Halfway through a yearlong high school course in African American studies, Shannah Henderson-Amare asked her students to think about college — but with a question that many had never heard posed in a classroom before: Could they name the “Divine Nine,” the popular nickname for a group of the nation’s Black fraternities and sororities?
One senior immediately responded: “The Kappas!”
“The Ques!” others shouted out in succession.
For these NYC high school students, the exercise served as the gateway into a day’s discussion about historically Black colleges and universities, or H.B.C.U.s — their history, influence and modern relevance.
