When people think about Black Greek Letter Organizations, the conversation almost always begins with college.
We remember crossing. We remember the step shows, chapter meetings, community service projects, homecoming, and lifelong friendships. Even our songs reflect those memories. As members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., our hymn speaks of "college days swiftly passed, imbued with memories fond." Every Divine Nine organization has traditions that celebrate those years.
But here's something we don't talk about nearly enough.
What happens after graduation?
When Your Chapter Isn't There
Over the past thirty-plus years as a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, there have been several times when I lived in communities that didn't have a local chapter.
Sometimes the closest chapter was an hour or more away.
Other times, there simply wasn't one.
That forced me to think about fraternity differently.
If I couldn't regularly attend chapter meetings, where would I find that sense of belonging?
More importantly...
Who were my people?
I Wasn't Just Looking for Alphas
What surprised me was that I wasn't only looking for fellow Alpha men.
I found myself instinctively looking for members of the Divine Nine.
Why?
Because regardless of our individual organizations, we shared something very few people outside our community fully understand.
We understood what it meant to earn membership.
We understood service.
We understood scholarship.
We understood leadership.
We understood that our organizations expected something from us long after graduation.
The letters on our jackets were different, but the values behind them were remarkably similar.
The First Lesson Came in Alabama
When I arrived at Fort McClellan, Alabama, for the Army's Chemical Officer Basic Course, one of the first Black officers I met happened to be an Alpha Kappa Alpha member.
It wasn't a formal introduction.
It happened at the commissary.
During our conversation, she casually mentioned that the commanding general on the installation was an Alpha and that his wife was also an AKA.
Had I never met her, I probably would have never known.
Sometimes community begins with nothing more than an unexpected conversation.
Familiar Faces in Unexpected Places
When I later reported to my first assignment, there were roughly forty to fifty officers.
Only a handful were Black.
Among them was one member of Phi Beta Sigma.
We quickly became friends.
Years later, after transferring to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, I attended a Christmas gathering with fellow officers.
Across the room sat another Sigma brother.
The interesting part?
We already knew each other.
Not from Camp Lejeune.
From ROTC Advanced Camp years earlier.
In a military career that constantly moved me from one place to another, those moments reminded me that our community was always larger than our individual organizations.
Something Changes After Graduation
College naturally creates rivalry.
That's part of the experience.
But adulthood changes the equation.
Many of us eventually become the only Black professional in an office...
The only Black manager...
The only Black attorney...
The only Black military officer...
Or one of only a handful in an entire organization.
When that happens, the Divine Nine becomes less about competition and more about connection.
Meeting someone from Delta Sigma Theta, Kappa Alpha Psi, Sigma Gamma Rho, Omega Psi Phi, Zeta Phi Beta, Phi Beta Sigma, Iota Phi Theta, or Alpha Kappa Alpha immediately gives you common ground.
For someone like me—an introvert who has never been especially comfortable networking—that shared experience often became the easiest bridge to meaningful professional relationships.
We Carry More Than Letters
I've come to realize that one of the greatest gifts of Black Greek life isn't simply belonging to an organization.
It's belonging to a larger community.
Our letters may identify our home.
But our shared experiences help us navigate the world together.
That's one of the reasons I spend so much time telling Black Generation X stories.
Whether I'm talking about growing up in Pine Bluff, serving in the military, attending a predominantly white institution, practicing law, or reflecting on the lessons my mother taught me, I'm really documenting the experiences that shaped so many of us.
Our stories are how we recognize one another.
They're how we discover that we weren't as alone as we once thought.
Why These Stories Matter
One of the reasons I created my Black Generation X Starter Pack is because I believe our generation's experiences deserve to be preserved and shared.
Many of us came of age during enormous cultural, educational, and professional transitions. We often found ourselves moving between different worlds, learning to build community wherever we landed.
If this article resonates with you, you'll likely find those same themes throughout the books in the collection. They aren't simply stories about my life—they're reflections on the experiences that many Black Gen Xers quietly carry with them every day.
If you'd like to explore more of those stories, you can find the Black Generation X Starter Pack here:
Black Generation X Starter Pack
Final Thoughts
To my brothers and sisters across the Divine Nine:
Don't spend your entire professional life looking only for people who wear your letters.
Look for people who understand your journey.
Because once we leave campus, we enter something much larger than our individual organizations.
We become part of a network of men and women who know what it means to lead, to serve, to persevere, and to represent something greater than ourselves.
Sometimes the strongest connection isn't found in matching letters.
It's found in a shared story.
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