Donor Stories - Kemah Washington, Ed.D., ’03

BUILDING A CAMPUS COMMUNITY LANDMARK

Divine Nine & Cultural Greek Council Unity Plots on Memorial Walkway

The Millersville University campus community and cultural Greek organizations celebrated a historic
milestone during Homecoming weekend with the dedication of the Divine Nine & Cultural Greek
Council Unity Plots on Memorial Walkway. The area will represent the physical and symbolic presence of each of the nine Greek sorority and fraternity organizations that is included in the National Pan-Hellenic Council, Incorporated (NPHC), plus Greek organizations of the National Multicultural Greek Council Inc. (NMGC) and the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations, Incorporated (NALFO). At Millersville, the Greek organizations of all of these groups combine to form the Cultural Greek Council (CGC).

Twelve spaces will be established on Millersville’s campus with nine representing the organizations of the NPHC, collectively referenced as the “Divine Nine,” along with spaces recognizing additional Greek organizations that are included within the Cultural Greek Council at Millersville. NPHC plots are physical spaces or structures established on college and university campuses that represent each fraternity and sorority with letters, colors and symbols.

Millersville University is proud to establish a location that will serve as a gathering place for alumni and current students to come together, celebrate, meet and reflect. With the Divine Nine & Cultural Greek Council Unity Plots on Memorial Walkway, Millersville University will be the first predominantly white institution in the PASSHE system to have established plots on campus. Cheyney University
of Pennsylvania was not only the first institution to establish plots in the PASSHE system, but one of the first in the nation.

There is a rich history of each of the fraternities and sororities of the Divine Nine. In 1930, the National Pan-Hellenic Council Inc. (NPHC) was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The stated mission and purpose of the organization was “Unanimity of thought and action as far as possible in the conduct of Greek letter collegiate fraternities and sororities, and to consider problems of mutual interest to its member organizations.” Here at Millersville University in the 1970s, several organizations of the NPHC established chapters on campus, including Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. The presence of the NPHC groups grew on the Millersville campus in the 1980s with the founding of chapters of organizations including Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.

Membership in a Greek organization while a student can have a long-lasting positive impact on the lives of its members. Kemah E.P. Washington, Ed.D., ’03 was a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. from 2001 until 2003 as an undergraduate student at Millersville University. Currently, he is CEO and president of BRANDilly Marketing and Creative in Raleigh, North Carolina, and a member of
the Millersville University Foundation board of directors.

When reflecting upon his experience in Greek life at Millersville, he states, “The experience played an immeasurable role in my development as a young man, entrepreneur and leader.” As a member of the organization, Washington held leadership roles that provided valuable opportunities and beneficial connections. “I was fortunate nough to be voted in as a three-time officer for the North Eastern Province (NEP) of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. I held the position of Lt. Strategus from 2001-2002, then Junior Vice Polemarch (the highest-ranking undergraduate in the NEP) from 2002-2003 and 2003-2004. This afforded me an opportunity to travel across the country, rub shoulders with great Kappa men, as well as highly influential politicians and Fortune 500 CEOs. I cannot tell you how much it meant for me, someone people often called ‘exceptional’ and ‘cream of the crop,’ to be around other highly educated, successful and goal driven men. It humbled me and the experiences I had via Kappa gave me a reason to strive for more,” he explains.

As a leadership donor supporting the Unity plots, Washington anticipates many positive outcomes from the project within the campus community. “For Black Greeks, membership extends beyond collegiate graduation and I think the Unity plots will be a bridge between old and new-school Greeks. The plots will give alumni looking back not only a tangible reminder of the ‘good times at the ‘Ville,’ but a reason to ensure that current students have opportunities to create similar memories (via giving to MU, becoming active as a Chapter Advisor, etc.) Simultaneously, the plots will be a constant reminder to undergraduates that they stand on the shoulders of great men and women.”

Join the community of supporters

There’s still time to become a leadership donor to have your name on permanent signage along Memorial Walkway. Visit www.millersville.edu/unityplots for more information.

Leadership donors can still make contributions through December 31, 2019, and be included on the permanent signage. Click here to make a gift and learn more about the unity plot project.

This story was originally featured in the Fall 2019 edition of the Millersville University "Imagine" Magazine.