A team of folks representing Madison’s Divine 9 Black fraternities and sororities will celebrate graduating African American high school seniors in the Madison area pursuing higher learning on Saturday, May 18, at Olin Park in an event called “The Divine 9 College Send Off.”
This sendoff is a gathering to “celebrate the hard work of young emerging scholars, connect them with alumni from their prospective institutions, announce scholarship recipients associated with the sponsoring organizations, and provide students with key tips, suggestions, and resources to survive their first year in a semi-independent environment,” according to a press release from the organizers.
Danielle Hairston Green, Alexander Ricketts, and Derek Johnson, all Divine 9 members, have been working hard to put this event together for months. Hairston Green is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, Rickets is a Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity member and Johnson is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha.
The Divine Nine consists of the following organizations:
- Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
- Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
- Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
- Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
- Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
- Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
- Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
- Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
- Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.
“Our group was put together to bring awareness to the Divine 9 sororities and fraternities, which were the first Black fraternities and sororities that we ever had in the country. So the group does activities and community service throughout the year to bring awareness,” Ricketts, the D9 Committee Chair, tells Madison365. “Danielle [Hairston Green] came up with the idea that we need to celebrate the Black youth that are going to college here in Madison because they have struggles and things that they go through in school and if they’re good enough to conquer those problems and climb those mountains, that they should be recognized for going to school.
“We’re still having first-generation African American people going to college … the first in their family to go. So what that means is when they get there, they don’t know what to do. They don’t know what to bring and they don’t know how it will be,” Ricketts continues. “So we’re trying to match the students with an adult in the Divine 9 who was an alumnus of that school they will be attending and help prepare them for all of the challenges they will face in college … let them know what to look for.”
Celebrating and encouraging African American/Black graduating seniors is crucial as it
acknowledges their achievements despite facing education disparities, Ricketts says.
“The bottom line and the purpose of this send-off event is to help Black youth that are going to college to have a good start and a strong start when they get there so they know what to expect,” Ricketts says. “That first year is usually hard. A lot of kids that get there may have never left home before and they may party too much in college or they may get lonely and want to come home.”
The College Station, Johnson’s organization that works to expand the educational pipeline and improve access to higher education resources for historically underrepresented students, will be giving out information about obtaining financial aid and scholarships at the event.
“The D9 College Send-Off event is designed to celebrate the outstanding achievements of local graduating seniors as they embark on their college journey,” Johnson tells Madison365. “This is a new chapter for our graduates, and we are excited to recognize this important moment of transition as they take steps toward their dreams of higher education. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for them and hope it is filled with success and limitless opportunities.”
Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity will have a scholarship that they will be announcing at the send-off. “There will be free food, guest speakers, and scholarship giveaways. So, that’s a lot to look forward to,” Ricketts says. “We’re looking to have some music playing in the background. There will be lots of information and resources. If I had a first-time student going to college, I would send them to this just to get them aware of what to expect.
“It’s a chance to meet people to … mentors and fellow students. It’s for all graduating Black seniors who will be pursuing higher learning,” he adds.
To register for the Inaugural Divine 9 College Sendoff, click here.
