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MADE by Sarah Buckner B.A in Global Studies, May 2013, Coppin State University A Thesis submitted to The Faculty of The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences of The George Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts May 19, 2019 Thesis directed by Susan Sterner Program Head for New Media Photojournalism Associate Professor of New Media Photojournalism © Copyright 2019 by Sarah Buckner All rights reserved ii Dedication This project is dedicated to great members of the Divine Nine. Greek life helped mold me into the person I always wanted to be. Always strive for greatness and when life gets hard “Don’t Quit”. To my Que Dawg, my Omega Man, my heart MikeyMars, thank you for always ways believing in me. I never hit rock bottom because you were there to break my fall. To you my love, I dedicate MADE. iii Acknowledgements This project would not have been possible, if it wasn’t for the many members of the Divine Nine that came before me. To Ms.Sewell, my 9 th / 12 th grade teacher, thank you for uplifting me, you were and still are my biggest mentor and friend. I want to give special thanks Shané Weaver for believing in me, without you this project would not exist. It was you who threw a pebble in the water and created the ripple effect that would lead to where I am today. Thank you to my many supporters who took the time to participate and support me in this project. Infinite thanks to my many professors of New Media Photojournalism at the Corcoran. Every photography, video, story-telling, editing and lighting skill I have is because you nurtured me and allowed me to bloom. To Susan Sterner, you have my greatest thanks, it was because you gave me a chance that all my dreams will come true. I am forever in your debt. iv Abstract MADE Project MADE, is a multimedia video and photography project about the nine black sororities and fraternities belonging to the National Pan Hellenic council that refer to themselves as the Divine Nine. Through a series of testimonies, photographs, interviews and short documentary, the project shares a glimpse into who these organizations are, the history, and why they are relevant today. The purpose of project MADE is for viewers to differentiate the Divine Nine from other Greek organizations and to reiterate the purpose and reasoning for their existence. www.project-made.com , is where viewers have the opportunity to learn about the history of the divine nine, become familiar with its organizations and provide feedback of improvement. v Table of Contents Dedication …………………………………………………………………..…..………iii Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………..…….…iv Abstract of Thesis.……………………………..…….…………………..………............v List of Figures………..……………………………………………..………..…….…...vii Chapter One: Thesis Research Essay………..………..………………...………………....1 Chapter Two: Thesis Visual Review Chapter………….……………………….…….….10 Appendices…………………………………….………………………………...…..…...19 A. Images from documentary film and Photo project….………………………….......…19 B. Thesis Exhibition Installation…………………….……..…………………………….28 C. Project Website…………………………………………………….………………....31 D. Community Engagement………………….………………………….……….……....34 vi List of Figures Figure 1 ………………………………………………………………...……..................12 vii Chapter One: Thesis Reporting Chapter MADE The early 1900s were years of turmoil for the African American community. The U.S. Supreme court verdict of Plessy vs. Ferguson in 1986, sparked a flame within the African American community. African Americans observed the developing inequality resulting from separate, but equal and began to revolt. It wouldn’t be until after years of turmoil like the Atlanta Race Riot in 1906, that African Americans would see any kind of improvement and with that the civil rights movement increased momentum. The organizations belonging to the National Pan Hellenic council that refer to themselves as the Divine Nine started with the first fraternity in 1906. It was in the early 1900s before the end of segregation that people of color faced constant discrimination and struggled with institutions of higher learning. On the campus of Cornell University, an assembly of African American students created a study and support group for people of color that faced racial prejudice. This small group ended up bringing about the birth of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first black fraternity. A ripple effect was created because in 1908, on the campus of Howard University, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc was founded. Wave after wave, African American sororities and fraternities were being founded by black leaders on college campuses: The fraternities are Kappa Alpha Psi founded at Indiana University, Omega Psi Phi founded at Howard University, Phi Beta Sigma founded at Howard University and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc founded at Morgan State University. The sororities are Delta Sigma Theta founded at Howard University, Zeta Phi 1 Beta founded at Howard University, and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc founded at Butler University. The organizations have qualities that distinguish them from one another, but they share core purposes of scholarship, service to their communities and comradery. Over time the perception of black Greek letter organizations, also referred to as BGLOs, has changed, the history of black excellence forgotten and the positive light of serving the community that once shinned so brightly dimmed. It wasn’t until I really started digging into all the topics involving BGLOs that I started questioning myself as a member of one. Many of the articles involved hazing when I searched Greek life on the Internet. I would have to be specific if I wanted to find anything on renowned members of society and educational leaders belonging to the Divine Nine. I’d hear the way people would speak about Greeks in the past, proud with admiration, as prominent members like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who led peaceful movements based on the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi and his own Christian beliefs, that made way to achieve legal equality for people of color. Dorothy Heights a renowned educator and civil rights activist, and others like W.E.B. Dubois, Carl Stokes and Rosa Parks all represented the Divine Nine with distinction. These organizations continue to grow in strength and numbers. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., currently has 1,000 collegiate and alumnae chapters located in the United States, Virgin Islands, England, Germany, Bahamas, Bermuda, Jamaica, Japan and South Korea. Even the latest to join the Divine Nine, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc., founded in 1963, has 263 chapters and approximately 30,000 members. Despite the continuous 2 growth, there are rumors that the era of black Greek letter organizations is coming to an end, that their purpose is not as great as it once was. Sean Cooper is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and is a Baltimore native who lives on the west side. Cooper has a mocha complexion and stands at about 6ft in height. He crossed, which is another way of saying joined, his fraternity in the spring of 1999. He joined at what was then known as Coppin State College, an HBCU in West Baltimore, Md. Coppin State University started out as a teacher training school named in the memory of Fanny Jackson Coppin, an African American educator and advocate of woman’s rights. When discussing the important roles of black Greek letter organizations today he said, “Our role has diminished, especially if you consider the activism that a lot of our organizations were founded upon…the times were certainly different and it was important especially in the early 1900s for black people to ban together and work for the betterment of the communities as they existed then.” But he said, “As times grew on and things changed, and the plight of black people became a lot less ridged than it once was…the role of fraternities and sororities both changed and with their impact within the community…Maybe the need is still there, but not as great as it once was.” Some believe the world of media has played a strong hand in destruction of BGLOs. Gari McCarter, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., who along with Sean Cooper, crossed at Coppin State University in the fall of 2012 had strong feelings about the different platforms of media and Greek Life. “I think the worst thing that happened to Greek life is social media. …it’s just not good, it’s just completely tainted…It’s so many things that are private and are between Greeks that’s out there to 3 the world now…” McCarter believes that things like step and block shows, where Greeks showcase their talents by making an instrument of their body by clapping and stomping, should remain an in-person experience. It is during these performances that signature calls and sounds, belonging to distinct organizations are used. Shared with the world these distinctions sometimes become replicated and the misrepresentations become a problem for the Divine Nine. McCarter wasn’t the only person belonging to the black Greek community that feels this way. Cooper shares the same feelings, “The media, I think plays a huge role in how we are perceived, whether it be fraternity or sororities or just news in general it’s not too much positivity infiltrated in the news,” he said. “Nobody is shining the light on these positive aspects that fraternities and sororities are bringing to the communities …That’s not news worthy… The stories going to be someone has gotten beaten or there’s been a tragedy resulting in something unforeseen.” The Divine Nine continue to play a huge role in service for the community. It was just in April 2019, that Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Inc., brought a mobile mammography unit to the Atlantic City Convention center to provide screening for uninsured, low income women in an attempt to fight breast cancer.

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