If you are a descendant of West Africa, you may have heard of black fraternities. They are not just popular among African-Americans, but many other ethnic populations also enjoy fraternity culture. A few of the most popular include black fraternities such as Phi Beta Sigma, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Alpha Phi Alpha, and Omega Psi Phi.
Unlike Asian or multiracial Greek organizations, black Greek organizations were founded primarily by African-Americans. They were created to provide an alternative way to represent their race and express themselves as opposed to the traditional white fraternal organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan. Due to the efforts from many African-American leaders, there was eventually a push towards creating Black Greek organizations which would serve as an alternative to white fraternities and sororities. It was believed by some that black students could not join or continue their membership in predominantly white Greek organizations because it would make them repress their heritage and culture in order to fit in with the white majority.
These fraternities are found all over the United States. In the past, in order to become a member of a black fraternity, a candidate must be a male of African descent and at least a sophomore in college. However, black fraternities today have been know to accept members of any race and have added other criteria such as maintaining a certain GPA before you are considered eligible.
Also, in the past some organization’s chapters have been found guilty and have been accused of hazing as part of their initiation process, but have since reformed any practice that may be perceived as such.
