Fraternities and sororities, also known as Greek-letter societies, have been an integral part of American higher education since 1776, when white students on the campus of William and Mary College founded Phi Beta Kappa, the first fraternity in America. Since then, fraternities (men only) and sororities (women only) have provided social and professional networks for students and alumni of college campuses across the nation. But like most organizations founded during this period in American history, white fraternities and sororities were not open to blacks. The first African American Greek-letter society was founded in 1904, when six doctors in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed Sigma Pi Phi fraternity. Today, there are an estimated 800,000 active members in the nine major black fraternities and sororities, with chapters around the world.

The National Pan-Hellenic Council serves as the "official coordinating agent" for the major black fraternities and sororities. The Divine Nine, as they’ve been called, are Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity (founded at Cornell University in 1906), Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority (Howard University, 1908), Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity (Indiana University, 1911), Omega Psi Phi fraternity (Howard University, 1911), Delta Sigma Theta sorority (Howard University, 1913), Phi Beta Sigma fraternity (Howard University, 1914), Zeta Phi Beta sorority (Howard University, 1920), Sigma Gamma Rho sorority (Butler University, 1922), and Iota Phi Theta fraternity (Morgan State University, 1963). --(In November of 1996, Iota Phi Theta, was admitted into the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Therefore, what was once referred to as the "Elite Eight" is now referred to as the "Divine Nine").

There are other black fraternities and sororities that are not associated with the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) , but these nine are the largest and most popular.

Members are selected by a rigorous process, called pledging, in which candidates are often required to memorize the organization's history and traditions and participate in several weeks of secret initiation rituals.

Most black fraternities and sororities emphasize a lifelong commitment to community service. On many college campuses members provide after-school tutoring, volunteer in homeless shelters, and raise scholarship money to give to promising black high school students. Fraternities and sororities provide an important social and professional network for their members following graduation. The members attend national conventions, participate in public service events, and mentor younger members.

A major difference between the NPHC, NPC and NIC umbrella organizations is that the NPC and NIC differentiate themselves by gender. The NPC is the umbrella organization for sororities and is most often manifested in the Panhellenic Council at the campus level. The NIC is the governing body for fraternities and is usually manifested via Inter-Fraternity Councils (IFC) at the campus level. The NPHC makes no gender differentiation and helps to enhance more of a communal atmosphere by providing men and women with an equal voice in the governance of the NPHC.

NPHC organizations have two types of chapters, undergraduate, and graduate. The development of the graduate chapter concept is significant, because members of NPHC organizations tend to join later in their undergraduate experience than members of NPC and NIC organizations, if they choose to join at all. Pledging a graduate chapter offers a person the opportunity to have the fraternity or sorority experience. Like their NPC and NIC counterparts, NPHC graduate chapters have a mentoring relationship with their undergraduate chapters.

Minority Talent is a limited resource for which every company is competing. Today, the Divine Nine boasts a membership of nearly 1 million college educated individuals with culturally diverse backgrounds. At the March, 2001 Summit on Leading Diversity at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel in Atlanta, Ga., more than 650 of the nation’s leading diversity experts and consultants were brought together to tackle the toughest of diversity issues. One of these has been recruiting and retaining minority talent. In their session at the conference, Allen Boston, Ken Bouyer and Leslie Jones from Ernst & Young’s National Office of Minority Recruitment and Retention (OMRR) shared their best practices. Ernst & Young is a veteran in the minority recruitment and retention arena. The firm’s widespread presence on college campuses has helped ensure it will be considered an employer of choice for graduating seniors. For example, while only 19 percent of graduating accounting students each year are minorities, 25 percent of the graduates Ernst & Young hires are minorities.

Through the 1990's, people of color, women and immigrants accounted for 85% of the net growth of the nation's labor force. By the year 2000, Women were listed as 47% of the labor force. Over the next 20 years the U.S. population will grow by 42 million. Hispanics will account for 47% of the growth, Blacks 22%, Asians 18% and Whites 13%. Miami is 2/3 Hispanic. (--diversity search-2001)

Top companies remain competitive by integrating a diversity focus into their recruitment strategies. These are hectic but tough times for recruiters, especially those who specialize in placing minority applicants. As more opportunities unfold for minority candidates, there are signs of a slowdown in the economy.

The following table lists information and web links in order to readily access the various sections of the Divine Nine. Most of the Divine Nine websites list conference schedules and job listing information that will help aid in the process of tapping into this rich resource of culturally diverse talent. Keep in mind that your effectiveness in recruiting from minority sources will vary substantially with the quality of your organization’s prior track record in hiring minority professionals into credible positions and with the longevity and sincerity of your relationship with the particular source.