Re-establishments and Establishments in the 1960s and 70s
Madison’s Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. chapter was deactivated in 1954 due to a lack of participation and therefore lost funding before being reactivated in 1963, and again in 1968. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. was deactivated in 1961 for unrecorded reasons, though it seems to have remained informally active until its reestablishment in 1969. In 1968, it still hosted a dance and a Thanksgiving food drive in the wake of MLK’s assassination despite not being formally recognized by the university.[19] Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. is established in 1967, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in 1968, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in 1969, and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. in 1973. Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. all begin their efforts of establishment through pledging several UW–Madison students through the organizations’ Milwaukee chapters before the chapters are established at UW–Madison. The flurry of establishments of BGLOs at the university was met with no administrative resistance if paperwork and pledges were in order. The agreeable nature of the establishment process, in contrast to the usual sticky bureaucratic policies that tend to slow such practices, was justified by a university administrator who stated that they “believe we jeopardize the college experience of our present negroes for the long-range goal of integration by not accepting the predominantly negro fraternities…why try to create other means of integration, which are often artificial and rejected, when an existing system can assist us in obtaining our objectives?”[20] Perhaps in some ways supportive of the growing Black community, and in other ways eager to be relieved of their diversity-initiative duties, the university welcomed the establishment of BGLOs during this time. As a result, BGLOs became the first organized Black space on campus.
Relationship between BGLOs and the Black Community
The necessity of the independence of these organizations and their structures has already been discussed, but the impacts of these organizations on the Black community—the community for which they were created and of which they are composed—at UW–Madison is crucial and understanding their significance. Black Greek Letter Organizations at UW–Madison expanded beyond the campus community and were directly involved in the Black Power Movement of the 1960s and 70s. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. released a pamphlet entitled “The Dream Lives On” following MLK’s assassination where they discuss the plight of Black students at the university. The pamphlet stated, “No one knows the ‘test of a man’ as well as the undergrad Brothers here in Madison. Not only do we Brothers deal with keen classroom situations, but also the social, economic, political, and everyday coping that seems to be a constant deterrent.” The pamphlet also discussed how the members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc felt grateful to have a campus community of Black students.[21] The Black fraternal system’s focus on bettering Black lives was again demonstrated by a public policy statement published by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., upon request of the UW–Madison Fraternity-life coordinator, sent a 10-page pamphlet underscoring the national fraternity’s public policy to the university for distribution to the student body. The pamphlet detailed the national fraternity’s stance on many political issues facing Black Americans including but not limited to higher education, unemployment, fair housing, racism in the media, and political prisoners. [22] The BGLOs were on the same frequency as most other Black students at the time—the issues facing the Black community required focus and action, regardless of the university climate. BGLOs made the most of the space they created, immortalizing themselves as a place of Black community on campus.
Within the Black student body, there were divides along ‘Greek’ and ‘non-Greek’ lines. At the height of the Black Power Movement, some Black students questioned the necessity of BGLOs, suggesting that they stood in the way of the central idea of unity. BGLOs, however, saw themselves as contributing to unity among the Black student population. Alpha Kappa Alpha Fraternity, Inc., stated in a newspaper article in 1969 that “The Black Movement is composed of different groups, Black arts, politics, etc., and what we are all doing is social and service. What is essential to a Black movement is Black people and a sorority doesn’t negate this.”[23] The members of the sorority asserted that they were contributing to the Black Power Movement, and that any questions of their Blackness were unwarranted. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., newly established in 1969, added onto this defense: “We are Black and being a Delta doesn’t make any difference.”[24] Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. similarly represented themselves as Black students first and ‘Greeks’ second. Sara Jackson, the president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. in 1969, characterized this difference as two groups within the Black student community. Jackson said that every Black student was a part of the Black Power Movement, but the divide laid between those who were “very, very, very into the Black Power Movement,” and those who “had the same concerns, but were not as strong into the struggle.”[25] Many Black students at this time were activists; some simply spent more time with their activism than others. Regardless of this divide, BGLOs were still recognized as an important part of the Black student community. In a pamphlet catered towards incoming Black students, Black ‘Greek Life’ was praised as a place of community building and social thriving.[26] BGLOs contributed to the small Black community at UW–Madison. This community was essential to the Black student’s well-being at a predominantly white institution.
Conclusion
Black Greek Letter Organizations have long been denied the recognition that they deserve on campus. Conceptualized and created by Black individuals who knew themselves deserving of social organizations at institutions of higher learning, BGLOs carry an impressive legacy as centers of Black community and Black excellence, characteristics which ring true for the BGLOs on UW–Madison’s campus. Their existence at the University of Wisconsin–Madison was prompted by the institution’s whiteness. As the university decided to confront the racial disparities that it fostered, white fraternal organizations clung to their discriminatory traditions. The white fraternal system’s reluctance to modernize in some ways inadvertently created space for BGLOs on campus. However, it is important to recognize that these institutions were and are far more than a mere response to racism—they are a cultural and social institution that, above all, were established on UW–Madison’s campus to promote community among the Black student population. In the face of a largely unsupportive and unsympathetic university, BGLOs survived and thrived. Now half a century old, the predominantly Black fraternal and sororal organizations have established a permanent presence on this campus and continue to pursue the goals they have always stood for.
