOR -- WHETHER IT BE AFRICAN-AMERICAN MALES OR
AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN TO HAVE A WAY TO COME TOGETHER AND IDENTIFY
THE ISSUES THAT WERE MOST IMPORTANT TO THEM, MOST IMPORTANT
TO THEIR COMMUNITY, MOST IMPORTANT TO THEIR RACE, AND HAVE AN
AVENUE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES AND BE ACTIVE AND INVOLVED.
>>
MATT CUMMINGS: OVER THE YEARS, THESE AFRICAN-AMERICAN SORORITIES
HAVE GROWN INTO SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ORGANIZATIONS
WITH A COMMON GOAL: TO SERVE THEIR COMMUNITIES. MEMBERSHIP INTO
ONE OF THESE GROUPS MEANS A COMMITMENT TO ACCOMPLISHING JUST
THAT AND TO OVERCOMING THE STEREOTYPICAL VIEW OF GREEK LIFE.
>>
IT IS AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN ORGANIZATION BUT WE DO NOT DISCRIMINATE
AND WE ACCEPT WOMEN OF ALL COLOR, UNDERGRADUATES. WE WANT WOMEN
WHO COMMUNITY SERVICE IS IMPORTANT TO THEM, MAKING THEIR MARK
IN THE SOCIETY, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO WANT TO GIVE THEIR TIME,
THEIR EFFORT, THEIR TALENTS, AND TO WHOM SERVING THE COMMUNITY
IS IMPORTANT, TOO.
>>
MATT CUMMINGS: WHILE THEIR SORORITIES WERE CREATED DURING A
TIME OF OPEN RACIAL SEGREGATION, TODAY'S MEMBERS FACE THE DIFFICULT
CHALLENGE OF INCLUDING WOMEN OF ALL RACES WITH THEIR DESIRE
TO MAINTAIN A MAJORITY MEMBERSHIP OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULTURE.
>>
I FEEL IT'S NECESSARY THAT WE EXIST FOR THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN
POPULATION. I ALSO FEEL IT NECESSARY FOR US TO OPEN UP TO OTHER
PEOPLE SO THAT WE AREN'T CLOSING THE DOORS TO EVERYONE AND ONLY
BEING OPEN TO THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN POPULATION. WE HAVE KEPT
A VERY GOOD BALANCE OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND OTHER GROUPS WITHOUT
US FEELING A THREAT THAT WE'RE GOING TO LOSE OUR SENSE OF IDENTITY
OR ORGANIZATION. I DON'T FEEL THREATENED.
>>
MATT CUMMINGS: THE PRINCIPLES OF THESE FOUR SORORITIES ARE ROOTED
IN A RICH HISTORY OF SERVICE AND ACHIEVEMENT, BUT IT'S THE FUTURE
THAT BINDS THESE GROUPS TOGETHER.
>>
WE WANT OUR YOUTH TO UNDERSTAND THAT NO MATTER WHAT YOUR SITUATION
MAY BE, NO MATTER HOW DIFFICULT YOUR EXPERIENCES MAY BE, THAT
EVERYONE HAS CHALLENGES. BUT IF YOU FOCUS AND YOU WORK HARD
AND YOU'RE WELL GROUNDED IN WHO YOU ARE AS A PERSON AND UNDERSTAND,
YOU KNOW, THE STRUGGLES THAT YOUR RACE HAS EXPERIENCED, THEN,
YOU KNOW, ALL IS POSSIBLE.
(MUSIC)
>>
GARY WALKER: MORE LOCAL GROUPS ARE IN THE WORKS. RIGHT NOW,
DUNCAN AND HUNT SAY THEY'RE WORKING TO ESTABLISH A LOCAL UNDERGRADUATE
CHAPTER OF SIGMA GAMMA RHO. JOINING ME IN STUDIO ONCE AGAIN
ARE RODRIC COX-COOPER. HE'S THE CITY DIRECTOR OF HUMAN SERVICES,
ALSO A MEMBER OF ALPHA PHI ALPHA. HYSHA ROBINSON, A CO-ADVISOR
TO THE PAN-HELLENIC COUNCIL AT R.I.T., AND SHE IS A MEMBER OF
ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA. AND DR. ANDREW RAY, PRINCIPAL OF JAMES MADISON
SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE HERE IN ROCHESTER, A MEMBER OF OMEGA PSI
PHI. THANKS AGAIN FOR JOINING US. WE HAVE TO BEGIN WITH YOU
HYSHA. I NOTICED YOU WERE BEAMING, SAYING "MY GIRLS," WHEN YOU
SAW THAT PACKAGE, SOME OF THE KIDS FROM R.I.T. FABULOUSLY SERIOUS,
STUDIOUS, AND IT'S A PLEASURE TO INTERVIEW THEM AND A PLEASURE
TO SEE THEM. IT STRIKES ME THAT TODAY IMAGE IS EVERYTHING IN
COLLEGES AND I'M WONDERING HOW FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES,
HOW ARE THEY VIEWED BY YOUNG PEOPLE? I MEAN WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE
IN THE '70S, IT WAS THOUGHT OF AS THE WORST THING YOU COULD
DO, BE A MEMBER OF A FRATERNITY OR SORORITY BECAUSE IT WASN'T
THE TIME FOR IT. EVERYBODY WAS DOING WHAT THEY FELT LIKE DOING.
