| African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision Contributor(s): Brown, Tamara L. (Editor), Parks, Gregory S. (Editor), Phillips, Clarenda M. (Editor) |
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ISBN: 0813123445 ISBN-13: 9780813123448 Publisher: University Press of Kentucky OUR PRICE: $59.40 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: March 2005 Annotation: The first African American fraternities and sororities were established at the turn of the twentieth century to encourage leadership, racial pride, and academic excellence among black college students confronting the legacy of slavery and the indignities of Jim Crow segregation. Black Greek-letter organizations were also created to foster a sense of community among African American students on college campuses, and among their ranks are legendary artists, politicians, theologians, inventors, intellectuals, educators, civil rights leaders, and athletes. Nikki Giovanni, Cornell West, Martin Luther King Jr., Shaquille O?Neal, Toni Morrison, Bill Cosby, and W.E.B. DuBois were all members of black fraternities and sororities, and these groups continue to have a strong presence on campuses today. Offering a comprehensive overview of the historical, cultural, political, and social circumstances that propelled the creation of these groups, this collection of original essays references the profound contributions that black Greek-letter organizations and their members have made to American history. The contributors also examine current black Greek life and culture, addressing issues such as hazing and branding that are, perhaps unfairly, often at the forefront of discussions about these organizations. African American Fraternities and Sororities is the authoritative history of these influential and sometimes controversial organizations. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Social Science | Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - Education | Higher - Education | Student Life & Student Affairs |
| Dewey: 371.85 |
| LCCN: 2004029990 |
| Physical Information: 1.44" H x 6.42" W x 9.28" (1.77 lbs) 496 pages |
| Themes: - Ethnic Orientation - African American |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision explores the rich past and bright future of the nine Black Greek-Letter organizations that make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council. In the long tradition of African American benevolent and secret societies, intercollegiate African American fraternities and sororities have strong traditions of fostering brotherhood and sisterhood among their members, exerting considerable influence in the African American community, and being on the forefront of civic action, community service, and philanthropy. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Toni Morrison, Arthur Ashe, Carol Moseley Braun, Bill Cosby, Sarah Vaughan, George Washington Carver, Hattie McDaniel, and Bobby Rush are among the many trailblazing members of these organizations. The rolls of African American fraternities and sororities serve as a veritable who's who among African American leadership in the United States and abroad. African American Fraternities and Sororities places the history of these organizations in context, linking them to other movements and organizations that predated them and tying their history to one of the most important eras of United States history -- the Civil Rights struggle. African American Fraternities and Sororities explores various cultural aspects of these organizations such as auxilliary groups, branding, calls, stepping, and the unique role of African American sororities. It also explores such contemporary issues as sexual aggression and alcohol use, college adjustment, and pledging, and provides a critique of Spike Lee's film School Daze, the only major motion picture to portray African American fraternities and sororities as a central theme. The year 2006 will mark the centennial anniversary of the intercollegiate African American fraternity and sorority movement. Yet, to date, little scholarly attention has been paid to these organizations and the men and women who founded and perpetuated them. African American Fraternities and Sororities reveals the vital social and political functions of these organizations and places them within the history of not only the African American community but the nation as a whole. |