If you or anyone you know was a part of the BGLO community during the 1960s and 1970s and wishes to add that story to our growing collection of information, please contact us! Individuals are not often taught to think of themselves as sources of historical knowledge, but they are. Individuals hold intimate knowledge of their campus, their neighborhoods, and their communities. That is why we want to hear from you. We believe that this project will be the most successful when it deeply engages all of those in our community. If you have a story to share, an event you think should be researched, or a person you think has been overlooked, please contact us. publichistoryproject@wisc.edu
In April of 2021, UW–Madison campus leaders and students gathered to break ground on the new Divine Nine Garden Plaza on East Campus Mall. The plaza will create a garden space and install historical markers recognizing the contributions of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the nine historically Black Greek-letter fraternities and sororities in the nation. This is an important step in recognizing the deep history and the significant contributions that Black Greek Letter Organizations have made at UW–Madison. Student Affairs has launched a fundraising campaign to create the garden plaza, which is estimated to cost about $250,000.
Information on donating can be found on the Student Affairs website.
[1] H. H. Holloway to George Bohrnstedt, Mar. 27, 1963, Coordinator of Fraternity Affairs Records, UW Archives.
[2] Kathryn Kreinz, “Black Homecoming,” The Badger Herald, Nov. 5, 1970, Coordinator of Fraternity Affairs Records, UW Archives.
[3] “
1969 Black Student Strike,” UW Madison News; The earliest report of student attendance based on racial/ ethnic identity did not occur until the 1974–1975 academic year in which 825 students identified as African American out of 36,915 undergraduate and graduate students, which is roughly 2% of the student population. Between 1967 and 1974, however, an effort to recruit Black students to the university was undertaken, therefore the figure in 1969 is most likely lower than that of 1974.
[4] “Homecoming,” The Black Student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1970, Afro-American Center Records. Box 1, UW Archives. P. 6.
[5] Millie Clark, “sister reigns over UW,” …and Beautiful, Dec. 11, 1969, Wisconsin Historical Society.
[7] “Phi Sigma Delta breaks precedence: Fraternity explains Negro pledging,” The Daily Cardinal, Nov. 15, 1949, The University of Wisconsin Archives.
[8] University of Wisconsin Madison,
Wisconsin Badger (Madison, WI: 1950), 368, UW Digital Collections.
[9] For more on the history of exclusion in White Greek Letter Organizations at UW–Madison see Angela Peterson, “Rewriting Chapters: Resistance to Addressing Discriminatory Practices in University of Wisconsin–Madison Fraternities and Sororities, 1947–1962” Archive Journal, Volume 23, May 2020, University of Wisconsin–Madison.
[10] Jim Zucker, “Board Will Vote Tonight on Greek Restrictive Bars,” The Daily Cardinal, Nov. 24, 1948, UW Archives.
[11] “Document 933: University Committee Report on Human Rights for Students,” Feb. 6, 1950, Coordinator of Sorority Affairs Records, UW Archives.
[12] “Document 1041: Report of the Committee on Human Rights,” May 19, 1952, Coordinator of Sorority Affairs Records, UW Archives.
[13] Roy Clark, “Is Destruction the Goal?,” The Rattle of Theta Chi, 1953, Coordination of Sorority Affairs Records, UW Archives.
[14] “New Officers for ADA Committee Picked Wednesday,” The Daily Cardinal, Oct 9, 1961, UW Archives.
[15] For more see Maryam Gamar, “
Greek life is losing members. Here’s why.,” Vox, April 23, 2021; Charlotte Hogg, “
Sororities and fraternities are finally confronting their racist past,”
The Washington Post, October 21, 2020; Ezra Marcus, “
The War on Frats,” The New York Times, August 1, 2020.
[16] University of Wisconsin Madison,
Badger ’47, (Madison, WI: 1947), 292, UW Digital Collections.
[17] University of Wisconsin Madison,
Badger, (Madison, WI: 1948), 278, UW Digital Collections.
[18] University of Wisconsin Madison,
Badger, (Madison, WI: 1948), 263, UW Digital Collections.
[19] Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, The Dream Lives On, 1968, Alpha Phi Alpha Records, Box 1, UW Archives.
[20] Letter from Robert Winkler to Roland Hinz, Oct. 12, 1967, Committee on Human Rights Records, Box 19, UW Archives.
[21] Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, The Dream Lives On, 1968, Alpha Phi Alpha Records, Box 1, UW Archives.
[22] Alpha Phi Alpha, Public Policy Statement, 1970, Coordinator of Fraternity Affairs Records, UW Archives; Letter from Earl Settlemyer to Laurence Young, Nov. 9, 1971, Coordinator of Fraternity Affairs Records, UW Archives.
[23] “Black groups on campus,” …and Beautiful, Dec. 11, 1969, Wisconsin Historical Society.
[24] Ibid.
[25] “Sara Jackson-Brunson”, transcript of an oral history conducted 2021 by Kayla Parker, UW–Madison Public History Project, University of Wisconsin–Madison Archives, pg 3.
[26] “Greek Life,” The Black Student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1970, Afro-American Center Records, Box 1, UW Archives. P. 14.