HOW IS IT VIEWED TODAY? IS IT ON A RISE?
>>
IT'S AN IDENTITY THING. I BELIEVE THAT EVERYBODY IS PROUD TO
BE MEMBERS OF ORGANIZATIONS; THEREFORE, OTHERS WHO LOOK AT OUR
ORGANIZATION AND LOOK TO MAYBE ASPIRE TO BE A PART OF THEM ACTUALLY
THINK OF THEM AS A GREAT THING, AS AN HONOR. YOU KNOW YOU'RE
GOING TO BE SERVICING YOUR COMMUNITY AND HELPING OTHERS, WHETHER
THEY BE YOUNG CHILDREN OR THEY BE OLDER INDIVIDUALS. SO I THINK
PEOPLE LOOK AT OUR ORGANIZATIONS AS A GREAT THING AND A GREAT
OPPORTUNITY. LIKE YOU SAW A LOT OF THEM SAYING IN THE VIDEO,
IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO NETWORK SO WHEN YOU ARE OUT OF COLLEGE
AND ARE LOOKING FOR THAT REAL-WORLD JOB, IT OPENS SOME DOORS
FOR YOU AND MAYBE GIVES YOU A LITTLE BIT OF FAVOR TO MAKE IT
A LITTLE EASIER, THAT TRANSITION INTO THAT REAL WORLD.
>>
GARY WALKER: IS THAT A REALITY? ALL THREE OF YOU ARE FABULOUSLY
SUCCESSFUL IN WHAT YOU'RE DOING, ALL ROOTED IN YOUR COLLEGE
LIFE IN ONE OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS. IS IT A HELP? IS IT A HELP
IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL LIFE?
>>
I THINK DEFINITELY. SOMETHING ELSE YOU SAID WAS VERY IMPORTANT.
IT WAS MENTIONED A FEW MOMENTS AGO. IT'S NOT JUST THE PARTYING.
YOU SEE, THE FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES HAD G.P.A. REQUIREMENTS.
IN ORDER FOR YOU TO JOIN, YOU HAD TO HAVE ACADEMIC STANDARDS.
SO THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF JUST PARTYING AWAY AND NOT BEING INVOLVED
IN STUDYING IS INCORRECT BECAUSE YOU HAD TO MAINTAIN A G.P.A.
TO BE PART OF THE ORGANIZATION. SO YES, AND THEN THE SECOND
PART OF THE QUESTION IS SURE, NETWORKING IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.
YOU'LL FIND THAT MANY OF THE MAJOR LEADERS, PUBLISHERS, MEDIA,
PR PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE NATION ARE MEMBERS OF FRATERNITIES
AND SORORITIES.
>>
GARY WALKER: RIGHT HERE IN ROCHESTER, IT'S VERY CLEAR. RIGHT
NOW WE'RE IN THE MIDST OF WHAT WE CALL THE BOWLING ALONE SYNDROME
IN THIS COUNTRY. BY ALMOST EVERY MEASURE, YOU KNOW, FORMAL AND
INFORMAL, PARTICIPATION IN PUBLIC LIFE, COMMUNITY SERVICE, IT'S
ON THE DECLINE. IT'S, YOU KNOW -- MEASURED BY MEMBERSHIPS TO
ORGANIZATIONS AND CLUBS OR MEASURED ON HOW PEOPLE LIVE THEIR
LIVES, WHETHER OR NOT THEY EAT TOGETHER, THEY GO OUT, JOIN CIVIC
ORGANIZATIONS, GO TO DEBATES... ALL THAT IS ON A 30-YEAR SLIDE
AND CONTINUING DOWNWARD. ON THE FACE OF THAT, YOU HAVE YOUR
ORGANIZATIONS WHICH ARE SELLING COMMUNITY SERVICE AND THAT'S
NOT SOMETHING A LOT OF PEOPLE, AND PARTICULARLY YOUNG PEOPLE,
ARE BUYING THESE DAYS. BUT YOU'RE FLYING IN THE FACE OF THAT.
