The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) was established on Saturday, May 10, 1930 on the campus of Howard University, in Washington D.C., as a national coordinating body for historically African-American fraternities and sororities which had evolved on American college and university campuses in the first quarter of the 1900s. The original four member organizations of the NPHC were Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. The council's membership expanded as Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (1931), Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. (1937), and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. (1997) joined the council. The organization's stated purpose and mission in 1930 was as follows:
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. In 1992, the first permanent NPHC national office was established in Bloomington, Indiana, and in 1993, the NPHC changed its constitution to allow for the membership of other similar organizations, many of which were founded after 1930. That change allowed for Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. The nine organizations which comprise the National Pan-Hellenic Council exhibit a profound commitment to providing community service, help to uplift the public welfare, and collectively form an immense network which is international in scope and breadth. Black and white are the official colors of the NPHC, and its official symbol is a nine-pointed rain burst representing each of the nine comprising organizations.
