National Pan-Hellenic Council
The University of Michigan chapter of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) was chartered on October 21, 2005. Prior to then, Michigan housed it’s historically African American fraternities and sororities in the Black Greek Association, a council created prior to being chartered with the NPHC nationally. NPHC fraternities and sororities were founded during a time when Black students were prohibited from joining historically white fraternities and sororities due to discriminatory practices and policies in the early 1900s.
Black students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s) and at Predominantly White Institutions (PWI’s) then created these historic organizations to celebrate and promote Black/Afro-diasporic pride, history, and culture.
In more modern times, fraternities and sororities from every council are open to members of any background, but membership in an NPHC fraternity or sorority means that students honor that activism by doing service and programming in the Black community.
