The National Pan-Hellenic Council, an umbrella organization for the nine historically black Greek-lettered organizations, kicked off Black History Month with an event at Nau Hall Wednesday night.
The event, titled “Great Minds Think Alike,” began with the showing of an episode of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” which depicted Will Smith and Carlton Banks pledging a fictional black fraternity. Brett Harrell, a fourth-year College student, then opened up the floor for comment and began the presentation.
Harrell, a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, is the president of the NPHC, which represents seven Greek-lettered organizations — fraternities and sororities — on Grounds. Harrell was heavily involved in planning the event.
“We came up with the event at one of our last meetings,” Harrell said. “I put together a committee for the event, and we came up with the flier, the idea for it [and] what exactly each person is saying.”
Members gave presentations about well-known brothers and sisters of their fraternities and sororities, such as writer Zora Neale Hurston, of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and activist Huey P. Newton, of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
Leaders of the fraternities said the organizations played a large part in the establishment of Black History Month.
Stafford Brown, a fourth-year College student, said Black History Month actually started with fraternities. Brown is the president of Omega Psi Phi, a black fraternity.
“Dr. Carter G. Woodson started Black History Month, and he was a member of Omega Psi Phi,” Brown said. “Without Omega Psi Phi, there [would be] no Black History month.”
Brown said fraternities have been very involved in civil rights movements and helped shape civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr., who was a brother of NPHC member Alpha Phi Alpha.
“Huge names, and people who have made a huge impact on the world, are part of these organizations,” Brown said. “These organizations have given them that structure and that ability to excel.”
Jacob Uskavitch, a fourth-year College student and president of Alpha Phi Alpha, added that many revered figures in black history were fraternity and sorority members.
“Congressman John Lewis is a member of Phi Beta Sigma,” Uskavitch said. “Many of our people were at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement, as well as at the forefront of technological advancement, whether that be in medicine, law, education as well.”
The first black Greek-lettered organization on Grounds was the Lambda Zeta chapter of Omega Psi Phi, founded Sept. 7, 1973. Brown said members include previous University Rector George Martin, as well as presidents and vice presidents of the Black Student Alliance.
Black fraternities initially began as a space for black students at predominantly white universities, like for Alpha Phi Alpha at Cornell University in 1906, Uskavitch said.
“That has been the case for many college chapters of black Greek letter organizations at predominantly white institutions that provide a space for us together to come together as brothers and/or sisters, and uplift each other and uplift the community,” Uskavitch said.
Uskavitch said that students wanted to have the black Greek-lettered experience, vowing to have chartered chapters at the University.
“While the University was still increasing its black population, we still had issues of retention in regards to black students, academic performance, social activity, as well as community service in the greater Charlottesville community,” Uskavitch said. “That’s why it was greatly necessary for Alpha, as well as other historically black fraternities, to be founded here at the University.”
Alpha Phi Alpha, Uskavitch said, is involved in several service projects, including Go to High School Go to College, Project Alpha, A Voteless People is a Hopeless People and My Brother’s Keeper.
“Our biggest component is Go to High School Go to College, which is a mentoring-type program to encourage the youth to attend higher education as a road to advancement,” Uskavitch said. “We do this at Clark Elementary School. We go there every single Friday and mentor as an entire chapter.”
Omega Psi Phi, Brown said, volunteers weekly at the Music Resource Center in Charlottesville, interacting with local high school students as they record music.
“It’s just a great interaction because it’s not the typical community service where you’re preaching at the kids and telling them, ‘You need to do this, you need to do that,’” Brown said. “It’s interactive, and it’s mentorship at the same time.”
Uskavitch said the fraternities and sororities welcome people of all backgrounds and ethnicities.
“I think this whole concept of because you’re not black, you can’t be in a historically black fraternity or sorority or if you don’t quote unquote ‘fit into the black community,’ then you can’t be in a historically black sorority or fraternity, that’s simply just not the case,” Uskavitch said.
Fraternity leaders also said they are open to growth in black Greek life on Grounds. Brandt Welch, a third-year Engineer student and president of Kappa Alpha Phi, said there are currently two inactive NPHC chapters.
“I would like to see those become active again so that everybody has [an] option,” Welch said. “Although each organization has a fundamental purpose of uplifting the black community, there are difference[s] between them so that every black student or every student can find what they are looking for in their respective organization.”
Katie Nicholson contributed reporting to this article.
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