National Pan-Hellenic Council
The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) is a collaborative organization comprising nine international historically African American Greek-letter fraternities and sororities, collectively known as the "Divine Nine," founded on May 10, 1930, at Howard University in Washington, D.C., to unify these groups and advance their shared goals of community service and mutual support.[1][2] The founding charter organizations included Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated (1906), Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (1908), Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated (1911), Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated (1911), Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated (1913), Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated (1914), Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated (1920), Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated (1922), and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Incorporated (1963).[1] These organizations emerged during periods of racial segregation, emphasizing principles of personal excellence, kinship, and racial uplift through structured brotherhoods and sisterhoods that prioritized education and civic engagement over social exclusivity.[3] The NPHC's primary purpose centers on fostering community awareness and action via educational, economic, and cultural initiatives, coordinating joint programs among its members to address societal needs in Black communities.[1] Its member organizations have collectively produced numerous leaders in politics, civil rights, business, and academia, contributing to milestones such as voter registration drives, scholarship programs, and philanthropy efforts that have supported health, education, and economic development.[3] While the NPHC promotes high ideals of service and achievement, its affiliates have faced scrutiny over hazing practices in some chapters, leading to calls for reforms to mitigate risks associated with intake processes that deviate from the councils' foundational commitments to ethical development.[4] Despite such challenges, the NPHC endures as a cornerstone of organized Black Greek life, maintaining over 1,000 undergraduate and alumni chapters across the United States and internationally, with a focus on sustaining cultural heritage amid evolving higher education landscapes.[5]