Divine 9, I salute you…
The gun-shots rang off interrupting the 11am peaceful sunlight in Sokoto Caliphate (Nigeria). Normalcy was no more. White skinned terrorists approached the village with the colors Red (Blood), Black (Skin Color) and Green (Money) as the back drop to their initiative. This would be the first stage of what the History Books call “The African Slave Trade,” yet it was/is so much more than just a trade. >> Fast Forward >> This black skinned group people, offspring of the Diaspora, were forced to take on a lifestyle and conditions that Pharoah himself would have labeled the under-belly of substandard. >> Fast Forward >> This group is now afforded more privileges yet still isn’t considered equal to their white skinned counterparts. >> Fast Forward >> This group feels a need… A need to be heard… A need to express themselves… A need to situate themselves among like-minded and like-hearted folks, for the sake of self-preservation and eventual self-elevation.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Founded 1906, Cornell University
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Founded 1908, Howard University
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Founded 1911, Indiana University
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Founded 1911, Howard University
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Founded 1913, Howard University
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Founded 1914, Howard University
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Founded 1920, Howard University
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Founded 1922, Butler University
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Founded 1963, Morgan State University
We live in a Cause & Effect world. Cultures are created based on this basic principle. A need is developed (Cause). A response to that need is birthed (Effect). Everyone associated with that response is now part of that culture. In the early 1900’s, black college students, were the tadpoles in the pool of residue left by said African Slave Trade. They responded to a social need in many ways. One of these was on the campus of Cornell University in 1906. This response to a need would be the seed for a modern day harvest. A harvest that not only fed self-preservation & self-elevation, but it has also provided comfort to the less fortunate. This harvest has mentored and tutored hundreds of thousands of young people. This harvest has donated millions of dollars to social causes and societal programs for the betterment of humanity. The fruit of this harvest can be found in the hearts of corporate CEO’s, politicians, A-list entertainers, writers, educators, doctors, financial mavens, spiritual leaders, and innovators the like. Everything starts in seed form then grows into an experience. We call this experience The Divine 9. I would personally like to thank all of the founders and current day members for responding to that need and upholding it today. Happy New Year to you all and may you all be Blessed and continue to be fruitful.
Humbly Yours,
Kel Spencer
FRξSH PЯINCξ OF BЯOOKLYN | iLoveGod | #TeamNoBoxes | QB of The Urban Experience | #ChixDigMe | Warrior Poet |
RESOURCES
- Lupus Foundation of America – www.lupus.org The Lupus Foundation of America, Inc. (LFA) is the foremost national nonprofit voluntary health organization dedicated to finding the causes of and cure for lupus and providing support, services and hope to all people affected by lupus.
- http://my.barackobama.com/
- W.K. Kellogg Foundation – www.wkkf.org The W.K. Kellogg Foundation supports children, families, and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society
- Community Voices – www.communityvoices.org Community Voices: Health Care for the Underserved is a group of community-based demonstration projects dedicated to finding real-life ways to provide greater access to quality health care to the underserved and uninsured people in America.
- Children’s Defense Fund – http://www.childrensdefense.org/ The mission of the Children's Defense Fund is to Leave No Child Behind and to ensure every child a healthy start, a Head Start, a fair start, a safe start and a moral start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.
- National Criminal Justice Reference Service – http://www.ncjrs.gov/
- National Urban League – http://www.nul.org/ The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities.
- National Association for the advancement of Colored People – www.naacp.org The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), a civil rights organization for ethnic minorities in the United States.
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