Historically Black Greek lettered organization calls are signature sounds that members of an organization make to get the attention of another member or members of their organization who is some distance away. If someone were to ask me what are BGLO fraternity and sorority calls, I would respond: *I'm a long time inactive member of a BGLO (Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.), but I feel that -inactive or not- I can still respond to these questions: It seems to me that people (including me) aren't as intent on finding out why Greek letter organizations made up or chose their particular call as we are in finding out why Black Greek letter organizations have that custom, what the purpose or purposes of the calls is/are, and how each organizations call is written and sounds.įor those reasons, I've added more definitions of fraternity & sorority calls to the section below and have updated the videos of calls that are found in Part I of this series.Īnd I've added what my response would be if someone asks me* what historically Black Greek letter organization calls are and why BGLO have calls. Here's the link to that pancocojams post: Are Black Fraternity & Sorority Calls And Stomp & Shake Cheerleading Yelps Remnants Of Plantation Field Hollers And/Or African Ululation? However, on Jas part of my research on a prospective pancocojams post (on Stomp & Shake cheerleader yelps and historically Black Greek letter sororities calls)*, I re-read this article and was dissatisfied with it. Note: When this post was first published I declined to list these calls. Click for information about the National Pan-Hellenic council and a list of that Council's member organizations that are informally referred to as the "Divine Nine". And, also for that reason, I'm providing definitions of and a list of "Divine Nine" calls ("Divine Nine" are nine historically Black fraternities and sororities that are members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC). For that reason I'm including lengthy excerpts about the subject of fraternity and sorority calls (and hand signs) from two discussion threads. I say this because those calls are routinely performed in public at Greek step shows, Greek strolls, and other Greek events, and those calls and chants are also showcased on YouTube videos and on other online websites.Īs a community folklorist who is primarily interested in African American folk cultures, I believe it's my responsibility to document & disseminate as much cultural information as possible about BGLO fraternities and sororities, without violating the privacy of those organizations. While I agree with the position that the history & meaning of these calls doesn't need to be shared with persons who aren't affiliated with those specific organizations, I believe that the horse has already left the barn regarding sharing written and audio examples of the specific calls with the general public. I recognize that providing information about Black Greek lettered fraternity/sorority calls is very much frowned upon by most members of those organizations. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. The content of this post is provided for folkloric, cultural, and aesthetic purposes. Part II showcases seven YouTube videos of Black Greek Roll Calls. This post also provides excerpts of two discussions about historically Black Greek letter fraternities and sorority calls and hand signs.Ĭlick for Part II of this series. This post provides information and comments about BGLO signature calls and a list of the signature calls for the nine historically Black Greek letter organizations that are informally referred to as "The Divine Nine". This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series on historically Black Greek letter organizations (BGLO) calls.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |