Wright State installs plaza in honor of Black fraternities and sororities
The Dayton Ohio university says that the plaza is a physical representation of their commitment to support and foster a more inclusive environment
Wright State University unveiled a new plaza on its campus to honor Black fraternities and sororities on Saturday afternoon.
The public university located in Dayton, Ohio, said that the plaza will be named the “National Pan-Hellenic Council Memorial Plots,” and will feature concrete circles with gold medallions of each of the historically Black fraternities and sororities.
The NCAA Division I school said in a statement that the plaza is a visual reminder of its commitment to foster a more inclusive environment and present more education and culture opportunities for its students.
The university is a predominantly white institution (PWI), with students people of color making up less than 22% of the student body.
Adrian Williams, a member of Kappa Alpha Psi and former president of the student body, said that plaza has established a safe space for Black students.
“Having this space means more to us than any of you may ever know,” said Williams, who was one of the students that worked to get the memorial created. “And I look forward to bringing my kids one back to campus one day, many years, down, down the line and showing them this project, I had a role in building and showing them my legacy.”
The plaza is located near the “Turning Points” sculpture and outside University Hall.
Black fraternities and sororities were created throughout the early twentieth century as organizations to foster bonds, support service missions, increase professional development and create safe spaces for African Americans, who were struggling from the crippling effects of post-slavery Jim Crow laws.
The National Pan-Hellenic Council, known as the Divine 9, was founded in 1930 at Howard University as the umbrella organization to house these fraternal organizations.
The fraternities and sororities that make up the Divine 9 include Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Delta Sigma Theta, Phi Beta Sigma, Zeta Phi Beta, Sigma Gamma Rho and Iota Phi Theta.
While the Civil Rights movement and subsequent laws helped to integrate institutions of higher learning and end racist laws, the Divine 9 still remain as sanctuaries for Black students today, particularly at PWIs.
All of the NPHC fraternities and sororities have had a strong history and presence at Wright State.
“These organizations were founded to promote academic excellence, social excellence, social justice initiatives,” said Williams about the Divine 9, in May 2021 when the university first broke ground on the plots. “The purpose of the plots is to honor the history of each organization and NPHC as a whole and provide a gathering spot for both current members and alumni.”
Organized through the NPHC and other Black student organizations, the school collected donations for the plaza for a year. According to the school, Wright-Patt Credit Union, the Wright State Alumni Association and the Wright State African American Alumni Society donated a total of $20,500 to the cause.
President of the school, Sue Edwards, said the student involvement made the event special and that their hard work with the university’s team is the reason the plaza came to fruition.
Wright State NPHC President and member of Sigma Gamma Rho, Dai’Shanae Moore, said that the physical representation will help their minority students feel like they have a community.
“It was more of a wanting to be visible, but also wanting to show that we do have a type of community here for our minority students who are here because even though we have a small percentage, it’s still something better than nothing,” Moore said.
Wright State alumni and member of Iowa Phi Theta, Onome Scott-Emuakpor, who also attended the event said that the plaza is nice gesture but the university still has a long way to go to show they respect the NPHC.
“I am truly appreciative of what’s going on here in the ceremony, this plot, but let us not be distracted by shiny objects, guys,” he said. “We all need to understand, or we all need to help these institutions, understand the difference between being treated equally and being treated fairly.”
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