When third-year College student Gregory Perryman joined his fraternity last spring, he stood in front of the Rotunda, masked, dressed in black and gold, and prepared to make a lifelong commitment.
The ceremony, known as a probate, welcomed Perryman and four other initiates into the Iota Beta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, one of the six active Black Greek letter organizations on Grounds. Unlike the typical rush and pledge processes of Greek life, new members “cross,” or initiate, into Black fraternities and sororities through a formal presentation. They sing, step and stroll. They recite information about their organization. And, one by one, they unveil their faces to the public — which, for Perryman, included his family and friends packed onto the Rotunda steps.
“I still become overwhelmed with joy and emotion to this day when I look back at pictures or videos from my probate,” Perryman said. “It was really beautiful to see people coming together.”
That evening, Perryman officially joined the “Divine Nine,” a name that refers to the nine historically Black Greek letter organizations founded in the 20th century. While his probate was a defining moment in his college career, Perryman said his experience in the Divine Nine will not stay within the bounds of his undergraduate years. For him and many others, membership in the Divine Nine is an enduring commitment to the traditions and moral values of their organizations.
The Divine Nine — composed of five fraternities and four sororities — was established to provide a community for Black students who faced racial discrimination from social organizations. Alpha Phi Alpha, the first of the nine, was founded in 1906 at Cornell University and initially served as a study group. The rest of the Divine Nine gradually emerged, with many founded at Howard University. Iota Phi Theta fraternity, the youngest of the nine, was founded in 1963.
Today, the National Pan-Hellenic Council — the umbrella council that governs the Divine Nine — works with more than 250 alumni and undergraduate councils across the nation to promote unity and coordination among chapters. The NPHC represents eight Divine Nine chapters on Grounds, of which two sorority chapters and four fraternity chapters are currently active.
When students join the Divine Nine, they devote themselves to a life of scholarship, service and brotherhood or sisterhood, according to Jada Marsh, historian of the Theta Kappa chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, president of the NPHC and fourth-year College student. While all Divine Nine chapters share these core pillars, each one focuses on giving back to its community through unique service projects. Some chapters focus on expanding voter rights, while others aim to support families and increase access to education.
Graduate Education student Elijah Gaines said that he was drawn to the community service initiatives of the Eta Sigma chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi, which he joined as an undergraduate last year. He said their projects, from youth mentorship to community cleanups, reflect one of the chapter’s founding principles — to strive for “achievement in every field of human endeavor.”
“A lot of what we do is predicated on helping people around us and achieving at a high level,’” Gaines said.
For students whose parents are also members of the Divine Nine, these values of service and achievement become a sort of family legacy. Fourth-year Batten student Kurali Grantham said his father crossed into the Eta Sigma chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi in the spring of 1987. Grantham himself followed in his father’s footsteps in the spring of 2022 when he joined the same chapter. He now serves as the chapter’s polemarch, or president.
Marsh, too, can trace her Greek lineage back to her own family tree. Her great aunt chartered the Alpha Beta chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha at Fort Valley State University in Georgia. She said that most of the women in her life are part of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, which inspired her to join one the four Divine Nine sororities herself.
“I was raised in it,” Marsh said. “It was just something I kind of naturally knew I would do.”
But students do not need a familial connection to feel at home in the Divine Nine, according to Kimberly Mugaisi, president of the Kappa Rho chapter of Delta Sigma Theta and fourth-year College student. At her probate last spring, Mugaisi became the first in her immediate family to join a Divine Nine organization.
“It was just a groundbreaking thing,” Mugaisi said. “It was very exciting, especially for me.”
When members join their chapters, they build on a foundation laid during key periods in the University’s history. Perryman noted that his organization, the Iota Beta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, was chartered on Grounds in 1974, less than a decade after the University became fully integrated.
“To engage in this space that was historically segregated … is really an amazing representation of the progress we’ve made at our University,” Perryman said.
Students also take inspiration from the Divine Nine’s storied list of alumni, which includes Martin Luther King Jr., former Vice President Kamala Harris and Alicia Keys. Students may even run into Divine Nine members on Grounds — Kenyon Bonner, vice president and chief student affairs officer, and Hashim Davis, assistant dean and director of the Luther P. Jackson Black Cultural Center, are both members of Black Greek life.
Within the student body, strong ties exist between the NPHC and the three other Greek councils, according to Marsh. Joint programming, like Greek Unity Week in April, allows members across organizations to bond. In addition, some Divine Nine organizations have forged connections with other multicultural chapters. Perryman said that Iota Beta maintains a close relationship with Lambda Upsilon Lambda, a Latino fraternity on Grounds.
“It’s a very beautiful way that we unite, not just our organizations, but … Black and Latinx communities at U.Va.,” Perryman said. “I think that is crucial to overcoming the self-separation that occurs between different social circles.”
Marsh said one of her goals as the NPHC president is to make the Divine Nine’s presence better known within the greater University community. The NPHC is currently working to build on-Grounds NPHC plots, which are physical spaces marked by stone monuments dedicated to the Divine Nine organizations. The “Plots Project,” as it is called, would erect landmarks in the current green area behind the Office of African American Affairs. Marsh said the space would both honor the legacy of the Divine Nine and serve as a space for students to participate in probates, bonding events and other gatherings.
“Even inactive organizations will be represented there,” Marsh said. “I'm looking forward to it being a space where we can all meet and have community.”
But the Plots Project has been years in the making, and progress at the University remains slow compared to other schools across the state. Several universities in Virginia have created spaces dedicated to the NPHC, such as Old Dominion University and James Madison University, which unveiled plots on their campuses in 2024 and 2022, respectively. Virginia Tech also opened an “NPHC House” in 2021.
According to Marsh, funding is the primary roadblock in the Plots Project. Black Greek organizations do not classify as Contracted Independent Organizations, so they rely on fundraising and donations, rather than University funds, to support their initiatives. And the Plots Project, with its estimated $1.2 million budget, asks a great deal from benefactors.
Marsh said the sluggish progress has stirred concern among chapter members. It represents a prevailing reality across the country where Divine Nine organizations lack the same visibility and sanctioned housing as mainstream Greek organizations.
“There are some … concerns that have been voiced since our chartering that we are still relaying over and over again — just the acknowledgement of us being here on Grounds,” Marsh said.
From funding to housing, some students simply hope to see more recognition from the University. According to Grantham, understanding the NPHC’s distinct history and goals can go a long way in supporting Divine Nine members. He expressed gratitude for current administrative support, while noting room for more acknowledgement of NPHC organizations.
“We have good people at the administrative level who are not just looking out for us but going out of their way to make sure we're taken care of,” Grantham said. “But I think if it wasn't so out of the way to look out for our NPHC communities … that would make us feel a little bit more recognized institutionally.”
Despite these concerns, members of the Divine Nine still carry on their mission to provide a safe space for Black students and preserve the legacy of their organizations. As members continue to volunteer in Charlottesville and put on student events, Marsh emphasized that their work is in service to all community members.
Whether participating in probates, undertaking service projects or sporting their colors, Marsh said they are not just taking pride in their organizations — they are welcoming the community to learn about their history and share their joy.
“The events and programs we put on are always for the public. Everything that we do is for our community as a whole, not just for Black students,” Marsh said. “We do it for U.Va.”
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