In January 2025, during Panhellenic Recruitment, more than 600 women sat in Wait Chapel eagerly awaiting bids to join one of Wake Forest’s seven National Panhellenic Conference (NPC) sororities. Similar to the student body itself, the majority of the people in that room were white.
]
“As a Black American, it’s a little different, like I knew my place,” sophomore Kailani Carbon said. “I didn’t feel like Panhellenic was somewhere that was for me.”
Carbon is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA), one of the six historically Black Greek-letter organizations at Wake Forest under the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC). These organizations are commonly referred to as the Divine Nine.
“It was almost natural for me to join AKA,” Carbon said. “I didn’t see myself or see a place for myself in any other space.”
According to the Office of Institutional Research Fact Book’s Fall 2025 data, Wake Forest’s student body is 61% white, with only 10% of students being Black or African American. In an environment like this, members of Divine Nine organizations say it is important for Black students to have spaces of inclusivity.
The NPHC first came to Wake Forest in 1988 when Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. were established. According to senior Sincere Fielder, President of NPHC at Wake Forest, about 100 new members join Divine Nine organizations on campus each year.
Despite the organizations’ small sizes compared to their Panhellenic Conference and Interfraternity Council counterparts, which 49% of Wake Forest students participate in, Divine Nine has a significant impact on campus and the surrounding community. Fielder, who is president of both Alpha Phi Alpha and NPHC, praised his fellow members for succeeding in many activities and for encouraging one another in these endeavors.
“We show up for each other,” Fielder said. “I’m part of the Afternoon Salon, so my brothers show up and be there as I read my poetry. I have a brother, Noah Brown, who’s a Presidential Scholar [in] music. We are literally everywhere. I have a brother, Chasen Cage, who sings in the chorus. My brother Zinn Amos is another scholar who’s part of the President’s Aides. Being able to be in those rooms shows the amount of influence that we have on campus.”
Sophomore Hilina Asfaw found the same community and support in joining AKA.
“Before I came to Wake Forest, I didn’t really have a lot of strong Black friendships,” Asfaw said. “AKA has given me sisterhood.”
Along with supporting each other, Divine Nine also shows up for the Winston-Salem community. AKA’s motto is “Service to All Mankind,” and the majority of their events include a community service element.
AKA regularly partners with both on and off-campus organizations for volunteer opportunities. They have previously partnered with local high schools to help seniors with college applications and with local elementary schools to make food packages for families in need. This month, AKA hosted a canned food drive to benefit those who lost SNAP benefits during the government shutdown.
The sorority looks for girls who can be assets to their service mission. Fielder said that the same thoughtful recruitment decisions are found in other NPHC organizations as well, since membership is considered a lifelong commitment, and many members choose to join alumni chapters after graduation.
“I do believe that there is a level of intentionality that comes into play when pursuing a membership in the Divine Nine, due to the fact that it is a lifetime commitment,” Fielder said. “There is a lot of sensibility and care that you have to carry yourself with in order to pursue such organizations. It allows you to take an honest inventory of yourself and the way that chapters present themselves on campus in order for you to make the decision on which organization or chapter you want to join.”
Many students’ choices to join NPHC are influenced by meaningful relationships in their lives, even prior to attending Wake Forest.
“I’ve had a number of pillars within my life that have been members of the Divine 9,” Fielder said. “They pour right back into the community from which they came, and I wanted to do the same thing and emulate that kindness.”
Sophomore Ella O’Brien considered rushing Divine Nine because many of her relatives are members, but ended up choosing Panhellenic rush instead and joined Delta Zeta sorority.
“One of my fathers is African-American, and my whole family really wanted me to join AKA when I first got on campus,” O’Brien said. “I agree with the people who join Divine Nine to be with people who look like them and have the same experiences as them, but for me, my comfort zone was more Panhellenic.”
It may be easy for students to reduce Greek-letter organizations to the Panhellenic Conference and Interfraternity Council, but the presence of Divine Nine organizations is integral to Wake Forest.
“Because Wake Forest is a predominantly white institution, it’s very easy for people of color to fall into the background, to be the only person in a certain class,” junior and AKA member Rhian Delgado said. “Although Panhellenic is not just catered to white individuals, if someone goes there, that’s predominantly what they would see. It’s so important to have Divine Nine, where they can see Black people doing service, interacting with the community, taking pride in that, and being a large presence on Wake Forest’s campus when we are such a small community.”
