The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities

I have been a member of my organization for over 20 years. I can unequivocally state that this book of the first of its type that I have ever seen. With the possible exception of Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities, there has been no comprehensive reference book for Black Greek-Lettered Organizations (BGLOs) before "The Divine Nine."With that said, I feel it is important that we not get mired in the details of "whose picture is on the cover" or "what chapter of the book had more pages." I am not a member of Alpha Phi Alpha or Alpha Kappa Alpha but I had no problem with those organizations being the only ones featured on the cover. (The truth is that those WERE the "first" of the college-based BGLOs ... credit and homage should be paid where they are due.) To use those things as a reason to fault the book borders on the petty and cheapens the spirit of unity and community that our organizations truly represent.If one reads the book and takes it in the proper context, they will find that each organization (INCLUDING the ones that everyone may not be totally familiar with!) receives excellent and respectful coverage from the author. This is not a "history" book for individual organizations nor is it an academic dissertation - it is an overview and celebration of the ENTIRETY of the BGLO system and should be viewed as such.Remember: This book is the first of its kind to be published anywhere at any time. If one considers the hugeness of the task of working with nine different organizations and compiling accurate, up to date information about each of them, Mr. Ross is to be lauded for simply having the boldness and vision to step up to the challenge. Based on the way our organizations have been burned by unbalanced and/or slanted coverage of our organizations in the past, I can only imagine the difficulty he may have had in gaining enough trust from the National leaders of the respective organizations to gather this information!I will close by simply saying that all members of BGLO's (as well as those who are interested in learning about BGLOs) will be educated, enlightened, and ultimately made proud by what has been printed in this excellent work - I recommend it highly!

I recieved a copy of this History lesson less than one week ago. I must say that the thoroughness and pride Mr. Ross put into this manuscript is unparalled by any author in history. Mr. Ross has done a superb job recording detailed facets of the traditional BGLOs. I would encourage every member, chapter, and historian of a BGLO to purchase this book. Way to go Lawrence!

The most striking thing about DIVINE NINE is that it is the only book of its kind in existence. No other book has chronicled the important histories of all these African American Greek organizations. In addition, the book is a lovely one, with terrific photos. I highly recommend this one.

I gifted myself with a copy of The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities by Lawrence C. Ross, Jr. It is a must have book that all Black Greeks and African Americans in general should display on their bookshelves! The author is a 15 year member of Alpha Phi Alpha, married to a soror of Delta Sigma Theta and is a journalist who has written for many newpapers. He realized that the history of our organizations is an important part of the history of our people in this country in this century and should be told. The time and effort that he put into compiling the information in the book must have been mammoth.The book is divided into sections profiling each sorority and fraternity. Each section contains a historical overview, interviews with an undergraduate and a graduate chapter, profiles and lists of prominent members, messages from the national president/basileus/polemarch and pictures dating back to the early years. This is followed by a section entitled Achievers Talk which consists of interviews with members such as Spencer Christian, Nikki Giovanni, Gwendolyn Goldsby Grant, Cynthia Horner, John H. Johnson, Julian Malveaux, Shaquille O'Neal, Tavis Smiley, Faye Wattleton, just to name a few. They each speak about what membership means to them and impart an important message that they feel fraters and sorors should hear. The author follows this section with information from the National Pan Hellenic Council and procedures for those who are seeking membership. Our organizations could not have done a better public relations job. There are no secrets revealed, just great accomplishments. The recurring theme is our achievements as organizations and those of individual members. We all know about the projects that our own sorority/fraternity have championed and are proud. When you look at the collective activities, our contributions to our people and communities have been and continue to be monumental. It's only appropriate that this book was written at this time when we are in the process of changing centuries and approaching the anniversaries of 100 years of existance.This is something I think we all need to support and applaud.LTB

The author has done an outstanding job of giving the reader a thorough overview of Black Greek-Lettered organizations. Time and time again, I found myself saying, "Really? - I didn't know that!"Black Fraternities and Sororities are a part of the fabric of African America and this book does an excellent job of placing these organizations and their members in the context of the history and achievements of the Black experience. I recommend it highly!