During halftime at the University of Wisconsin vs. Rutgers basketball game Feb. 12, members of the University of Wisconsin’s “Divine Nine” fraternities and sororities took the court at the Kohl Center to perform iconic strolls in honor of Black History Month.
Frequently performed by Greek life organizations, strolling combines dancing, spoken word and poetry to symbolize the strength and unity shared by members. The National Pan-Hellenic Council, also known as the “Divine Nine,” is a council of nine historically Black fraternities and sororities, six of which are present on the UW campus.
Also known as stepping or hopping, the stroll performances by the Divine Nine highlight the presence of Black Greek life on campus, something especially necessary at UW, Omega Psi Phi social media director Darius Lassiter said. Only 2% of UW students are Black, according to UW’s data digest.
UW Black Cultural Center to host month-long activities for Black History Month
Strolling at the Kohl Center in front of hundreds of students was both an exhilarating experience and a duty, Lassiter said.
“We’ve always been about representation and making sure we’re seen, especially on a PWI [predominately white institution] campus, so we didn’t want to let this opportunity go to waste,” Lassiter said.
Last week was the first time since 2015 that Omega Psi Phi had a line — or a group of people strolling — making their performance at the Kohl Center showcase all the more special, Lassiter said.
Omega Psi Phi has other events planned for Black History Month. Feb. 19 they are hosting “Qorporate Qommunication,” an event where attendees can get help in building their LinkedIn skills, finding internships, and email communication, according to the organization’s Instagram. The event will be held at 5 p.m. at the Black Cultural Center.
A “Wild n’ Out” style showcase will also be held Feb 24. at 6:30 p.m. in 2340 Humanities, where there will be a stroll competition as well as other events. On Feb. 28, students can donate blood at the Dr. Charles R. Drew Blood Drive, 12-5 p.m. at the Multicultural Center in the Red Gym.
While Omega Psi Phi has several exciting events planned, there will likely be more held by other Black Greek letter associations as well, Lassiter said. Updates can be found on the NPHC Instagram account.
After Black History Month, students can look forward to appreciating the contributions of Black Greek life at the Divine Nine Garden Plaza project at East Campus Mall. The project will be a memorial dedicated to the contributions of UW’s Black fraternities and sororities, which first began 1947, when UW’s first Black Greek life chapter, Alpha Kappa Psi fraternity, was founded.
