Overview
Wear your colors and join our celebration of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC)!
For more than a century, the Divine Nine (D9) — the nine African American fraternities and sororities that are part of the NPHC — has nurtured generations of leaders. With an affiliation that lasts a lifetime, members are empowered to preserve their cultural heritage and champion change in political, economic and social arenas.
A link to the PSEG Foundation Social Impact film will be emailed to registrants to watch in advance at home; “African American Fraternities and Sororities – The Divine 9,” is an episode of the PBS series Basic Black.
This month’s Standing in Solidarity program features a panel of impactful D9 members. Learn why D9 members continue to lead the charge in social justice and community empowerment.
In partnership with Dodge Poetry, our program will open with words from Cortney Lamar Charleston, an award-winning poet and author of the forthcoming It’s Important I Remember (Curbstone Books/Northwestern University Press, 2026).
Our panel will be moderated by Calvin R. Ledford Jr., a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and President of the PSEG Foundation and Director of PSEG Corporate Social Responsibility. The panel is curated by Sherlock Dow, President, National Pan– Hellenic Council of Central Jersey.
panelists
Keshia Butler-Thomas, Area 6 Coordinator of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.’s Northeastern Region and CEO of LCK Consulting Services, LLC
Nigel Coelho, Eastern Regional Director of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and Vice President–Operations at US Foods
Fred Davis, President of Alpha Alpha Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Financial Secretary of the Eastern Region of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and Partner in tax services at Aprio Advisory Group, LLC
William S. Parrish, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and Founder and Chairman of HBCU Greatness, Inc.
Ericka Shoulars, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., New Jersey State Coordinator, and Director at BNY (Bank of New York Mellon)
Theodore N. Stephens, II, Former Grand Polaris of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. and Essex County Prosecutor
Monica Pixie Townsend, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., New Jersey State Social Action Coordinator and Program Director at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
Annette Harrell Vick, President of Beta Alpha Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
L-Mani S. Viney, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Jersey City Alumni Chapter and Dean of Students at West Orange High School
rsvp
Curated by Sherlock Dow, President of National Pan Hellenic Council of Central Jersey