“Their alignment with service, community service was right in line with the things that I was already doing,” Crystal Gayden said.
DALLAS, Texas — For Rosemary Bolden, the colors she wore in college as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority still evoke a strong sense of pride.
“That pink and green walking across that campus,” Bolden reminisced, “I’m a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.”
AKA, the country’s first Black sorority, has long been known for its emphasis on community service, as evidenced by a recent event in Dallas, where members came together to assemble personal care bags for those in need. The sorority has done so for years. It’s a norm now for the sisters of AKA. Serving others gives many of the members a sense of belonging and purpose.
“The level of confidence I gained was through the roof,” Bolden said, reflecting on how her sorority experience transformed her. “I was a shy little girl who couldn’t find her way from one end of the campus to the next.”
Crystal Gayden’s passion for service grew as well when she joined Delta Sigma Theta after college.
“Their alignment with service, community service was right in line with the things that I w as already doing,” Crystal Gayden explained.
Gayden is a local attorney in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with an extremely busy schedule. Still, she finds time to serve in her sorority. The takeaways from doing community service for her are priceless. She said It gives her a sense of pride to know she is part of an organization making a difference in the lives of others.
Both Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta boast hundreds of thousands of members worldwide, united by their shared commitment to service.
“All of us just walking hand in hand to make a humongous difference in this world,” Bolden said.
Together, these organizations are part of the Divine Nine, a collection of four Black sororities and five fraternities. Many of these groups were founded by the children and grandchildren of former slaves, and they continue to make a lasting impact.
Among the most famous members of the Divine Nine is Vice President Kamala Harris, an Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority sister who brought attention to Black Greek organizations during her presidential run.
“It did a great thing for Divine Nine in of itself,” said Gayden.
The Divine Nine has also produced significant leaders, including Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Martin Luther King Jr., and Congressman John Lewis.
Rashad Raynor, a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, said being part of his fraternity has provided him with opportunities he may not have had otherwise.
For Van Newburn, a member of Omega Psi Phi, the connections made through his fraternity are invaluable. He is always looking for other opportunities to serve alongside his fraternity brothers and the other members of the Divine Nine.
“It’s like having relatives all over the world, hundreds of thousands of them,” Newburn said.
Stepping, a traditional dance form, is an integral part of the Divine Nine’s culture, often seen at events that bring together members in both competition and camaraderie.
The Divine Nine organizations are sororitiesAlpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA), Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (DST), Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. (ZΦB), Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. (SGRho) and fraternitiesKappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. (ΚΑΨ), Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (ΑΦΑ), Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. (ΩΨΦ), Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. (ΦΒΣ) and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. (ΙΦΘ).
Last summer, Omega Psi Phi fraternity came together to mourn the loss of their fraternity brother, Dallas Police Officer Darron Burks, who was killed in the line of duty. The fraternity established a $20,000 endowment in his memory and is working to continue honoring his legacy.
“We’re still hurting from that,” Newburn said.
At its core, the Divine Nine is about more than just social bonds; it’s about making a difference in the community.
“The foundation of what we are is service,” Gayden said.
In Dallas-Fort Worth, members of the Divine Nine continue to bond, collaborate and make lasting changes for the betterment of their community.