>>
WELL, ONE THING WE'RE NOT REALLY MENTIONING IS THAT WE DO SO
MANY OTHER THINGS BESIDES JUST OUR ORGANIZATIONS. OUR ORGANIZATIONS
ARE GREAT AND SERVE AS A FOUNDATION FOR WHO WE ARE A LOT OF
THE TIMES, BUT WE ALSO DO OTHER THINGS. WE'RE VERY ACTIVE IN
OUR COMMUNITY OUTSIDE OF OUR ORGANIZATIONS. WE ALL HAVE FULL-TIME
JOBS AND HAVE THINGS THAT WE LOVE DOING ON A DAILY BASIS. I
KNOW MYSELF, I DO SO MANY THINGS AS FAR AS INSIDE OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN
COMMUNITY AS WELL AS OUTSIDE OF THAT. AT R.I.T., I'M ACTUALLY
A CHEERLEADING COACH THERE. IT'S NOT MINORITIES, YOU KNOW, IT'S
VERY FEW AT R.I.T., SO DOING THAT, I'M OUT WITH ALL DIFFERENT
TYPES OF PEOPLE. IT'S SO DIVERSE, SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE
YOU KNOW THAT THAT'S NOT THE SOLE THING THEY DO AND YES, WE
DO COME BACK TOGETHER AND HAVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FELLOWSHIP
AND TO BIND AND THINGS LIKE THAT, SO YES, WE ARE COMING BACK
AND DOING THAT AT SOME POINT. BUT YES, THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE
DOING OTHER THINGS AND GIVING BACK TO OTHER COMMUNITIES AND
OTHER TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES.
>>
GARY WALKER: IT BECOMES A WAY OF LIFE, NOT JUST FOR THE ORGANIZATION
BUT YOUR OWN PERSONAL LIFE, IN OTHER WORDS. >> ALSO, EACH ONE
OF THE FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES, SOMETHING THAT'S UNKNOWN,
IT'S PART OF OUR COMMITMENT WHEN YOU JOIN. YOU PLEDGE TO DO
THAT. YOU PLEDGE TO SERVE YOUR FELLOW MAN. AND WE TAKE THAT
PLEDGE VERY SERIOUSLY.
>>
GARY WALKER: A LIFELONG PLEDGE.
>>
YES, A LIFELONG PLEDGE THAT FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES MAKE.
AND THAT'S WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO.
>>
LET ME SPEAK ON THAT PLEDGE. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THERE ARE
SOME DIFFERENCES WITH AFRICAN-AMERICAN FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES
THAT ARE NOT WELL-KNOWN. IF YOU LOOK AT A COLLEGE CAMPUS, YOU
ARE GOING TO TYPICALLY THINK OF FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES
LIKE "ANIMAL HOUSE."
>>
GARY WALKER: YES, EXACTLY RIGHT.
>>
AND WHILE WE DO HAVE A SOCIAL COMPONENT, WE DO HAVE A GOOD TIME,
AGAIN, IT IS ABOUT ACADEMICS. AND YOU UNDERSTAND -- IF YOU PLEDGE
ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS, YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE GRADUATE
CHAPTERS ALL ACROSS THE NATION, ALL ACROSS THE WORLD, SO WHATEVER
CITY YOU END UP IN, YOU CAN BE ACTIVE AND CONTINUE TO SERVE
THE ORGANIZATION NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO. YOU WILL BE A MEMBER
OF THAT ORGANIZATION UNTIL YOUR LAST BREATH. I TALK TO SO MANY
PEOPLE OF OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WHO SAY, "WELL, I WAS IN SUCH-AND-SUCH
ORGANIZATION IN COLLEGE." I AM AN ALPHA PHI ALPHA MEMBER TODAY
AND ALWAYS. IT'S A LIFELONG COMMITMENT THAT WE ALL SHARE.
>>
GARY WALKER: AND MR. COOPER JUST HAD THE LAST WORD, WITH A NOD
FROM THE REST OF YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I WANT TO THANK MY
GUESTS FOR COMING HERE TODAY. NEXT WEEK, WXXI WILL BE IN OUR
MEMBERSHIP DRIVE, SO WE'LL SEE YOU IN THREE WEEKS WITH MORE
OF "NEED TO KNOW."