Nellie Pratt Russell - A Pearl in the Heart of Tobacco Country.
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| Nellie Pratt Russell from the 1952 "Tiger" Yearbook St. Pauls Normal and Industrial School |
Black Greek Letter organizations have had a rich history of supporting the educational and civic interests of the African American community since 1906 when Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate black fraternity, was founded on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca NY. The individual members of the "Divine 9" as the collective organizations are called, represent a virtual who's who amongst African-American influencers and achievers across all industries and endeavors.
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| Civil Rights Movement leaders Hosea Williams, Jessie Jackson, Martin Luther King Jr, Ralph Abernathy |
"Divine 9"
Alpha Phi Alpha - 1906
Alpha Kappa Alpha - 1908
Kappa Alpha Psi - 1911
Omega Psi Phi - 1911
Delta Sigma Theta - 1913
Phi Beta Sigma - 1914
Zeta Phi Beta - 1920
Sigma Gamma Rho - 1922
Iota Phi Theta - 1963
I have been exposed to fraternity and sororities my entire life. My mother was one of the charter members of the Delta Omicron Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority at St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville VA. My father like my mother was a graduate of St. Paul's College and was initiated into the Epsilon Omicron Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity in Lawrenceville Va, in 1952. I am a second generation Alpha, initiated into Psi Chapter at the University of Pennsylvania in 1986.
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| My father and me. |
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| Delta Omicron Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority Inc 1952 |
My parents and I like many of the early members of the fraternities and especially the sororities became educators. It so happened that during their time at St. Paul's both of my parents were taught english by a woman named Nellie Pratt Russell, the wife of the college president Dr. J. Alvin Russell. During her undergraduate career at Howard University, Nellie Pratt became one of the first initiates into the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She was one of six sorors who were instrumental in incorporating the sorority and as such, she along with the founders is revered as one of the "20 Pearls" of Alpha Kappa Alpha.
This is a picture of the recently added historical road marker honoring Mrs. Russell. It's located near Lawrenceville at the intersection of US 1 and Va 46 which runs through the heart of town past the now deserted campus of St. Paul's College which closed it's doors five years ago.
The marker reads:
Nellie Pratt Russell, educator, attended Howard University and was one of six incorporators of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the first Greek letter organization founded by African American women. The sorority, established in 1908, was incorporated in Jan. 1913, preserving its traditions and securing its right to charter new chapters. In 1931 Russell earned a Master of Arts degree from Teachers College, Columbia University. For about 50 years, she taught English at the Saint Paul Normal and Industrial School (later Saint Paul’s College), where she helped found Gamma Lambda Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha. Russell led women’s organizations in the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia.
