NPHC Historical Information
The National Pan-Hellenic Council was established in 1930 at Howard University as a national coordinating body for the nine historically African American Fraternities and Sororities which had evolved on American college and university campuses by that time. Blatant racism had prevented many African American students on historically white campuses from joining general fraternities and sororities. African Americans were denied admittance to large numbers of campuses which still prohibited blacks from attending. Therefore, African American students on both types of campuses established fraternities and sororities to enhance their college experiences. These organizations did not then nor do they now restrict membership to African Americans. They have developed, however, a distinctive African American style in their activities both social and philanthropic.
1906 Cornell University Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity1908 Howard University Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
1911 Indiana University Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity
1911 Howard University Omega Psi Phi Fraternity
1913 Howard University Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
1914 Howard University Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity
1920 Howard University Zeta Phi Beta Sorority
1922 Butler University Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority
1963 Morgan State University Iota Phi Theta Fraternity
These college fraternities grew, on historically white and historically black campuses in three distinct phases:
Post World War I:
NPHC chapters spread to major research university campuses that
admitted blacks. Spread to major historically black colleges in the
south. Alumni chapters established in cities across the U.S.A. as
"Civic and Service" organizations because blatant racism prohibited
African Americans from participating in general civic organizations in
their communities after graduation from college.
Post World War II:
NPHC chapters proliferated on southern historically black college
campuses. Many cultural traditions which differed markedly from
historically white college traditions became refined and embedded
within the African American culture i.e."lining" and public skits
on campus as a part of "pledging"). Post Civil Rights Act 1964:
Many colleges and universities which had previously denied
admittance to African Americans or had small enrollments grew in
their enrollment of African Americans and established NPHC chapters
on their campuses. This swelled the numbers of NPHC affiliate
organizations to over 400 undergraduate chapters and as many alumni
chapters on the average for each organization. Presently, there are
approximately 1.5 million members of undergraduate and graduate
chapters served by NPHC.
In many ways this upsurge in growth though welcomed, was unexpected and unplanned for by NPHC. By and large, even though the national office staffs of each of the nine affiliate organizations have increased dramatically, they have not matched the pace of growth of the chapters. None of the historically African American fraternities or sororities have staffed their offices with field consultants (young, recent college graduate members of the respective organizations who actively visit college chapters to motivate, evaluate and sometimes recommend discipline for chapters that stray from the national or university standard). Historically African American fraternities and sororities and their office staffs must also give appropriate time and attention to alumni chapters. This further diminishes the time and attention proportionately that can be paid to collegiate affairs.
In 1992 through the joint cooperation of Indiana University - Bloomington and the National Board of Directors of NPHC, the first permanent national office for NPHC was established in Bloomington, Indiana. There had been a roving national office (usually the address of a national officer ) over the previous 62 years. In 1993, at its national convention, NPHC changed its national constitution to allow the appointment of its first
