Does Pledging A Black Sorority Make One Black?
By W. F. Twyman, Jr.
One love
One heart
Let's join together and I'll feel alright
One love (oh, Lord, have mercy)
One heart
I tell you, let's just celebrate (let's join together)
And I will feel alright (and I'll feel alright)
Let's join together and I'll feel alright — Bob Marley and the Wailers (1965)
The sun has set, darkness has descended upon America’s finest city and it is time for another probe into the human condition. This evening, let us review a question few have the inclination to pursue — does pledging a Black sorority make one Black? It is an interesting question as it goes to the heart of whether some people believe in one love, one heart.
The simple answer is “no.” Pledging a Black sorority does not make one Black.
I am a stranger to the world of Black Greek organizations fondly referred to by those in the know as “The Divine Nine.” There are basically nine fraternities and sororities established by black college students around the year 1900 to provide fellowship and community service for black people. The fraternities and sororities are in no particular order:
Alpha Phi Alpha. Founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University, Alpha Phi Alpha is recognized as the gold standard in my humble opinion. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and W.E.B. DuBois were Alphas as were Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke III. My son is an Alpha as was my grandfather-in-law.
Alpha Kappa Alpha. Founded on January 15, 1908 at Howard University, the AKAs are the gold standard for black sororities in my (always) humble opinion. Democratic Candidate for President Kamala Harris and former First Lady Michelle Obama are AKAs. My daughter, wife and mother-in-law are AKAs. The colors are pink and green.
Kappa Alpha Psi — Founded on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University, the Kappas are a notable fraternity. Past members included Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and entrepreneur Reginald Lewis.
Omega Psi Phi — Founded on November 17, 1911 at Howard University, the Omegas have a raucous reputation in my opinion.
Delta Sigma Theta — Founded on January 13, 1913 at Howard University, the Deltas are known by their red and white colors. Former congresswoman Shirley Chisholm and my grandmother-in-law were Deltas.
Phi Beta Sigma — Founded on January 9, 1914 at Howard University, the Phi Beta Sigma is another Black fraternity.
Zeta Phi Beta — Founded on January 16, 1920 at Howard University, the Zetas are another Black sorority.
Sigma Gamma Rho — Founded on November 12, 1922 at Butler University, the Sigmas are another Black sorority.
Iota Phi Theta — Founded on September 19, 1963 at Morgan State, the Iota Phi Theta sorority is unknown to me.
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A common thread through many of these fraternities and sororities is genesis during our national nadir on race. With the exception of the Iota Phi Theta sorority, notice the time zone for birth of these fraternities and sororities. The tight time band for organization is from December 4, 1906 to January 16, 1920. Of course, white sororities were unwelcoming to black college students during this time period. And it stands to reason that black students back in the day would have created their own sources of emotional and social support.
Times have moved on from January 16, 1920. There are a thousand and one ways I can show you how time has moved on. 48 Ways In Which Racial Life Is Better One clear example would be my law school friendship and living arrangement with the former president of Sigma Alpha Mu (Sammy), a Jewish fraternity, while I was in law school. Indeed, my housemate arranged for me to spend the summer of 1984 as a guest at the Sammy frat house on the University of Pennsylvania campus. It was the Age Before Woke. I had a great time and the frat guys were just normal people like you and me. It was more of the same for me since I had had Jewish roommates in college before law school.
Living in the Sammy fraternity house did not make me Jewish.
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Pledging a Black sorority does not make one Black.
It pleases my heart to know Black sororities are now integrated. The world is not 100% black. Black college women should form friendships and fellowships across the color line with all races of people. It is the year 2024 after all, not 1906 or 1920. The world has moved on and time has moved on. At the University of Virginia in the early 1980s, a white guy pledged the Alphas which caught my attention in a good way. I believe he was dating a black woman. And I know recently an Asian American student pledged Alpha Phi Alpha at Virginia Union University, a historically black college and university (HBCU). One Love. One Heart.
And the Black sororities may not be far behind. I read recently that Megan Swirczek, a white student, pledged Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated. Jacqueline LaBayne, a Florida Atlantic University alum, pledged the Sigma Iota Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated in the Spring of 2017.
Despite these advances in the human condition, some black sorority members remain stuck in the past in prejudice and bigotry. Consider whether these black sorors are living out the meaning and aspiration of One Love.
On May 25th, (2001) @ribkarma posted a video on Tik Tok objecting to the presence of Swirczek in the Deltas. The poster, presumably a black sorority member, said “As a white person…” Right off the bat, the poster dehumanized Swirczek. From where does the poster derive the moral authority to dehumanize anyone by race? The poster continued with the statement “you can go to any (profanity deleted) school and feel safe.” The use of profanity is a sign of low character in my estimation. Placing the profanity aside, what universe is this student living in? I felt perfectly safe at the University of Virginia and Harvard Law School in the years 1979 to 1986. Has the world of colleges and universities grown unsafe now compared to 1979 to 1986?
Finally, the poster claims that “Black sororities are created as a safe space for us.” My respectful response would be…so? Your point is…? We are no longer living in the world of 1906. Why are racial conditions in 1906 relevant and material to whether Megan Swirczek can pledge Delta at Florida Atlantic University in the year 2021? The poster is a bigot. The poster is prejudiced against a Delta sorority sister due to nothing but race. The poster would not care if Swirczek were white. This sort of caveman prejudice and bigotry should be called out at every opportunity.
And I wish Megan Swirzcek a lifetime of sisterhood with Deltas who love the inner Megan, not her outer skin color.
Conclusion: Pledging a Black Sorority does not make one Black as Megan Swirzcek can attest. However, pledging a Black sorority if one is not black goes a long way towards the coming of a better time. May more young people of all races and colors pledge Black sororities. One day, there will not be black sororities or white sororities. There will just be…sororities.
Bring into the world One Love One Heart.
I agree. There has never been one black identity in American history. The identity of a free black James Mitchell in Charleston, South Carolina in 1790 was not the identity of a free black Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1790. The modern era has simply accentuated an ocean of individual identities which were always present, if below surface to the outside world. My series on Pioneer Black Lawyers does a fine job of bringing to the surface individual identities between 1844 to 1875.