Academic Achievement Among Black Sororities: Myth or Reality?

The purpose of this study is to explore the association between student achievement and Black sorority membership, specifically within the four National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) organizations. African Americans’ college persistence and graduation rates continue to lag behind those of White and Asian American students (NCES, 2011). While much attention is paid to African American males, research on African American women is needed to understand their challenges and concerns (Chambers, Bush, & Walpole, 2009; Howard-Hamilton 2004; Haniff, 1991; Matthews & Jackson, 1991). Black Greek Sororities are a unique space on predominantly white campuses and African American sororities historically have assisted female African American college students’ persistence and graduation rates (Harris, 1998; Phillips, 2005); yet, more recently, African American fraternities and sororities have been criticized (Kimbrough, 2009; Parks & Spencer, 2013; Phillips, 2005). Given research that has found that Black fraternities are not necessarily fulfilling their academic goals (Harper & Harris, 2006; Johnson, Walpole, & Chambers, 2011), we believe that examining academic achievement within historically Black sororities is critical. This study confirms that African American women involved in NPHC sororities are not immune from some of the same academic issues that have been reported about their male peers (Harper & Harris, 2006; Harper, 2008).