University Press of Kentucky

Subjects>African American Studies> African American Fraternities and Sororities


AFRICAN AMERICAN FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES The Legacy and the Vision Edited by Tamara L. Brown, Gregory S. Parks, and Clarenda M. Phillips
Price: $39.95
Format: cloth
ISBN: 978-0-8131-2344-8
Subjects: African American Studies, Civil Rights
Pages: 512
Year Published: 2005
Trim Size: 6x9
Discount: trade


Description:
NEW! Read about the upcoming documentary based on the book Read Gregory Parks's blog Visit Gregory Parks's website. The first African American fraternities and sororities were established at the turn of the twentieth century to encourage leadership, racial pride, and academic excellence among black college students confronting the legacy of slavery and the indignities of Jim Crow segregation. Black Greek-letter organizations were also created to foster a sense of community among African American students on college campuses, and among their ranks are legendary artists, politicians, theologians, inventors, intellectuals, educators, civil rights leaders, and athletes. Nikki Giovanni, Cornel West, Martin Luther King Jr., Shaquille O'Neal, Toni Morrison, Bill Cosby, and W.E.B. DuBois are all members of black fraternities and sororities, and these groups continue to have a strong presence on campuses today. Offering a comprehensive overview of the historical, cultural, political, and social circumstances that propelled the creation of these groups, this collection of original essays references the profound contributions that black Greek- letter organizations and their members have made to American history. The contributors also examine current black Greek life and culture, addressing issues such as hazing and branding that are, perhaps unfairly, often at the forefront of discussions about these organizations. African American Fraternities and Sororities is the authoritative history of these influential and sometimes controversial organizations. Tamara L. Brown, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky, is a founding member of Pi Mu chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority at Longwood College in Virginia. Gregory S. Parks, postdoctoral fellow at the University of Kentucky, is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. Clarenda M. Phillips is assistant professor of sociology at Morehead State University.

REVIEWS: A Black Issues Book Review Best Book of 2005! "[Black Greek-letter Organizations] have historically served important civic functions for black America--and this fine anthology has more than empirically established that claim."--Journal of Southern History "A well-researched piece of history that clearly shows the glue that binds these organizations and how the foundation was there long before their existence."--Delta Journal "The essays explore the struggles, intentions, triumphs, and setbacks of a determined group of nine black, Greek-Letter organizations. . . . Descriptions of courageous and steadfast men and women who labored long and hard to develop a spirit of cooperation among collegiates and a committment to building 'a better society for all' emblazon each chapter. This book is a resource that every college library and every chapter of every BGLO should own and circulate to keep its history alive."--Black Issues Book Review "Comprehensive. . . . Explores the founding of the groups, their culture and traditions, as well as how their existence fits in with other movements in African American history."--Crisis "The only objective study of BGLOs of which this bibliographer is aware that provides an authoritative, comprehensive study of these organizations and has designed a therapy for ridding them of the cancer that is eating away at them."--Dunbar on Black Books "Tackles a range of topics and perspectives of Black Greek life. . . . A comprehensive study drawing from the various perspectives of its contributors helping to fill the gap of research on this subject."--West Oak Lane Leader "Cogently details how Greek-letter organizations influenced successive generations of leaders in business, politics, health and science, social justice and artistic expression."--Hartford Courant "The honorable and courageous history of the black Greek-letter organizations has often been overlooked and obscured by social jealousy and faulty information. And maybe even faulty expectations. Yet these 'divine nine' have shaped not only the history of African Americans but the history of America. The brothers and sisters who have pledged their best to each other and to their times have always risen to the occasion. Their good names, their fortunes, and their lives have been risked to uplift the downtrodden and gentle the arrogant. African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision is an important look at the glorious contributions they have made."--Nikki Giovanni, (Delta Sigma Theta Sorority), University Distinguished Professor and Professor of English, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University "An immensely scholarly volume with more depth and insight than any other study of these organizations."--William Nelson, (Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity), Professor of African American & African Studies, Ohio State University "The volume provides a rich history and greater understanding of the roles Black Greek Letter Organizations have played in African American heritage and culture."--Lynda Brown Wright, (Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority), Educational Psychology Chair, University of Kentucky